Buxton Festival celebrates its 40th Anniversary
Buxton Opera House is a Frank Matcham theatre nestling in England’s Peak District, and every July sees a wonderful Arts Festival in this lovely spa town. Shortly before being offered the post as CEO of the Festival in its fortieth year, Michael Williams came up with the bold idea of a new 18th-century opera Georgiana, for which he wrote a libretto about Georgiana Cavendish, wife of the Duke of Devonshire. A glamorous socialite and political activist from the Spencer family, she turned their marriage into a threesome with Lady Bess Foster. Both have babies by the Duke, but Georgiana also falls in love with Charles, later Earl Grey (Katherine Aitken), becoming pregnant by him too. Her marriage over and unable to pay her gambling debts, she falls fatally ill and asks Bess to marry the Duke in her place. The opera ends as it begins, with the Duke urging the Duchess (now Bess) to prepare herself for the guests whom he intends to greet with his wife at his side. All very proper, if an emotional mess, and one can quite sympathise with the outrage of Georgiana’s mother Lady Spencer (Olivia Ray).
Wonderful singing by Samantha Clarke as Georgiana, particularly her terrific Act II aria that garnered huge applause, with Benjamin Hulett very strong as the Duke, and Susanna Fairbairn a hugely sympathetic Bess. Emotions aside, there is plenty of room for merriment, with Aled Hall and Geoffrey Dalton making a very witty duo as the Whig politician Fox, and playwright Sheridan. Their well-crafted interactions produce delightful interludes, quite different from the occasional dark presence of the Blackmailer (Rhys Alun Thomas).
Altogether a very fine cast, well conducted by Mark Tatlow who put together the score of this pastiche using music of Mozart, Paisiello, Thomas Linley (the English Mozart), Martin y Soler (the Valencian Mozart), and the 17th-century Italian composer Bernardo Storace. Like John Gay’s 18th-century Beggar’s Opera, it includes popular songs of the day, and serves its purpose well, though musically rather safe for events of such originality.
Very well staged by Jon Morrell with nannies and wet nurses at appropriate moments, and easier in its way than the opening opera of the Festival, Tchaikovski’s Eugene Onegin. This has seven scenes including: outside and inside at the Larin country estate, the two ball scenes, and Tatiana’s drawing room in the Gremin palace. Yet Buxton has devised a simple production that somehow manages to do it justice — my only complaint being the letter scene, where instead of agonisingly writing her letter to Onegin, Tatiana is deluged by letters from on high. But director Jamie Manton has used images of future events as a clever device to inject an element of fatalism: for instance, when Lensky first brings Onegin to visit the Larin estate the two of them enter facing one another as if for a duel, and at Tatiana’s birthday ball in the country the images of multiple chandeliers suggest an affluent future for her. Movement and placing was notably successful in the ball scenes of Acts 1 and 2, and in Act 3 the family pose of Prince Gremin, Tatiana and their daughter was a nice touch.
Luxury casting gave us Joshua Bloom as Gremin, whose final act soliloquy on finding love in middle age was delivered with tremendous feeling. Thus does Tatiana find herself shining like a star within her new family, no longer willing to risk all in repeating her early infatuation with Onegin when he comes to beg her, and American soprano Shelley Jackson brought out her tempestuous side. By contrast the baritone of George Humphreys as Onegin acquired sympathetic gravitas as the opera progressed, eliciting our sympathies after his earlier arrogance expressed by carelessly rough dancing with the ladies. Different from the usual suave indifference one sees, but amply reflecting his fury with Lensky for bringing him to this country ball in Act 2, where Joseph Doody sang a very well-delivered paean to its birthday girl, Tatiana.
Fine performances from the other main characters: David Webb as a lyrical and well-acted Lensky, Angharad Lyddon as a delightful and well sung Olga, Gaynor Keeble and Ceri Williams made a wonderful team as Madame Larina and Filippyevna, and Christopher Cull as a strong Zaretsky in the duel scene. Subtle changes of lighting by Zoe Spurr, well-performed choreography by Jasmine Rickets, and excellent conducting by Buxton’s new artistic director Adrian Kelly, who brought things together very well after a slightly uncertain start.
Until July 21 — details here.
