The Totally Gorgeous Opera Tenor, Noah Stewart
Steve and I did go to see ‘The
Light Between Oceans’ yesterday afternoon and lapped every deliciously painful
moment of it all up. It was a beautiful film and the fact that it is quite long,
just allows the watcher to drink in the wonderful photography as well as the
sadness and torment of the story. Nothing more can be said about the superb
performances of the stars, Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Rachel Weiss
as well as faultless back up from the rest of the cast including Bryan Brown
who seems to give dignity to every film set in Australia; nothing set in Australian
seems complete without him.
I had read that this film
was a pitiless tearjerker and with us both being hopeless romantics, had gone
armed with several packets of tissues. The first time I took one of the
tissues, that I had placed in a quick to get at position up my left jumper
sleeve, my husband snatched it out of my hand to wipe his already wet face,
since he was crying before I was.
The central couple in the story were simply
wonderful yet I am stopping shortly on this because I don’t want to start
myself off boo-hoo-ing again. Marvellous film but must take tissues. Steve and I had to sit out all the credits to
give ourselves time to pull ourselves together, but when we left as the lights
came on there were about six people still in their seats not yet ready to face
the outside world.
At that time, we thought
that our big day out could not be topped but that was far from the case because
in quite a different way. Our evening in the Chichester Festival Theatre was
utterly glorious in the sheer pleasure of the evening and I don’t think the
smile came off my face from the first note played by the BBC Concert Orchestra.
The smile broadened to a full on grin with the guest singers. Each totally
different but each in their own style filling the audience with an overkill in
value for money at utter happiness of being the recipients of such an evening
of lovely music that was full of light and shade.
Having not seen either of
the two opera stars before, they both captured us as followers from the moment
they opened their mouths and lifted their chests to sing. The very handsome and
presentable Noah Stewart, who sang several of our favourites operatic pieces
including the aria that was ruined for both of us years ago by Harry Enfield’s
character ‘Loads of Money’. To my utter shame I did glance at Steve sideways
when compare presenter Ken Bruce announced that Noah Stewart was going sing La
Donna e Mobile from Rigoletto, I mouthed to Steve ‘It’s the one about the
elephants ear’! Repeating Harry Enfield’s terrible joke, the effects of which
we have had to bear eternally through time.
Beautiful Russian opera singer Ilona
Domnich was quite divine and we most enjoyed her performance of the lovely
Russian song, The Nightingale which was beyond exquisite.
The third guest singer was
Alexander Armstrong, and Steve and I did know that he had a great singing voice,
even though I would say that he is much better know these days for his other
many talents; actor, comic, presenter etc. He sang three songs each one more
surprising than the last for us and the pleasure of listening to him sing is
double valued for seeing, as well as hearing him, since he is certainly a
delightful performer. When Ken Bruce started speaking about this last song I
may have raised my eyebrows just a teeny bit but his rendition with the full
might of the BBC Concert Orchestra was worth waiting for on its own. I still
can’t believe that he sang ‘McArthur
Park
Alexander Armstrong
Must admit that I cannot
remember the name of the orchestra leader that evening who was also a soloist
and we very much enjoyed the ‘Danse Macabre’. The conductor was Richard
Balcombe. Steve’s first words at the end of the show were, “What a wonderful
evening”. It really was, we didn’t stop talking about it all the way home.
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