Benjamin Britten: The Turn of the Screw

Governess: Fiona Murphy  Peter Quint: Andrew Tortise  Miss Jessel :Giselle Allen

Mrs Grose: Yvonne Howard  Flora: Lucia Vernon  Miles: Thomas Copeland

Conductor: Nicholas Chalmers

Director: Oliver Mears

Designer: Annemarie Woods

Lighting designer : Kevin Treacy

Northern Ireland Opera, with the NI Opera Orchestra

This opera was first performed in 1954 at La Fenice in Venice – the same opera house where La Traviata was first performed a century earlier. it might be said to show how far opera has travelled in the century between those two opening nights.

The Turn of the Screw is based on the short story by Henry James (which is also the basis of the film with Deborah Carr – The Innocents ). It tells a story of two innocent children, Flora and  Miles corrupted by two adult servants Peter Quint and their governess Miss Jessel, in whose care they are placed. Even today both the subject matter – drenched with hints of sexual grooming and sexual repressions – the betrayal of the relationship of trust between adult and child is disturbing. The story and opera and indeed film disturb more because of what isn’t said but what seems to be hinted at.

By the time the action begins Quint and Jessel are dead and it’s their malevolent evil spirits who now haunt the children’s lives. There is a new governess; a housekeeper; the children; and a brief appearance of the children’s guardian who employs the new governess and who often suggestively doubles in productions as Quint. The new governess is employed under the restraints of not troubling the children’s governor with any problems. The action opens with the arrival of the new governess where she is met by the innocents and by a letter announcing Miles’s expulsion from school – full of hints of darker behaviours.

The remainder of the opera explores the children’s innocence in relation to the increasingly explicit presence both of Quint and Miss Jessel who grow stronger as they draw the children into games that speak to their evil intent. The suggestive power in this story draws from Britten some chillingly suggestive music. he seems drawn to the outsiders and Britten lavishes some wonderful music on Jessel and Quint.

But the most eerily evocative of all the music belongs to Miles. I believe the young David Hemming was the first Miles. Britten was very drawn to him and there is great intensity in the music he gives Miles – and perhaps a strange longing. As Miles questions his own motives-  believing himself irredeemably bad – the score etches out a leitmotif that haunts the rest of the opera. In an extended passage Miles breaks into this music in the thematic aria – ‘malo…’

This is a chamber opera and as such was a wonderfully chosen piece for the lovely theatre. It also happens to be a small masterpiece of one of England’s greatest composers. it fitted the space perfectly.  It was simply presented and powerfully sung. Perhaps Thomas Copeland was a little nervous at first but he came into his own.

The children’s voices were not always consistently loud enough. Nevertheless they brought some fine acting and well as fine singing to the production. The improvised piano playing by Miles in the long scene where Flora induces the Housekeeper into sleep was very clever.

Andrew Tortise’s Quint was singular and Fiona Murphy’s Governess grew in authority. The climax with her searing recapitulation of Miles’ ‘malo…’ theme was absolutely electrifying – as it should be.

A fine night and a fine production and a fine start to the festival for us…