Tales of terror (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Tales of terror

11:10am Friday 20th February 2009 in

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JOHN Fuljames founded The Opera Group in 1997, after leaving university, and has been committed to presenting new ideas in a new way ever since.

He said: “The company has gradually grown and developed as I, and the world, have grown and changed.”

On February 26, The Opera Group will be performing Into The Little Hill and Down By The Greenwood Side, both conducted by George Benjamin.

Fuljames said: “They are both quite dark and terrifying in rather different ways.

“Into The Little Hill is a retelling of the Pied Piper, the famous story which everybody knows about the power and danger of music, and what happens to a town that loses all its children.

“But where that piece is quite seductive and evocative, Down By The Greenwood Side is rough and bawdy, wildly exuberant, and quite violent.

“It’s an old English folk play about St George. He fights Bold Slasher and gets killed and brought back to life.”

One challenge John faced was what to do with the orchestra, which he solved by placing them on stage with the actors.

He said: “The instruments are all storytellers, and the pieces have amazing orchestral colours.

“Whenever the Pied Piper appears, there is a bass flute which is rarely played, so having it on stage is a chance for the audience to see this instrument, which adds to the creation of the world.”

The experienced director said that it was a privilege to work with the London Sinfonietta and a luxury for The Opera Group to recruit mezzo-soprano Susan Bickley and soprano Claire Booth, both of whom he has worked with outside the group.

John said: “They are both real stars as singers and actors, and they sing English very well, which is so important to merge music and text.”

He added: “Anybody interested in stories will get something from this production.”

Tickets for the show, priced from £17.50, or £9.50 for under-16s and students, can be booked at the box office on 01256 844244, or at anvilarts.org.uk.