Turn of the Screw, Hertford College chapel
13/2/2008
Many of us cannot resist the thrill of a supernatural tale. For some this comes at the expense of serenity in the later hours, as we attempt to free our minds of ghoulish flashbacks. Benjamin Britten's haunting opera Turn of the Screw, based on the novel by Henry James, certainly satisfies this self-destructive craving. The Oxford Opera Company's rendition of the opera will give the most insatiable glutton for punishment a run for their money and send them scrabbling for their teddy bears.
The chapel of Hertford College makes a perfect setting. The billowing curtains of the chapel's entrance, the echoing acoustic and the February chill outside contributed to the eerie sense, which the performers' proximity with the audience helped to heighten. Admittedly this set-up could have led to a messy collision between some hapless audience member and one of the formidable underskirts: however, it allowed close-range appreciation of the full ghastly glory. Only at this distance could we note the unnervingly blank expression of the children's faces, or the way in which Mrs Jessel's crimson dress brought out the blood-shot hue of her eye makeup. Combined with Britten's chromatic score, the performers' slow and stylized movements, and some appropriate banshee-style wails, the opera was most affecting.
The inimitable atmosphere was owed largely to a sterling cast. Sara Jonsson gave an extremely expressive performance as the Governess. She moulded her powerful voice to fit the nuances of dynamics and tempo, combining these with vivid facial expressions and gestures. Adam Tunnicliffe as the Narrator and Peter Quint were also highly impressive, producing an intensely rich tone, and Katherine Cooper as Miss Jessel conveyed a great emotional range through the variation of her vibrato. Heather Uren and Toby Pleming as the children made their mark not only with the sweetness and clarity of their tone but through the use of vocal articulation and gesture to convey their transition from innocence to childish spite throughout the course of the narrative.
James Ross as conductor managed to sustain the tension within the orchestra effectively through slowly building crescendos, culminating in the climax of the ending. Perhaps the efforts of some of the sections as a unit were not always entirely cohesive but the clarity of the solo lines stood out, and in certain sections, such as the Bell scene of Act two, the orchestra and the voices came together with a hushed, menacing incisiveness that provoked shivers from the audience.
Some might not enjoy the unsettling sensation that exists throughout the opera, but whether the spider that crawled across the aisle during the fade-out of the final scene was there by accident or had been strategically planted to enhance the atmosphere, it certainly leads to an entertaining evening!
by Hannah Nepil
