Ángeles Blancas Gulin, Emilia Marty; Nicky Spence, Albert Gregor; Gustáv Beláček, Dr Kolenaty; Mark Le Brocq, Vitek; Harriet Eyley, Krista; David Stout, Baron Jaroslav Prus; Alexander Sprague, Janek; Alan Oke, Count Hauk-Šendorf. Tomáš Hanus, Conductor; Olivia Fuchs, Director; Nicola Turner, Designer; Robbie Butler, Lighting Director
As I was walking to the Birmingham Hippodrome for this performance, I sadly reflected that this was probably be the last WNO production I would see, unless I was prepared to travel to Wales – their Arts Council budget has been cut to reflect the view that they should stay in Wales in future (possibly making way for ENO in the West Midlands – who knows…..?). I have seen some fine productions in recent years in Birmingham and Liverpool by the WNO – particularly their War and Peace, and their Eugene Onegin. Both WNO and Scottish Opera seem to be on a roll at present – it is really only ENO that offers a slightly depressing spectacle, despite all the good work they do.
I found this a very moving and compelling production and I was very pleased to have seen it – the last and only live staged performance I saw was sometime in the 70’s at the ENO – maybe Josephine Barstow as Emilia Marty? – though there was a very good Prom concert performance I went to in 2016 with Karita Mattila in the starring role, conducted by the late Jiří Bělohlávek. It’s – as can be said of many of Janacek’s works – a strange piece; all the legal details can take a while to get your head around (though it’s doable – see below) and the sudden blaze of glorious music at the end is unexpected after much of the work, in which the music tends to trundle along in the background, though always interestingly. There’s a very moving contrast at the end between EM’s expressions of world weariness and the meaninglessness of life, and the amazing music of the last 5-10 minutes, which actually does express something that makes it all worthwhile, that creates beauty that will last forever in a real sense, and not through alchemical potions.
The sets and what we saw on stage was well-conceived but a bit fidgety at times. The three acts had clearly defined locales – lawyers’ office, back of the Opera House, and Prus’ bedroom. There were occasional video images at the rear which were good in the Act 1 prelude but got rather irritating and unnecessary in Act 3. Vertical strips with coloured files on them appeared and disappeared in Act 1 for no particular reason. The central images of the clock in Act 2 and the curtains over the bed in Act 3 worked well. What was embarrassing was the interlude between Act 1 and Act 2, when Mark Le Brocq – Vitek – came out front while the stage hands changing the set to partly make sure the audience was au fait with the story (this was unnecessary) and, stepping out of role, made a few jokes about the stage hands. This was irritating and disruptive – as I know from my days directing the village pantomime, if a designer starts creating complex sets that disrupt the action, you tell them to go away and re-think. Brechtian alienation, possibly, but it didn’t work. On the other hand, EM’s stage transition from perennially young woman to old age was extremely well done, with the aid of the curtains.
Clearly a performance of this work stands or falls by the performance of the person playing EM, and Ángeles Blancas Gulin – not a name I’ve come across before – was stunning. She looked the part, she was totally credible in her acting, she sung beautifully when she needed to, and snarled and shrieked at appropriate points. Her voice had subtlety and power – and all in all her performance was overwhelming. The other parts were strongly cast – Nicky Spence, Mark Le Brocq, Alan Oke, to name but three, The orchestra played, as far as I could tell, idiomatically and powerfully and their Music Director Tomáš Hanus is a Janacek specialist who has prepared a critical edition of the score
John's musical journey 