The Royal Opera's Jette Parker Artists presented a triple bill of English-language one-acters under the title Tales of Love and Loss at the Linbury theatre. Despite the sombre premise, the evening ended on a light note, with the audience leaving in laughter.
The first work, Elizabeth Maconchy's 1961 two-hander The Departure, last staged in 2007, follows a woman watching a funeral from her window, only to realise it is her own. Directed by Talia Stern with a 1960s set by Ana Inés Jabares-Pita, the piece flirted with melodrama, though Maconchy's music provided an impressive vocal showcase for mezzo-soprano Ellen Pearson and baritone Sam Hird.
Charlotte Bray's Making Arrangements, with a libretto by Kate Kennedy, also features a ghostly wife, but to comic effect. The wife's letter cajoling her ex-husband to send her belongings prompts a gothic rampage. Bray's lean score, conducted by Peggy Wu, captured the tragicomic mood, with Sam Hird and Hannah Edmunds delivering strong performances.
The highlight was Elena Langer's Four Sisters, given in a new chamber-orchestra version. Set in a 1980s apartment, the plot revolves around the reading of a patriarch's will and the reveal of a fourth daughter. Langer's witty music and John Lloyd Davies's sharp libretto were brought to life by a cast including Pearson, Jingwen Cai, Madeline Robinson, Hird, and Edmunds.
