Singer’s knowledge, wit and enthusiasm informed and entertained

Opera Prelude lecture recital – “It’s all Greek to me!”
Christ Church, Henley
Friday, December 5

OPERA Prelude invited singer Ross Cumming to present “It’s all Greek to me!”, the latest in its series of lecture-recitals. Cumming based his illuminating exploration of the inherent drama and passion in ancient Greek mythology on the love, loss and tragedy of its characters portrayed through the lens of opera over the past 400 years.

Cumming, a baritone originally from the North East of Scotland and currently an Emerging Artist at Scottish Opera, was accompanied by Francesca Lauri, a pianist specialising in song and opera and winner of the Collaborative Piano Prize at the 2024 Royal Over-Seas League competition.

L’Orfeo was first performed in 1607 and combines Renaissance and early baroque elements. Composed by Monteverdi, who believed that music should serve the emotion of the text, it contains some of his loveliest melodies and most colourful instrumental music.

Cumming’s selected aria from the opera was Orfeo’s lively Vi ricorda, o boschi ombrosi. Sung with suitable panache, its energetic dance rhythms conveyed the joys of Orfeo’s forthcoming wedding to Eurydice.

Inspired by the same legend yet composed in a very different sound world some
300 years later, we next heard Orpheus and his Lute by Vaughan Williams. In this gentle piece, Cumming brought an immediate contrast of tone and dynamic shading while Lauri impressed with some expressive playing during the song’s lyrical closing passage.

The first of three Handel arias was from Acis and Galatea. O ruddier than the Cherry is sung by the lovesick giant Polyphemus as he describes his infatuation with the nymph Galatea, contrasting her bright beauty with his own coarseness before killing her lover Acis out of jealousy. Cumming deftly mastered the many runs and vocal figurations in suitably bombastic comedic style.

Handel’s Where’er You Walk (Semele), traditionally a tenor aria sung by Jupiter, further demonstrated Cumming’s ability to switch between roles and musical styles, while in Leave me, Loathsome Light he captivated with a fluid melodiousness and rich tone to portray the drowsy god Somnus being woken up from a deep slumber.

Yet more versatility came with a moving account of Dido’s famous lament When I am laid in Earth, the soprano aria from Purcell’s 1689 Dido and Aeneas.

O du mein holder Abendstern (O Star of Eve), a magical moment from Wagner’s Tannhäuser, was performed with excellent vocal control and emotional depth.

We also heard arias from Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel and from the 20th century, Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos.

As a seasonal gesture there were two short interludes during which Cumming treated us to some traditional Christmas carols including The Wexford Carol (trad.) and Peter Cornelius’s Three Kings from Afar.

Throughout this substantial presentation, Cumming engaged the audience fully with his knowledge, wit and enthusiasm, creating a most enjoyable and informative experience for all those present, whether opera enthusiasts or non-specialists.

Maureen Idowu