| Well worth the 10 year wait |
Welsh National Opera |
| Welsh National Opera- The Sacrifice , Wales Millennium Centre , September 24, 2007 |
A kingdom bitterly divided against itself, with the devastation and human destruction we see all around us, far and near on a daily basis, it would seem that even now in this twenty first century the whole world is divided against itself. The sorrow and drama of this wasting human condition is so exquisitely captured by the penetrating sweetness and the driving drums of James MacMillan’s superb and so succinctly applied music, coupled with the stark beauty of Michael Symmons Roberts’ libretto, the opening scenes, conducted with great precision by the composer, are a lesson in opera making. The music and words, so clearly expressed by every individual on the stage, hardly any need to refer to the sur-titles, so perfectly defined each character and underpinned the emotion of action. Like Janacek, MacMillan’s music moves towards atonality but also has great sweeps of near romantic music which always retains an edge that brings a stark beauty to the overall work that expresses the composer’s response to the mood of the story. Director Katie Mitchell has ensured that this sad and terrifying tale, derived from Branwen’s story in the Mabinogion (although all the characters have Welsh names this is much more than a Welsh chronicle.) In order to bring an end to the awful strife between the warring factions, The General has arranged for his daughter, Sian to marry Mal, the leader of the other side. Sian is ready to do this, ready to sacrifice her own passion and love for Evan who has always been her father’s right-hand man in the fighting. Evan is not willing to give up his love so easily. Sian’s younger sister, Megan, may have the mind of a child but she has a strong feeling that the marriage is not the answer. Evan’s appearance at the wedding ceremony causes a serious disturbance. However the marriage seems to work, seven years on they have two sons, Gwyn and Elis. Gwyn is to be invested as the leader of the now unified Nation. Again Evan steps in and the promised reconciliation starts to break down. The General, desperate to bring peace to his people, finally takes a daring step in the hope it will bring about a permanent reconciliation. Christopher Purves, as The General with a full and magnificent baritone and the high acting quality we are always assured of when this artist takes to the stage gives a strong and commanding performance which like that of his fellow player is a joy to watch and listen to. Lisa Milne as Sian coveys every emotion with complete conviction and catches the agony with her full soprano. Leigh Melrose as Evan also completely captures the passion of the character with both his acting and fine singing. As Mal, Peter Hoare’s great tenor voice may not soar over the orchestra as much as his fellow players but he is so believable and captivating, a very satisfying performance. A special mention must be made of the extraordinary vocal performance of Sarah Tynan as Megan. She has some of Symmons Roberts’ best poetry to sing, and some of MacMillan’s most apposite music, with her whole body, with her penetrating, wide-open eyes she projects a wonderful ethereal tension, an excitement and a clarity that is so essentially a part of the core of the opera. Most of the action takes place in a war-torn hotel, its outside walls pock-marked with bullet holes and bomb scars. Designer Vicki Mortimer has created the perfect atmosphere to surround the piece. In fact a near perfect occasion of musical theatre. This is not so surprising as the opera has been ten years in gestation. It was a very brave move on the part of Anthony Freud, former WNO General Director, to invite James MacMillan to write a new work for the company. The collaboration between MacMillan and Symmons Roberts was then in its infancy. Some time later director, Katie Mitchell and designer Vicki Mortimer were brought into the collaborative process and in a cottage in the Brecon Beacons this quartet of high calibre creative artists nurtured the seeds of the opera until it was ready to bring to fulfilment on stage. It has most definitely fulfilled all expectation. I would hope to see this opera in time become a part of the repertoire of most of the major opera companies throughout the world and eventually the name of James MacMillan will find its way into the major league of first class opera composers. |
Reviewed by: Michael Kelligan |
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