Musical Chairs: Edward Christian-Hare reports on the Saffron Opera Group’s latest and boldest project

Since its inaugural performance of Die Meistersinger in 2014, the Saffron Opera Group (SOG) has presented eight of Wagner’s ten canonical operas in rural Essex. It is refreshing to see an amateur opera organisation – which evidently commands a loyal local audience in Saffron Walden – dedicating itself to performing such complex works. This Meistersinger, conducted by SOG music director Michael Thorne, celebrated ten years of such effort.