INDEPENDENT OPERA at Sadler's Wells

The Sofa and The Departure

Reviews

Evening Standard

'Girl' composer is up with the masters

By Fiona Maddocks

'...No one could have predicted that a double-bill of unknown operas by Elizabeth Maconchy would cause such a stir. If Independent Opera, the vigorous young company that staged it, carries on in this vein - inventive staging, outstanding musical performance, good-looking ensemble cast - it's in serious danger of giving opera a fashionable name...'

'...To choose Maconchy (1907-1994), admired but neglected, was a stroke of brilliance...'

'...Maconchy is best known for her 13 string quartets. That she wrote operas at all - one of the pair heard last night was pretty racy - comes as a surprise. The Sofa, a surreal farce adapted by Ursula Vaughan Williams from a French text, is set in a wild party - handled with witty insider-knowledge by director Alessandro Talevi...'

'...In contrast, The Departure, with libretto by poet Anne Ridler, is a tragedy of love and loss between Julia and Mark, superbly sung by Louise Poole and Hakan Vramsmo, with the rest of the ensemble as offstage chorus. Here, Maconchy stirs strong pain and passion while using delicate aural textures, a balancing act characteristic of her musical voice. With minimal staging and great panache, designer Madeleine Boyd and her team made skilful use of the Lilian Baylis Theatre's small but efficient space. The 13-strong orchestra shone. Exciting stuff...'