Madam, – I read of the demise of the recently formed Irish National Opera Company (Home News, May 28th).
When enumerating the operas which will be presented in Dublin this year, your critic Michael Dervan wrote that there is going to be a complete absence of “natively produced full-scale opera”. His omission to mention two forthcoming productions this year by Lyric Opera is baffling, if not downright mischievous.
Vivian Coates’ Lyric Opera has been presenting full-scale productions of opera for nearly 20 years, using, almost exclusively, native talent. The performances I’ve seen have been well-cast, satisfyingly costumed and staged, and well performed.
Does your critic deny the achievements of Mr Coates’ company merely because there is no public funding for it, and that the performances have been staged in the National Concert Hall, and not in a proscenium-arch theatre? More credit to Mr Coates for the success of his opera company despite all the odds; it survives and thrives, and deserves our gratitude and commendation. Mr Dervan’s slight is petty and mean-spirited. – Yours, etc,
COLMAN PEARCE PhD,
Pearse Villas,
Killiney, Co Dublin.
Michael Dervan replies: “Full-scale” opera implies a closer match with the composers intentions than Lyric Opera manages at the NCH. There are unavoidable limitations involved in working in a venue that is not a theatre. And the company uses cut-down orchestrations, even in works from the 18th century.