My first school was in Castlebellingham, just a thirteen minute drive from Barmeath. My mother always took the blue route through Annagassan and along the coast to Castlebellingham.
I was taught by Miss Byrne in her house. Any mistakes were arrested by a sharp rap on the knuckles with a wooden ruler. Such an efficacious, educational instrument may be discouraged nowadays but it was widely employed in school rooms across Europe and probably further afield – another successful by-product of British colonialism.
Ottorino (the name means wealth) Respighi (1879 – 1936) is famous for three compositions, known as tone poems; pieces of descriptive orchestral music. He composed these pieces, on which his fame lies today, between 1916 and 1928: Fountains of Rome, Pines of Rome and Roman Festivals. Much of Respighini’s acuity may be traced to his early education. When he was eight years old he was rapped over the knuckles by his violin teacher. Although he went to a more patient teacher thereafter, he went on to play many instruments and was fluent in eleven languages. Clearly a ruler-rapping is effective.
Last night I saw a seldom performed opera composed by Respighi in 1922: La bella dormente nel bosco. Many operas are blighted by excessive length and distracting productions. Last night’s production at The Royal College of Music brought this neglected opera to life (appropriately for The Sleeping Beauty) using a combination of puppetry and real actors. It has a massive cast and we saw and heard them all. No cutting corners at the RCM.
| Role | Voice type |
|---|---|
| The blue fairy | soprano |
| The king | baritone |
| The queen | contralto |
| The princess | soprano |
| The prince | tenor |
| The green fairy | speaking role |
| The cuckoo | mezzo-soprano |
| The ambassador | baritone |
| The jester | tenor |
| The little old lady | mezzo-soprano |
| The spindle | mezzo-soprano |
| The frog | mezzo-soprano |
| The cat | contralto |
| A woodcutter | baritone |
| The duchess | soprano |
| The nightingale | soprano |
| Four doctors | tenor, bass, bass, bass |
| Frog, fairies, courtiers, stars, mourners, spiders, woodcutters. Echoing voices. Chorus | |
The production took precedence and was utterly delightful. In cameo roles the spiders and the mourners stood out but it is an ensemble production with all the large cast contributing to a memorable evening. Too long? Not at all. It was all over in 75 minutes leaving me wanting more.