Death and the Chaste Apprentice by Robert Barnard Page B

come over and offer further advice on what he should do with his diaphragm. Gillian and Peter joined them, and soon they were well at it.
    â€œIt would change the whole character of the festival,” Ronnie Wimsett said when he was told of Gottlieb’s demands. He was a serious-minded, private young man, but he had come to feel passionately about the festival, to appropriate it in some way as a part of himself, as Gillian had. “The two things go together—Jacobean drama and nineteenth-century Italian opera. People like the music critic of the Observer sneer because it’s not ear-wrenching stuff, but in fact it’s wonderfully direct and passionate, really theatrical. And it’s what people expect of Ketterick, what gives it its character. Give Gottlieb his way and it’ll become just like any other festival. We’ll be doing The Marriage of Figaro and Pallyarse and Smellyhands, and they’ll be his Figaro and his Pallyarse. When that happens, we’ll be just like any other festival. The next thing will be, he’ll start dictating what plays are done, to tie in with his opera of the year.”
    â€œStill, the guy, though scary, has a way with him,” said Krister Kroll ruefully. “What’re the odds that Ketterick will not be doing La Straniera next year?”
    â€œNever having heard it,” said Gillian, “I can’t weep bitter tears about the specific loss.”
    â€œOh, it’s great Bellini, and practically unknown. Even Beefy and Scrawny haven’t recorded it.”
    Beefy and Scrawny, it was explained, were the currently highest paid tenor and soprano in the world.
    â€œIt’s the principle I’m concerned about,” said Ronnie.
    â€œIt’s the personal level that concerns me,” said Kroll. “It won’t be the death of the festival if I don’t come back,and I certainly won’t while that monster is in charge. I’m a peaceful guy, but some of the things he said to me . . .”
    Natalya Radilova, who was beginning to follow bits of conversation in English, went off into a bitter tirade in Russian. Peter paraphrased for her.
    â€œShe’s complaining about my not being there when she did her big final scene this afternoon. He was vile to her apparently. It’s a difficult scene— It’s where she brings her husband’s head in on a platter and goes mad over it.”
    â€œMy God!” said Gillian. “I thought this was supposed to be ‘opera semiseria.’ I’d really hate to see a serious one.”
    â€œNo, that’s just another example of the amiable Gunter’s influence,” explained Kroll. “There are two manuscript endings, and they’d chosen the first. In that, some functionary comes along and explains that for unspecified reasons Adelaide’s marriage has been invalid all along. Adelaide goes off to be Roberto il Bruce’s queen amid general rejoicing, with only the baritone throwing a fit. That Mexican is awfully good at throwing fits. Anyway, along comes Gottlieb at the first rehearsal and says: ‘No, we do the second.’ In that one Adelaide hacks her husband’s head off and then stabs herself after some fearsome coloratura. That’s what Natalya is having to do. The annoying thing is that, as usual, Gottlieb is right. It’s a much more effective conclusion.”
    Natalya went on at length in Russian. Peter explained. “Natalya says it is ridiculously difficult to do because it’s so way out—so gory and savage. The audience will reject it at the drop of a hat, because it just seems impossibly savage.”
    Once again a familiar voice came from behind Peter’s shoulder. He was beginning to feel he had a minor devil following him around.
    â€œYou wouldn’t say it was impossible if you’d seen some of the things I saw in 1947, at the time of independence.Some of those poor bloody Indians had