Opera no 166
Maconchy: The Sofa
Soloists
Independent opera
Dominic Wheeler
This is one of a trio of short operas by Elizabeth Maconchy. The only other peice of hers that I have heard is the overture Proud Thames https://andrew365newpieces.blogspot.com/search/label/Maconchy which I quite enjoyed in last year’s project.
The obvious influence here is Britten- It was written about 15 years after Peter Grimes had given huge impetus to the development of English opera. I found the opera quite diverting without it making much of a lasting impression on me. There were some delightful parodic passages at several points recalling the spirit of Rossini and Offenbach but much of it seemed a little run of the mill. The plot is quite racy for the 1950s - the leading man is turned into a sofa because of his bad behaviour and can only be resurrected when a couple make love on the sofa! I suspect that it is quite fun on stage and will make a greater impression than it did purely as an aural experience.
