Welsh National Opera has performed Katie Mitchell’s production of Jephtha in at least three seasons and I am fortunate enough to have only been to one.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Mitchell’s setting, scenery and direction - were it in a different opera.
There is equally nothing wrong with putting an opera in a different period, here a mid-20th century war-damaged hotel. Had more thought gone into this idea we could have had perhaps the King David Hotel in the fight for the Jewish homeland or maybe after the Six Days War in 1967 – that would have also taken some guts.
Here it is just a vague notion. But what jars is asking the characters to ignore the religious basis of this biblical tale and add a modern sensibility to the religious theme of devotion and sacrifice.
After a rather dull first two acts which at least follow the plot, the drama improves in the final act when Jephtha has to sacrifice his daughter and the Angel intervenes to save the girl to live her life in chastity and the entire entourage delight in Jehovah’s mercy and praise their god. Rather, Mitchell metaphorically makes the characters sing Handel’s exquisite music through gritted teeth.
When WNO first performed nearly a decade ago, this production mesmerised many but I cannot help thinking whatever bubble floated the critics’ boat in 2003 must have burst. Maybe it was the cast that carried the show.
This time round it was not the case. I cannot remember such a lacklustre opening night reception from an opera audience, including the title role, here sung by Robert Murray. Alan Ewing, singing his equally uninspiring brother Zebul, and Robin Blaze, singing an at time shaky counter tenor role Hamor, fared little better.
Best reception was given to the female singers, notably the young Welsh soprano Fflur Wyn who gave the most satisfying performance, returning to the role of Jephtha’s daughter Iphis and Diana Montague singing his wife Storgé.
I thought Claire Ormshaw deserved more applause than she received as the Angel who remains on stage most of time and whispering to Jephtha as he made sacrificial vow if Jehovah grants him victory in Handel’s combination of the Book of Judges story with Euripides's Iphigenia.
The audience was more kind to the orchestra, here conducted by Paul Goodwin and the celebrated chorus.
There are further performances at WMC on September 28 and October 4; Swansea Grand Theatre, October 10, Venue Cymru, Llandudno, October 16 and touring in England.
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