Wiltshire Times Musically strong on the ooh-la-la but "La Vie Parisienne." Trowbridge Amateur Operatic Society, Civic Hall For a German-born composer Offenbach seems to have successfully been accepted as an honorary Frenchman in the last century, if his La Vie Parisiene score is anything to go by. His music is redolent of the “ooh-la-la” associated with a France yet to be sullied by two disastrous wars. The candy-floss “plot” does not stand up to inspection – nor was it meant to, merely being the framework whereon to hang some spirited singing and ear-bashing orchestral work. Solo percussionist John Keel did not miss a single beat, from the National Anthem to the last roll of the finale. Greta Price’s bass maintained a sturdy background at the other end of the orchestra to counterbalance the drums. The singing was evidently the result of much preparatory rehearsal. Pitched at least one key to high for the range of the average female voices of the choir it tended to put the melody just out of reach for the competent ladies. A member of the orchestra stated that it was played in the key Offenbach ordained. Any attempt at downward transcription, while feasible for a solo piano, would have been virtually impossible for all the instruments of an orchestra. The singing otherwise displayed brightness, lightness and variety on the part of the hard-working ladies (especially in parts reminiscent of yodelling) and clear-cut tonal weight of the men. Keith Lawley kept his crew going at a steady pace, neither rushing nor lagging, his strings at times losing their battle with a somewhat obtrusive brass. It would be invidious to single out any of the thirteen soloists, the men very manly the ladies very dainty in their long dresses. But to male disappointment the cancan was not performed and despite the illustration on the programme, the only depiction of Paris life was the wording on it. The hall was more than half filled. This on a cold November night for a concert version of a very lively operetta, says a lot of the preparation, publicity and the hardihood of the appreciative audience consisting of above-average numbers of people of pensionable age. On the whole a lively performance on a chilly evening and a performance whose value was appreciated by the audience measured by the strength of its applause. Frank Browne |