With the new tenure of Adele Thomas and Sarah Crabtree, Welsh National Opera appears to be on the up. With many great strides to appeal to younger audiences, at present we have an acid green new logo, dress rehearsals made more of an event with the Artists Pass, and standby tickets on the day. These efforts are welcome, and with this comes a more daring programme.
Originally seen at English National Opera in 2024, this take on Béla Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle adds new ideas to the old Charles Perrault story. A fairly slight evening by itself, at only an hour in length, WNO have paired it with Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex – and, more fascinatingly, Hildegard von Bingen. The saint’s compositions O Rubor Sanguinis and Rex Noster Promptus Est open proceedings, prior to hearing Bluebeard, whose many wives sing these sobering, ancient songs in the near-darkness of their prison. They are heard sighing later, as if the castle itself is moaning…
Whilst there’s no translation for the Latin with Hildegard’s choral writing, the production now features much larger subtitles above the stage – another example of WNO’s growing accessibility, perhaps. Opening with a narrator, LJ Parkinson is dressed in black tie, dicky bow undone and luxuriating on the words of Béla Balázs, translated from Hungarian to English: a cryptic introduction which compares the viewers’ eyelids to the stage curtains. Parkinson is the homestay of both stagings – with the narration done in the first, they remain on stage for both. Bartók’s score for this, his only opera, never fails to impress. With his many field recordings of the folk music of his native Hungary (and the surrounding areas), he formulated a catalogue rich in the region’s heritage.
Christine Rice plays Judith, the next potentially tragic spouse of Bluebeard, and her many piercing moments comprise some of the evening’s joys; she even sings in Hungarian, which must be rare on the UK stage. Nathan Berg is this pitiful Bluebeard, lost in his own power, wealth and sexual desires. Matching the role with a deep, intimidating voice, Berg and Rice share many tensions in this two-hander, where the air is often blue and momentum rarely lets up.
Director Joe Hill-Gibbons has leaned much on metaphor, with the castle in question a long white table where all of the action happens. As Judith spurs Bluebeard on to give her the several keys to open doors, each reveals a new musical texture: the armoury, treasury and even a river are all within his vast lodgings. Cutlery, blood poured into wine glasses and a heap of flowers all gradually arrive upon the table, creating the realisation that everything Bluebeard owns is drenched in blood. Parkinson becomes something akin to a butler, delivering all these props and creating a moody flashlight effect. Included in the large, excellent orchestra is xylophone, harp, celesta and even an organ, which soundtracks the opening of the fifth door.
I couldn’t quite see conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya on the podium, but the musicianship coming out of the pit with her at the reigns was impressive. The Bartók sounded crisp and thumping, leading into Stravinsky’s take on Greek tragedy; with its frequent, boisterous collages typical of the Russian composer, the orchestra might feel more given to fun.
Oedipus Rex is the lamentable tale of the king marrying his mother and killing his father, unaware of having done so. first realising he was adopted, then of his actions, in a grief-stricken state he plucks out his own eyes. Via the writing of Sophocles, Jean Cocteau and translations from Latin by Jean Daniélou, the old tale is given the pep of Stravinsky, in one of his less frequent operatic outings.
Hill-Gibbons may not have had a huge budget for this premiere: another sizeable, angular table is seen, treated more like a platform than in Bluebeard’s Castle. With set and costume by Milla Clarke featuring an industrial-sized vat of wine, a pig on a spit and a blinding, hanging dome, this could have gone either way but is effective in its execution, though I do wonder if this persistent table-stage caused blocking issues for the plainly dressed, male chorus and leads.
Rice and Berg are back in the supporting roles of Jocasta and Tiresias, even more evocative in their broad arias. WNO veteran Peter Hoare is Oedipus, a clear, emotive tenor in recognisable vocal form, and Parkinson returns in the larger role of narrator. This operatic pairing has fared well for a non-sung acting role: pulling double duty, LJ Parkinson proved a resilient spirit. With further co-productions and new exciting work being created at Welsh National Opera, we can only hope that this flame of the new is fanned frequently.
Bluebeard’s Castle & Oedipus Rex, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Sun 20 Sept
Also on Fri 25 Sept + Fri 2 Oct. Tickets: £25-£71. Info: here
words JAMES ELLIS photos DAFYDD OWEN
