L’Amour des Trois Oranges - Sergei Prokofiev

The Manchester Commanderie were delighted to return to the RNCM for our annual visit to the Opera with an excellent dinner. Commandeurs knew that they were to have an entertaining, if not intriguing, evening from the title of the Opera.

The intrigue was only heightened by the welcome given by the RNCM Director of Development, Rhiannon Mckay-Smith, who gave a brief outline of the plot without giving too much away. While we finished our excellent aperitif ‘Jean de Foigny’ Champagne Premier Cru, Brut NV, Commandeur Russell, kindly acting for Le Maître, noted that this was the eighth time we had visited the college opera.

The first course of our dinner in the Carol Nash Suite was Salmon Escabeche, toasted ciabatta and cucumber salad. This was excellently presented and full of flavour proving an excellent match to the Chateau Bauduc ‘Trois Hectares’ 2021 which has a  high percentage of Semillon.

The Main course was Venison with Grand Veneur Sauce, wild boar farci, fondant potato, and seasonal root vegetables. This was again beautifully presented but above all delicious in every respect. The accompanying wine was Chateau Cantin, Grand Cru St Emilion 2016. This wine from an excellent vintage, was fresh with good fruit, acidity and some dry tannins on the finish. The tannins as expected melted away when set against the meat flavours of the dish. A wine which would continue to drink well for many years if we had any more.

Soon it was time to take our seats for the performance. We were rapidly immersed into the comedy of the evening as the principal characters were introduced ably backed by the extensive Chorus, and a very large orchestra. The artistry involved in the design and construction of the various sets on stage was also impressive.

The first half seemed to fly by so we must have been enjoying ourselves, and it was time to return the Carol Nash Suite for our dessert. This was Mulled Berry Crumble with traditional Vanilla Custard. Once again a beautifully executed dish. The accompanying wine was The Wine Society Sauternes 3rd release from Ulysse Cazebonne. This matched perfectly and some commandeurs took their wine into the second half due to the short time.

There had been rumours about the size of some of the props for the production. The second half revealed why. There were three giant ‘Oranges’ on stage which were gradually unpeeled each to reveal a lady suitable for the prince. However with various twists and spells the chosen lady disappears only to reappear as a truly giant rat on stage. Thankfully all ends well as the rat fades away and the bride to be returns. There were many twists and turns on the way with wicked rivals, dressed in black of course, but the students pulled off a wonderful performance. Several people rated it the best opera evening they had been to, matched by the truly excellent dinner.

Our thanks go to all involved at the RNCM, and Commandeur McLoughlin for a wonderful evening.

Credit to Craig Fuller of RNCM for photographs of the performance.

Le Secrétaire Richard Martindale