‘Maud’ tells the tale of a young girl, who whilst walking through the woods, stumbles upon a fairy hiding in the undergrowth, only to later discover, it’s a dragon! However, the innocent story takes a darker turn when the villagers band together, insisting the dragon must be slain, whilst Maud does all she can to protect and defend the creature she’s grown attached to.
The simple but effective scenery totally transformed the room and from the very first crash of the tam-tam, we were transported to the eerily, magical world that composer, Henry McPherson created. The cast circled amongst the audience, whispering and hissing, creating a creepily immersive sound world (that gave us our first experience of an ASMR opera!)
The Scottish Opera Young Company (aged 17-21) gave a stellar performance, and despite a having a relatively small cast, they managed to deliver with magnificent power in the ensemble moments.
‘Maud’ segued seamlessly into Kurt Weill’s ‘Down in the Valley’ creating an interesting double bill which showcased the versatility of the cast, with their ability to convincingly deliver these two distinctly different operas.
This is a must see show and so information regarding future performances on the 28th, 29th and 30th of July can be found on the Scottish Opera website. Don’t miss it!
