Review: Ryedale Festival Opera ****

ON the proverbial shoestring budget, Ryedale Festival each year offers an operatic production of the highest quality, this year coupling two seldom seen works, Britten's The Prodigal Son and Mendelssohn's gentle comedy Heimkehr aus der Fremde.

Both seldom performed, they are connected by the return of a lost son, Joe Austin's ingenious "in the round" staging supported by just a few props to represent the action and relying heavily on acting ability. Young casts offered highly impressive singing, particularly from Mark Chaundy, a tenor with a big potential and a vocal quality ideal for Britten.

His task was to tempt the farmer's young son, splendidly sung by another outstanding tenor, Daniel Joy, to squander his money on sex and gambling.

The morality play was much in contrast to Mendelssohn's improbable story of the imposter who arrives pretending to be the local mayor's long lost son, the powerful voice of James Harrison making the most of the humour.

The company doubled roles in both operas, and there was very attractive singing from Kathy Taylor-Jones and Rebecca Hodgetts, the bijou size of the chamber orchestras that were needed for each work being helped by the resonant acoustic of the venue.