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A night (or two) at the opera

Photo credit: © Tristram Kenton
Photo credit: © Tristram Kenton

From Town & Country

When Wagner wrote the music for his epic opera Des Ring des Nibelungen in the 19th century, he certainly could never have imagined that one day it would be viewed by an audience from the comfort of their own homes. But this is our present-day cultural predicament and, as they say, necessity it the mother of invention.

This month, Opera North is presenting us with the opportunity to watch two complete operatic works through their website and streaming channels: Wagner’s masterpiece The Ring Cycle and Benjamin Britten’s chamber opera The Turn of the Screw.

Founded in 1977, Opera North is based in Leeds, but maintains a robust international perspective alongside a compelling vision to innovate, challenge and inspire opera audiences both at home and globally.

Photo credit: Clive Barda
Photo credit: Clive Barda

The director Peter Mumford’s aesthetic vision for The Ring Cycle is to modernise the production with an original design concept, utilising sensational lighting and evocative video. It echoes the original set, which displayed a triptych of colossal video screens as a narrative device, and the cinematography features multiple shots of the orchestra set against luscious scenes of nature, in order to evoke a sense of Wagnerian magic.

Photo credit: Clive Barda
Photo credit: Clive Barda

Opera North’s more recent 2020 production of The Turn of the Screw by Benjamin Britten is a similarly captivating offering. Based on the 1898 Henry James short horror story of the same name, and sung in English, the opera is a mesmerising and other-worldly adaption of the composer’s work.

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Its director Alessandro Talevi has envisioned the opera as a faithful interpretation of James’ story and has focused on enhancing the supernatural qualities of the text through clever set design (which plays with skewed proportions) and lighting devices.

Photo credit: © Tristram Kenton
Photo credit: © Tristram Kenton

Talevi’s creative decision to stage the opera in a singular room has proven to be a curious mirroring of the confinement we find ourselves living in, hopefully with a lesser ghostly presence.

These wonderful productions have been made available for audiences worldwide with thanks to the generous spirit of Opera North, which has resolved to “respond to the current crisis with creativity and resilience, connecting people through the powerful shared experience of music and opera.”

Photo credit: © Tristram Kenton
Photo credit: © Tristram Kenton

Opera North (www.operanorth.co.uk). To view ‘The Ring Cycle’, click here; to view ‘The Turn of the Screw’, click here.