Dhondy: Shahrazad ***
Opera Vera, Leighton House, 11th February 2017
Under the gilded dome of Leighton House’s Arab Hall, lined with exquisite blue and white Islamic tiles, a violinist riffs themes from Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. She is accompanied sporadically by a tabla player. A veiled woman nervously weaves between the guests, watched from afar by a severe-looking man in a black silk tunic. A storyteller appears on the staircase to summon the “true believers” and we traipse upstairs to take our places for a new work, presented by Opera Vera in collaboration with Cantata Dramatica, inspired by Scheherazade’s tales.
Alexander Anderson-Hall (Sharyar) and Philippa Boyle (Shahrazad)
© Robert Workman
Read the full review on Bachtrack.