CONSIDERED OPINION OF THE OPERA CLEVELAND PERFORMANCE OF 7/11/07

Benjamin Britten: The Turn of the Screw (Amy Burton, The Governess; Steve Ebel, Peter Quint/Prologue; David Korn, Miles; Vivian Krich Brinton, Flora; Michelle Rice, Mrs. Grose; Meghan McCall, Miss Jessel; David Angus, cond.)

“The most hopelessly evil story that we have ever read in any literature, ancient or modern.” Such was the judgment of the anonymous critic of The Independent when faced with Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw. It is one of the great ghost stories in the language. And yet it’s designed to make readers wonder whether there are any ghosts in it at all. Have Bly’s deceased valet and former governess really returned to their old home? Or are they products of the current governess’ fevered imagination?

More than a few listeners of Benjamin Britten’s superb operatic version of The Turn of the Screw have noted that his ghosts seem rather more concrete than those in James’ original. Much hinges on the decision to give words to the spirits of Bly. You can reasonably doubt the reality of the shadowy, silent form that you think you glimpse in the corner of your bedroom; but if that form starts singing to you, it might be time to reconsider.

Opera Cleveland’s new production of Britten’s Turn of the Screw, directed by Nick Olcott and conducted by David Angus, makes no effort to sort ghosts and living humans onto different planes. The strategy makes the most out of some potential shortcomings.

Casting male soprano David Korn as the boy Miles, for example, might raise a few eyebrows. Britten warned against using an adult in the role, which he wrote for the 13 year-old David Hemmings—in later years a star in movies ranging from Blowup to Camelot to Barbarella. Korn, by contrast, is in his late twenties, and his voice doesn’t sound like a boy soprano. In a realistic production, it would be a stretch imagining him as Miles. But here—on a stage that consists of little but white chairs and a white mirror frame against a dark backdrop—he becomes an extension of the Governess, sung by Amy Burton. And his voice seems a reflection of hers.

Indeed, the whole opera, in Nick Olcott’s interpretation, seems to be taking place inside the Governess’ head. Its characters, down to Steven Ebel’s unevenly sung Peter Quint, seem projections of the Governess herself. Thus, ages converge. The housekeeper Mrs. Grose, played by Michelle Rice, seems no older than the Governess. And you’re never sure whether the moments when you glimpse the adult soprano Vivian Krich Brinton behind the façade of the child Flora are designed or accidental. The Opera Cleveland Turn of the Screw has something of the atmosphere of a Symbolist play. Its ghosts are not so much frightening as inevitable. Stage movements are often stylized. An odd beckoning motion—vaguely reminiscent of some sixties dance fad—becomes a visual motif linking the ghosts with the children.

And yet the fact that your attention is focused on such gestures points to the fact that this production is more intriguing than compelling. That anonymous reviewer of Henry James’ novella said it “affects the reader with a disgust that is not to be expressed.” This relentlessly introspective version of Britten’s opera could have safely hazarded a little more disgust—not to mention the occasional chill, shudder, or goose bump.

Jerome Crossley for WCLV 104/9.

Considered Opinions is WCLV's program that reviews performances by Cleveland-area music ensembles. Commentator Jerome Crossley offers an informed and witty perspective on performances by groups that include the Cleveland Orchestra, Opera Cleveland, and Red {an orchestra}. Considered Opinions typically airs at 9.45 a.m., 12.20 p.m., and 5.20 p.m. the Friday following a Cleveland Orchestra concert, and it repeats at 9.45 a.m. on Saturday. Other air-times depend on the schedule of the ensembles reviewed.

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