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By
Andrew Blades
At
first, the thought of a classic ghost story played out on consecrated
ground might raise a few hackles; perhaps especially in the case
of 'The Turn of the Screw', toying as it does with sexual ambiguity.
Yet last night's Oxford City Opera production of Britten's masterpiece
immediately justified its ecclesiastical setting.
The
stunning score was bathed in an aptly spectral reverb, and the placing
of head spook Quint in and around the pulpit and organ loft lent
a gothic authenticity to the narrative; a particularly vital requirement
for a 'chamber' opera which depends upon real intimacy with its
audience.
However,
that intimacy wasn't just a matter of church atmospherics. The performances
themselves were, on the whole, convincing. Sara Jonsson, with her
sweet, bell-like soprano, was well cast as The Governess, emphasising
the character's desire for rationality and clarity as events intensify
around her, while Philip Fine's Quint was a suitably sinister adversary,
maximising Britten's swooping melody lines and bringing an elegant,
almost human sadness to his ghost; ditto Charlotte Sayers' Miss
Jessel.
The
possessed children were not mere caricatures either; Kirsty Anderson
(Flora) veered from sweet innocence to curdled horror, and Barney
Hughes (Miles) bore an unflinching gaze which, combining with his
pure treble, strongly suggested the sadness of a child whose mental
age far outpaces his physical. If there was any quibble, it was
a slight one; Katherine Cooper seemed a little too youthful and
sprightly to carry off the part of old housekeeper Mrs Grose.
With
an ever-subtle compassion for Britten's mercurial orchestration,
the ensemble dealt confidently with this opera's unearthly textures,
ensuring that, despite spending only two hours inside the University
Church, my ears were ringing with astral harps and celesta long
into the evening. I only hope my dreams aren't haunted too. Let's
hope that the success of this production will spur audiences and
musicians alike into reappraising Britten's unique operatic legacy.
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