‘Deafening’ opera trio hit low note at wedding
A TRIO of opera singers hired to perform at a wedding reception forced guests to flee with an ear-splitting Abba medley, a court heard yesterday.
The two sopranos and a baritone in Soprano Bella followed with favourites by Puccini, Bizet and Delibes but were still “embarrassingly loud”.
Retired psychotherapist Virginia Routh, 76, who paid £2,500 for the singers at her wedding to Alan Lynch, said: “Some of our guests were putting their fingers in their ears to drown out the noise. Others simply looked pained. I was embarrassed.” Ms Routh said many of the 100 guests in central London in September last year were devoted opera fans who had to leave the room.
Retired orthodontist Mr Lynch, 74, of Rye, East Sussex, said: “We had to get up and dance because we didn’t want to be kill-joys at our own wedding.
“We were trying to keep the party going but the whole thing was absolutely deafening.”
Soprano Bella’s bosses rejected the complaint over the half-hour act by Mandy Watsham Dunstall, 45, Bernardine Pritchett, 44, and Nicholas Lester, 30.
We were trying to keep the party going but the whole thing was absolutely deafening
But District Judge David Eynon said Ms Routh’s claim for a refund and apology had already been met when Soprano Bella agreed last December to repay £1,500.
In an email Shaun Turner, for the company which specialises in providing singers dressed as waiters and chefs who break into song, said: “I am very sorry that you were disappointed with the performance.” The judge, sitting at Hertford small claims court, said: “That to me seems like a compromise.” He ordered Soprano Bella to pay the £1,500 with £285 costs.
Afterwards, directors Mr Turner, 45, and Katrina Murphy, 40, said it was the only complaint in a thousand performances in Britain and Europe.
“We pride ourselves on providing fantastic entertainment and giving everyone a good time,” said Mr Turner.
“In this case, the reaction was totally over the top.”