|
 Another place to hear arias in Oslo: an aquatic, operatic pub. By John Oates
Norwegian bass singer Trond Gudevold, in his role as Don Giovanni, one of opera's great lovers, is at the bar in Oslo's Underwater Pub trying to seduce with song a peasant girl who is already promised to another. As their duet progresses, his singing becomes more passionate and insistent. And then, to the surprise of both audience and seducer, she brings the scene to its climax by dragging him into the ladies' toilets.
The bar's main entrance is a shipwreck-salvaged door. The basement houses an aquarium and the remains of an 11th-century boat. Not the sort of place you'd expect to see professional opera singers.
But for more than 15 years, the pub has reflected the twin passions of owner Olav Aamodt: scuba diving and opera.
"I want to attract people who are not interested in opera, which is why we don't charge an entrance fee," says Aamodt. "A few days ago two young men came in just for a drink, and complained to the bar staff when they realised it was an opera night. Then a soprano sang an aria from Madame Butterfly, and by the end these guys were actually crying."
Professionals and opera students from the Oslo Academy of the Arts regularly appear on the bill at the twice-weekly opera nights. And when foreign singers appear in Norwegian opera houses, they often drop into the pub to perform.
"Although the pub has acoustics likened to 'singing into a pillow', the venue provides a relaxed environment for performers," says Gudevold. "In the traditional repertoire, bass singers like me are always the villain or an old man. But this is a good place to try something different."
Although opera from Purcell to Puccini is the pub's mainstay, on the night I visited Gudevold sang a mean version of Ol' Man River, the Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein song. A few beers after midnight, he realised the time.
"Gotta go," he said, getting to his feet. "Tomorrow I've a rehearsal for a role at the Norwegian National Opera - where there's little chance of any woman dragging me into the toilets."
Underwater Pub, Dalsbergstein 4, tel: +47 2246 0526 www.underwater.no/opera
ILLUSTRATION: TIM MARRS
Zdezelowane drzwi wejściowe, w środku - wrak XI-wiecznego statku. Po Podwodnym Pubie w Oslo nie spodziewałbyś się, że odbywają się tu występy śpiewaków operowych i studentów śpiewu. Często, po swoich gościnnych występach w operze, wpadają tu także zagraniczni artyści.
"Chcę przyciągnać ludzi, którzy nie interesują się operą," wyjaśnia właściciel, Olav Aamodt.
Chociaż pub ma fatalną akustykę, śpiewacy chętnie tu występują. Jak mówią, to doskonały sposób na odmianę i odprężenie.
|
