The Grimeborn Opera Festival has a jokey name (think Glyndebourne but without the frills) that hides a serious purpose – which is to present a rapid turnover of small-scale opera done on tiny budgets. And very much in your face if not your lap.
It runs at the impeccably edgy, confrontingly intimate Arcola Theatre, Dalston, from July 29 to September 7. And next week’s offerings include Violeta, a pared-down take on Verdi’s Traviata; and Wagner’s Das Rheingold (with twists in the tale that may offend purists: you’ve been warned).
My particular recommendation is a little opera by the American composer Dominick Argento called Miss Havisham’s Wedding Night in which Dickens’ doomed bride relives the day she was jilted at the altar.
I can’t claim to have seen the piece, it’s never done here. But I’m curious: Argento tends to be a good thing, and knows how to write a tune!
• Ticket prices start at £12. Full details at: www.arcolatheatre.com
