I AM in complete agreement with Harry Magee (Letters, January 17) about the performance of Harrison Birtwistle's The Last Supper in the City Halls, Glasgow. The singers and musicians were magnificent but because most of the words did not get across to the audience and because there were no surtitles the performance was ultimately a failure of communication.
According to the helpful but too brief programme note one of the choruses sang in Latin. Who knew what language they were singing in?
Contemporary opera needs all the help it can get. Performing The Last Supper without surtitles was a half-done job.
Keith Bruce (review, Herald Arts, January 16) urged people to listen to the recording of the performance on BBC Radio 3 on January 28. Anyone planning to listen in should get hold of a copy of the libretto. Otherwise they will be totally mystified.
Campbell McInroy,
3 Burnside Avenue, Kirkintilloch.
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