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The Herald Scotland
10 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
EIF: A powerful performance of Suor Angelica
Usher Hall, Edinburgh The bar has been set very high by previous concert performances of operas at the Edinburgh International Festival. Most recently there was last weekend's superb addition to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra's Mozart sequence, but also with Wagner in earlier years. The Usher Hall audience is accustomed to singers having memorised their roles and bringing their theatrical skills to the concert platform. The new Principal Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Antonio Pappano, and the dozen, mostly young, female voices from Covent Garden he brought for the last concert of the orchestra's residency at this year's Festival can perhaps be forgiven for not knowing that. Read More: With the proviso that the singers were, for the most part, restricted by being behind their music stands, there could be no complaints about their performances. Suor Angelica, the middle work of Puccini's Il Trittico, is enjoying a notable return to favour, with many staged performances. Its journey from the fun banter of the opening convent scene through the confrontation between the tragic titular figure and her imperious aunt, the Principessa, to the anguished liturgical dilemma of its conclusion was as powerful here. Carolina Lopez Moreno was vocally superb in the title role, which she paced with skill, leaving the revelation of the full power of her voice, secure at challenging pitch, until the opera's climax. The smaller roles of the other nuns were all characterfully portrayed by 10 singers, mostly recent graduates of the Royal Opera's Jette Parker emerging artists programme and a testament to the selection standard for that scheme. The one singer clearly 'off the book' – to the extent of dismissively pushing down the music stand nearest her at her first entrance – was Ukrainian mezzo Kseniia Nikolaieva as the Principessa. The Covid pandemic apparently denied us her Carmen for Scottish Opera, but here was a role for which she was as perfectly suited as our own Karen Cargill, with her richly-toned contralto voice. The dynamic exchange between herself and Morena's Angelica was ferociously intense. With Edinburgh Festival Chorus filling the choir stalls and these instrumentalists, led by former Scottish Chamber Orchestra leader Benjamin Marqise Gilmore, providing a gold-standard interpretation of Puccini's masterful orchestration, the evening was a perfect illustration of what Pappano is bringing to the LSO. The first half featured two stunning concert-openers: the youthful Puccini's Capriccio Sinfonico, with themes he would later repurpose on the opera stage, and the even rarer Juventus by 20th century Italian conductor/composer Victor de Sabata. For festival tickets see here
Scottish Sun
13 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Delighted B&M shoppers find bargains including toys and accessories scanning through for as little as 10p
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) B&M shoppers have spotted bargains scanning through for as little as 10p at the discount store this weekend. Shoppers have seen mega deals on toys selling for just £1 and other items going for mere pennies. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 The Disney Princess Ariel Land & Sea Castle play set is selling for just £5 Credit: B&M Scanner And Other Bargains! 3 One shopper picked up hats, mittens and lip balms for 10p each and dolls for £1 Credit: B&M Scanner And Other Bargains! 3 These Paw Patrol walkie talkies were just £3 in the B&M sale Credit: B&M Scanner And Other Bargains! One happy customer on the B&M Scanner and Another Bargains Facebook group said they'd bought the Little Tikes Moving Monkey for £1. The toy usually sells for £15 and it sings and dances for your baby. Meanwhile a pack of mini figurines based on Disney movie Wish is also selling for just £1. Another shopper picked up a Baby Boutique Doll for £1 - even though it usually sells for £25. They also got a Tiffany's World Happy Pets Playset for the same price. The set includes two dolls along with three pet figurines and accessories. The same person also said they had managed to get Marvel Avengers beanie hats, a pair of mittens and a pack of Fruitella lip balms for just 10p each. Another B&M customer got a set of two Paw Patrol Walkie Talkies for £3, down from £5. And a different person got the Disney Princess Ariel's Land and Sea Castle play set for £5, down from its usual price of £10. It's worth noting that stock will vary across stores and you might not find the same deals in your local store. 