Dibdin: The Ephesian Matron
Soloists
Opera Restor’d
Peter Holman
Dibdin wa the composer of Tom Bowling - that lovely song which features in the Sea Songs which are part of the traditional last night of the proms. He had a large output of songs and of theatre music generally. This little opera was a gem. The music has no complexity or profundity but it exuded charm and good humour. Particularly notable were a patter song for the maid, which could almost have come out of the Savoy operas and a lovely love duet which had an irresistibly catchy tune. It is a pity that Dibdin didn’t establish an enduring English tradition of comic opera - the history of opera in England might have been quite different had he done so. As it is this opera only survives in a vocal score and the version here was orchestrated by Roger Fiske in the 1980s. I have seen comments which suggest that his scoring had over elaborate wind parts but it all seemed quite idiomatic to me.
