It’s officially summer and Market Street is pedestrian only again.  That means it’s possible to stage music performances there and yesterday Opera Atelier had the noon to two spot.  I arrived a few minutes late so missed Maeve Palmer’s first aria but it did mean I walked in on the opening of my all time favourite Handel aria; “As with rosy steps the morn”, sung quite beautifully by Anna Sharpe.  There were three sets and it was pretty varied; Handel, Gluck, Mozart, Haydn, Monteverdi, Rossini Purcell and Delibes, that I remember.  Besides Maeve and Anna we got baritone Chris Dunham and countertenor Ryan McDonald accompanied by Chris Bagan on keyboards, Felix Deak on cello and Arlan Vriens on violin.

The first set consisted of arias from all four singers withmore arias plus a Haydn piano trio in part two.  This included Ryan singing “Voi che sapete” and why not?  Maeve reprised the one really good aria from Haydn’s Orfeo showing some coloratura fireworks.  But best was the third set; all duets.  Ryan and Anna teamed up for Purcell’s “Sound the Trumpet” which I don’t think I’ve heard sung by a mezzo before.  Maeve joined Ryan for a ravishing “Pur ti miro” then Ryan swapped out for Chris for a lively “Pa-, pa-, pa-” and, just in. case anyone had a plane to catch the ladies sang us out with the “Flower duet”.

It was enjoyable.  The traffic behind the “stage” wan’t too awful and the singing and playing was very good.  You can catch more Opera Atelier in the same spot and timeslot on July 9th, August 13th and September 10th.