'Why is no-one talking about this-' woman says about B&M buy that'll transform her bathroom for 'less than a Domino's' You should also always shop around to make sure you're getting the best deal. And remember, it's only a good deal if it's something you would have bought anyway. B&M is already known for its big discounts but you can also get extra bargains through the B&M Scanner app. Shoppers have saved hundreds of pounds a year by using the app. The scanner lets you see if an item's price is cheaper than advertised on the shop floor label. Products that are typically discounted are seasonal items and old stock that B&M is trying to shift. The app is free to download off the B&M Stores mobile app via Google Play or the Apple App Store. How to use the B&M Scanner app Download the B&M app for free on any smartphone with an App Store or Google Play. Once you've installed it on your device, click on the option labelled "more" on the bottom, right-hand side of the app home page. You'll then find an option that says "barcode scanner". Click on this and you'll open a camera screen. Use the camera to hover over the barcode of the product you wish to check. If the price comes up as lower, take it to the cash desk and it will automatically scan at the lower price. You don't need to sign up to the B&M app to use the barcode scanner. More B&M bargains B&M has just launched a huge sale with starting prices of just £4. The bargain retailer is flogging a huge selection of home essentials as part of its Special Buy sale. Among the items up for grabs are handy clothing rails, side tables and floating shelves for less than £10. One savvy shopper managed to get a garden bench for just £20 after it dropped from its RRP of £60.
The Sun
13 hours ago
- The Sun
Delighted B&M shoppers find bargains including toys and accessories scanning through for as little as 10p
B&M shoppers have spotted bargains scanning through for as little as 10p at the discount store this weekend. Shoppers have seen mega deals on toys selling for just £1 and other items going for mere pennies. 3 3 3 One happy customer on the B&M Scanner and Another Bargains Facebook group said they'd bought the Little Tikes Moving Monkey for £1. The toy usually sells for £15 and it sings and dances for your baby. Meanwhile a pack of mini figurines based on Disney movie Wish is also selling for just £1. Another shopper picked up a Baby Boutique Doll for £1 - even though it usually sells for £25. They also got a Tiffany's World Happy Pets Playset for the same price. The set includes two dolls along with three pet figurines and accessories. The same person also said they had managed to get Marvel Avengers beanie hats, a pair of mittens and a pack of Fruitella lip balms for just 10p each. Another B&M customer got a set of two Paw Patrol Walkie Talkies for £3, down from £5. And a different person got the Disney Princess Ariel's Land and Sea Castle play set for £5, down from its usual price of £10. It's worth noting that stock will vary across stores and you might not find the same deals in your local store. 'Why is no-one talking about this-' woman says about B&M buy that'll transform her bathroom for 'less than a Domino's' You should also always shop around to make sure you're getting the best deal. And remember, it's only a good deal if it's something you would have bought anyway. B&M is already known for its big discounts but you can also get extra bargains through the B&M Scanner app. Shoppers have saved hundreds of pounds a year by using the app. The scanner lets you see if an item's price is cheaper than advertised on the shop floor label. Products that are typically discounted are seasonal items and old stock that B&M is trying to shift. The app is free to download off the B&M Stores mobile app via Google Play or the Apple App Store. How to use the B&M Scanner app Download the B&M app for free on any smartphone with an App Store or Google Play. Once you've installed it on your device, click on the option labelled "more" on the bottom, right-hand side of the app home page. You'll then find an option that says "barcode scanner". Click on this and you'll open a camera screen. Use the camera to hover over the barcode of the product you wish to check. If the price comes up as lower, take it to the cash desk and it will automatically scan at the lower price. You don't need to sign up to the B&M app to use the barcode scanner. More B&M bargains B&M has just launched a huge sale with starting prices of just £4. The bargain retailer is flogging a huge selection of home essentials as part of its Special Buy sale. Among the items up for grabs are handy clothing rails, side tables and floating shelves for less than £10. One savvy shopper managed to get a garden bench for just £20 after it dropped from its RRP of £60.
