Lírica

The Excelentisimo Diputacion de Alicante has a programme to bring music and theatre to the unwashed masses. Tonight they sent their cultural ambassadors to bucolic Pinoso, the last outpost of empire before crossing the border into the badlands of Murcia.

Sir Les Patterson musn't have been available as they sent two dinner jacket wearing men and a woman in a long frock.

The woman, a soprano, was taken to striking poses as she sang (the rather dodgy photo is the front of the official programme) whilst one of the men played the pianoforte and the other sang. They did a few operatic songs from Puccini, Dvorzak and Tosti for the first half an hour and then after a short break, during which the woman changed her dress, they came back and did some Spanish opera and bits of zarzuelas from the likes of Leucona and Arrieta.

There were about 150 of us there to see them perform, so the theatre looked a bit empty, but to judge from the cries of "Bravo!" and the hearty applause I think everyone enjoyed themselves. I certainly did.