Perth Choral Society and the local orchestra under Peter Rutterford always give a concert of major work at this time of year. This time they do two classics of the twentieth century choral repertoire.
The programme opens with the Chichester Psalms, commissioned from Leonard Bernstein by the Dean of Chichester, a great patron of the arts in the 1960s. It turns up regularly at the Edinburgh Festival, where the composer did once himself conduct it. It is rarely, if ever, heard north of the central belt, and is a very welcome novelty.
The second item, Orff's Carmina Burana, is a deservedly popular hit whenever any choir chooses to present it. The rousing melodies are unforgettable. The three solo roles are all technically demanding, and it is always good to hear a new generation of singers able to tackle them.
The plaintive song delivered by the roasting swan is always a challenge for a tenor, with a cruelly high range. David Douglas has long experience of similar demands - in the French baroque style - but is also familiar here from his work with the Scots Opera Project as well as Scottish Opera.
The baritone Jerome Knox has not appeared in Scotland for a while - he studied in Glasgow, and as well as performing in student productions at the Conservatoire he appeared with Scottish Opera. He previously sang in Perth with the Ryedale Festival staging of Handel's Alcina in 2016.
Soprano Emily Mitchell's previous appearances in Scotland include the Scots Opera Project and Opera Bohemia.
© Copyright Opera Scotland 2025
Site by SiteBuddha