Philippe Boesmans, Julie: (UK Premiere) Music Theatre Wales, Oxford Playhouse, 12.7.2007 (LD)

 

Cast:

Christine -Emma Gane
Jean-Andrew  Rupp
Julie-Arlene Rolph

Production:

Conductor-Michael Rafferty
Director-Michael McCarthy
Designer-Simon Banham
Lighting-Ace McCarron/Kate Bonney
 

 

Jean (Andrew  Rupp) Julie (Arlene Rolph)

With its current production of Julie, Music Theatre Wales successfully introduces British audiences to the work of Belgian composer Philippe Boesmans. Despite having achieved considerable acclaim throughout Europe for his four operas, Boesmans is relatively unknown in the United Kingdom. Julie premiered in 2005 at La Monnaie in Brussels, where Boesmans has been Composer in Residence for almost twenty years.

The opera is based on Strindberg’s 1888 naturalist drama of the destructive sexual desire between an aristocrat and her valet. Co-librettists Luc Bondy and Marie-Louise Bischofberger have pared down the script and truncated sections of the plot in order to free the musical development from the restrictions of wordy, repetitive text. Boesmans’ musical style is deeply expressive, exploring a full range of orchestral colour and using a highly individual harmonic language that alludes to his compositional roots in serialism.

Designer Simon Banham allows his audience an insight into the full workings of the theatre. In Brechtian fashion, we are presented with a view beyond the extremities of the set, and the orchestral ensemble is placed at the back of the stage, rather than in the pit. Ace McCarron’s simplistic lighting complements the sparse, realistic kitchen setting. The era is early 1900’s, although director Michael McCarthy has deliberately made the decade ambiguous, so  that it does not become a theme within the drama. At the heart of the work is the ongoing battle between Julie and her servant Jean. Theirs is a debilitating struggle for power, status, money and love. Driven by ambition and lust Jean sits on the floor describing his dream to transcend his class whilst Julie reclines above him on the table, lamenting her own aristocratic constraints. After their explicit, lustful encounter the tables have turned, leaving Julie drunkenly stooped on the ground as Jean stands upright, singing “I’ll get there”.

Jean (Andrew  Rupp) Julie (Arlene Rolph)

The artistic decision to place the eighteen-piece orchestra at the back of the stage ensures an excellent balance between the singers and instrumentalists. Under the baton of Michael Rafferty, the orchestra played sensitively, supporting and colouring the vocal lines whilst never becoming intrusive. The conductor and soloists must be commended for handling this configuration so expertly, as it requires complete reliance on monitors for cues and tempi changes.

In the title role, Arlene Rolph commands the stage dramatically and vocally as the self-destructive Julie whose fiancé has terminated their engagement. In this compelling portrayal her volatile heroine veered from unrestrained lust to rage to self-pity, all the while brimming with the desperation and self-loathing that leads to her eventual downfall. Vocally she demonstrated impressive technical facility and stamina throughout. The richness and warmth of her expressive mezzo-soprano tone befit the beauty and elegance of the aristocratic heroine.

Andrew Rupp gave a convincing portrayal of the ruthless Jean, callously rejecting his own fiancé Christine, in an attempt to transcend his class. His appealing baritone sound demonstrated a wide range of colour from long melodic lines exuding seductive charm to the disjointed motifs of an aggressive egoist. Emma Gane’s Christine was well realised and sung with great sincerity. The soloists’ diction was clear and concise throughout, enabling the audience to follow Anna Herklotz’s translation of the text with ease.

The tour concludes in Cardiff in November. If it is possible to catch this production, it is highly recommended. Visit Music Theatre Wales’ website for details.

Lyndall Dawson

Pictures © Clive Barda

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