Entering Kilbourn Hall, you see a largely barren stage and
behind it, a wall seemingly deteriorating from age and poor maintenance. Only
wisps and spatterings of white paint adorn the wall, and an ominous staircase
ascends to nowhere. The odd, vaguely disturbing
architecture of a makeshift fort, consisting of blankets, a table, and a stray
pillow, occupies the center of the stage.
On either side of the stage are two beautiful but forbidding
art installations. One uses provocatively bare tree branches to represent a
large mansion estate. The other is a strange, white totem consisting of a short
ladder leading to a rocking horse, out of which springs a gnarly, fledgling
tree, representing the innocence of youth. Suddenly, the silence is interrupted by the mischievous laughter of children.
The oppressive, enigmatic scenic design of Charles Murdock
Lucas beckons us into Eastman Opera Theatre’s production of the chamber opera
“The Turn of the Screw,” a truly disturbing and lasting work of genius from
20th-century English composer Benjamin Britten.
Eastman Opera Theatre and its artistic director Steven Daigle
and music director Benton Hess have consistently presented professional-level
productions for years – operas featuring brilliant singers from among the
school’s student ranks, thoughtful and provocative direction, and stimulating
set design. Eastman Opera Theatre advances this reputation even more in this
tense and searing production.
Britten’s score for “The Turn of the Screw” is unbridled
magic. The composer had the bewitching ability to create music within a sonic
landscape that was always firmly rooted in tonality – a source of familiarity
and comfort to many music lovers, but shifty enough to be unsettling.
The complicated textures, the murky harmonies, the densely
intellectual musical presentation: all have helped Britten solidify his
reputation as one of the best and most important opera composers since his
death nearly 50 years ago.
The plot of “The Turn of the Screw” — based on the Henry James
novella of the same name — centers around a governess who is hired by a wealthy
estate owner to take care of his relatives, two orphan siblings named Flora and
Miles. The governess is not permitted to contact her employer for any reason,
and she quickly discovers that many damning secrets surrounding two former
employees of the estate, now deceased, still
plague the house and its inhabitants.
The central character of the governess — played by soprano Yvonne
Trobe in the Thursday production that I reviewed — is full of apprehension and
misgivings about her ability to take charge, to be a responsible caretaker for
children, to be an adult. The stamina and non-stop intensity required for the
role would be a challenge for any singer, and Trobe seemed to relish the
challenge. She has a strikingly rich voice, full of substance and allure; she
is yet another Eastman student who is poised to break onto the opera scene in a
major way.
Britten introduced the character of Peter Quint the valet with
a cryptic yet gorgeous aria:”I am all things strange and bold… I am the smooth
world’s double face.” Played here by Nathaniel McEwen, Quint is a perfect
slithering menace. He taunts, intimidates, and tortures everyone who crosses
his path.
Christiana Goslin and Natalie Vatcher were the ideal Miles and
Flora. Both possessed a quality of tone that was undeniably mature but didn’t
sacrifice the sense of naiveté and childlike errancy that is such a critical
component of the opera.
Eastman Opera Theatre’s “The Turn of the Screw,” which is
directed by Stephen Carr and continues through Sunday, November 6, is more than
just a competent production. It is a consummate work of art that will linger
with opera-goers long after the house lights have gone up.
This article appears in Nov 2-8, 2016.
