Afternoon Arias
★★★★★ Transcendent
Edinburgh New Town Church (Venue 111): Friday 14 Aug 2026
Review by Neil McPherson.
Brian Bannatyne-Scott, Beth Taylor and friends bring operatic treats to Edinburgh New Town Church with Afternoon Arias (Airs dans L’Apres-Midi) for one performance only.
Sitting quietly in the heart of the New Town on George Street, Edinburgh New Town Church has a simple name that belies the oasis of calm and dignity behind its doors. The simple church is the perfect venue for Brian Bannatyne-Scott’s return to the Fringe.
A previous event at the New Town Church. Pic Church of Scotland.
There are two overlapping themes to this year’s programme; Firstly it celebrates some of the finest arias from the French operatic canon, with works from Berlioz, Gounod, Bizet and Debussy.
Secondly, whether through serendipity or laser focused planning, four of the ten works are from Berlioz’ Les Troyens (the Trojans), one of the composer’s most admired but inaccessible works. Inaccessible because its near 4 hours length meant it was diced into two operas, and Berlioz never heard the full work performed. Maybe the current Odyssey mania will revive interest in this remarkable opus.
The stage for Afternoon Arias is simple. Five wooden chairs, five singers garbed in black, and a silky black grand piano. So far, so traditional. But then Beth Taylor shyly steps forward to the music stand for the first piece and kicks off an hour of beauty, passion and pathos with the excellent pianist (Michale Gajzler) gripping the full house from the first note to the last.
exquisite performances
The five singers – Beth Taylor (Mezzo -Soprano), Catherine Hooper (Soprano), Magnus Walker (Tenor), Jonathan Forbes Kennedy (Baritone and Taylor’s husband) and Brian Bannatyne -Scott (Bass, and the maestro behind the concert) provide not only exquisite performances in their own right, but a handy primer of the differences between the various vocal ranges.
Nowhere is this clearer than in the opening aria with Taylor singing Cassandra’s Les Grecs ont Disparu and the third aria with Hooper singing the Jewel song from Gounod’s Faust. We have two duets – Bannatyne-Scott’s and Taylor’s from Berlioz and the closing piece with Walker and Forbes-Kennedys’ beautiful Au Fond du Temple Saint from Bizet’s the Pearl Fishers.
The only shame is if you are reading this and you weren’t in the spellbound audience, you have missed it. With one performance only, now is the time to mark your diaries for next year’s Afternoon Arias.
Running time: One hour 15 minutes (no interval).
Edinburgh New Town Church (The Sanctuary), 13 George Street EH2 2PA (Venue 111).
Friday 14 August 2026.
2.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here at EdFringe.com.
ENDS
