Opera
Seeds of perfection Rodney Milnes
Idomeneo Mozart, new production (Glyndebourne) The Glyndebourne Festival has opened with a rather loud bang. There is nothing like a few insulting notices to start the adrenalin flowing, and when they centre upon the season's opening production of a problem work closely associated with the house in the past, it flows the faster. There can be few more difficult operas than Idomeneo, in which the full undisciplined flood of the young Mozart's exuberant genius sits uneasily atop Varesco's uneven libretto. Musicians worship the piece for its sheerly musical qualities, while drama buffs reserve their doubts about the uncertain musico-dramatic time-scale. John Cox's production faces the challenge head on and without compromise, and no staging I have seen has realised the work's potential so clearly and movingly. Like most really good productions, it dares so much that it cannot be perfect, yet carries the seeds of perfection that will flower in the future. The noble simplicity of the dramatic style, free of any baroque or phoney Operatic excrescence — not a gesture is hurled, nor a heel turned — is wholly satisfying. Cox aims straight at dramatic truth and, when the piece allows, hits it. The tension of the three great duologues (Idomeneo/Idamante on the beach, Idomeneo/Arbace, Idomeneo/High Priest) is stretched to breaking point, and the whole of the third act, where church and state clash so decisively, is handled both with unfailing sensitivity and insight, and with a sure feel for dramatic effect at its purest.
What awkward moments there. are come earlier, in the more relaxed genre scenes: uncertainty in the handling of the chorus whether processing with cheerful grins or sitting in too carefully posed groups, and there are some worrying details. I certainly do not believe that so haughty a princess as Electra would be quite so chummy with the stevedores down on the Sidon docks. But these can be ironed out, as can the few uneasinesses in Roger Butlin's startlingly different decor. This is based on a metal-ringed tunnel that makes impressive use of the exceptional stage depth (and thereby solves many production problems in the last act) and defines the space in which the action is set — circular space at that — with a deftness and confidence that is indeed refreshing. Spectacular effects — shipwreck, incense-heavy temple, and the ravages of a horrid sea monster that bears more than a passing resemblance to some of the more unflattering caricatures of Enoch Powell — are all the more effective for their being less than clearly presented. There is nothing like mystery to suggest the mysterious. Some of the Turnerbased gauzes are unhappily chosen, though I admire the idea in principle, and the acidly turquoise costumes grow wearisome. These are details: the overall concept is as stunning as it is original.
At the centre of the production is an operatic performance to rank with Hotter's Wotan or Christoffs Boris: George Shirley's Idomeneo.. His portrayal of this tortured soul carries an inner tension that is distinctly uncomfortable to witness, and the dramatic strength is all the more powerful for its being so carefully contained. Mr Shirley may not have an intrinsically beautiful voice, but it is technically secure, and the wealth of his musicianly and deeply intelligent phrasing matches the detail in his acting. The beautiful singing is provided by Alexander Oliver's Arbace, so much so that one longed for his second act aria • to be restored as well as h,is third, and with it the rest of his character. Of the ladies, Glenys Fowles's Ilia is nicely sung but dramatically blank, and Krystyna Kuwajinska's Electra is one of those hit-or-miss firebrands who hits or misses in about equal quantities. Kimmo Lappalainen's dignified, heroic though slightly stiff Idamante will develop. John Pritchard is one of the opera's most fervent champions, and for his loving conducting and the brilliantly detailed playing of the London Philharmonic Orchestra I have nothing but admiration. Once the fall-out of the outraged rearguard has settled, I fancy that this Idomeneo will be seen as one of Glyndebourne's key presentations.
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