I recently traveled to Washington to see Seattle Opera’s performance of Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw. Normally when I travel to see my cousin and attend an opera performance the opera is the main event of my trip. This time the opera was the relaxing downtime of my trip! My cousin sells Lularoe clothing (leggings, shirts, and dresses for all body types that is super comfortable!) and I had agreed to help her be an exhibitor at Geek Girl Con, a convention celebrating female nerdiness. The whole weekend was packed with loading, unloading, selling, folding, inventory, you name it! So the opera was the perfect time to just breathe, relax, and enjoy some amazing music and drama.
This is our selfie outside McCaw Hall. I’m on the right, my cousin Sarah on the left. Yes we’re cousins, and yes we are both named Sara. We spell our names differently and I was born first so mine must be correct, right?!
Since we were staying in downtown Seattle for Geek Girl Con we decided to go to the restaurant inside McCaw Hall, Prelude, to save some time and have extra time to rest, relax and get ready in the hotel without having to rush. I am not sure why we hadn’t tried this restaurant before. Usually we eat at the Armory next to the Space Needle, which is sort of like a food court. Prelude, was an entirely different experience. It is definitely a fine dining option, with entrees starting at about $24. We opted to share an appetizer salad and an entree since we didn’t really know what we were getting into. We ordered 2 glasses of Riesling, Barley Salad (vegan), and Braised Pork Shank. Wow. I have never had pork that tender before. The flavors of both dishes were amazing! The pork shank in particular, which was served with roasted acorn squash and collard greens in a demi glaze, was amazing. The pork was flavorful and tender, the collard greens were sweet in the sauce, and the squash was buttery and smooth. We were both impressed with our meal and vowed to come back again!
Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw – A Brief Overview
Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw is based off of a Gothic Novella by Henry James of the same name. The story is that a Governess has been hired by the guardian of two children Flora and Miles to come and look after the children while he is away. The guardian specifically tells her that she is not to write him if anything goes amiss, she’s to deal with it herself. Ominous beginning, right? She arrives at the mansion in Bly and meets the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose, and the children, Miles and Flora. Everything seems to go alright for a while but it is obvious that something is amiss. The Governess, we never learn her name, starts seeing apparitions in the house windows and near the river, as well as hearing people talking that aren’t there. Mrs. Grose tells her that it must be the ghosts of Peter Quint, the previous valet and the children’s caretaker, and Mrs. Jessel, the children’s mother. Mrs. Grose confides that Quint abused the mother and both of the children. The Governess believes that Quint and Mrs. Jessel are back to get the children.
Miles and Flora are not quite your normal children. Flora is obsessed with her doll and Miles seems to be a bit odd, can be a bit naughty, and eventually gets expelled from his school. Peter Quint and Miss. Jessel sing at one point that they are trying to link themselves to the children to have a firmer hold in the mortal world. Peter Quint is the most successful. At one point The Governess realizes that things have gotten out of control and writes to their guardian. Peter Quint persuades Miles to take the letter, preventing the Governess from reaching out for help.
Toward the end of the opera the Governess tries to get Flora and Mrs. Grose to see Mrs. Jessel, who has led Flora to the river. Mrs. Grose says she can’t see anything, Flora also denies the ghosts existence and lashes out at the Governess saying she is horrible and that she hates her. Mrs. Grose takes Flora back to the mansion where she realizes something is very wrong. The Governess indicates that the housekeeper should take Flora away from Bly and that she will get Miles and soon help from the guardian will come. Mrs. Grose indicates the letter never went out because it wasn’t where she left it. The Governess realizes Miles must have taken it, that Peter Quint has a hold on Miles, and that she must do something.
In the last scene of the opera we see the Governess confront Miles, who is now dressed exactly like Peter Quint, who is obviously controlling him. The Governess tells Miles that he must tell her who is doing this to him, Peter Quint pleads with Miles to keep his mouth shut. After much back and forth, Miles who seems tormented at this point tells The Governess that Peter Quint is the one controlling him. Miles collapses, Peter Quint exits in defeat, and the Governess praises Miles for his courage believing that his speaking the name of Peter Quint has freed him from the possession. On the contrary, when the Governess reaches Miles she finds him dead. The opera ends with her singing her grief for the loss of a wonderful but tormented boy.
We had amazing seats for this opera. They upgraded our seats from the second floor balcony to the main orchestra floor. We were in row F! So close! It was amazing and definitely added to the experience.
First impressions
The Opera
This has to be one of my favorite operas by far. I love the story, which is creepy and feeds the part of me that enjoys horror movies and Halloween. The music is just superb. I have always been drawn to music that is a bit eclectic and not your standard Mozart, Bach, or Beethoven sounding classical music. For me this opera fed the part of my soul that enjoys complicated, deep, and exposed music.
Story Time! When I was in college I would constantly be asked by my peers why I chose music that was “newer” such as Martinu, Horovitz, and Williams. “Because it’s not predictable.” I would reply. I have always found the music of the Classical Era too predictable. The forms are predictably structured and the chord progressions equally predictable. What I love about newer music, composed after 1900, is that there is an element of unpredictability to it. That’s why this opera resonates with me. The story is unpredictable, the music equally so.
Actors and Music
There are only 6 characters in this whole opera. All of the vocalists were amazing. My favorite was Peter Quint. He was so charismatic that it really fed into the haunting aspect of the opera. He was animated and his voice was so beautiful and smooth. I really enjoyed the kid who played Miles. He has a sweet high soprano that was so pure that the juxtaposition of it with the Peter Quint like nature at the end of the opera was especially haunting. The Governess was so believable, going from a naive new member of the household to a grief stricken women mourning the boy she thought she had saved. The ending of the opera was so powerful and haunting that I left the opera mulling it over in my head, talking with my cousin about whether or not she believed the ghosts were real or if the Governess had possibly been insane.
Since this opera only has 6 characters and a small orchestra, everyone is exposed. The music for this opera was amazing. The vocalists projected well and had great tone and diction. The orchestra was quite possibly the best I’ve heard. The clarinet, flute, and bassoon parts are extraordinary. The difficulty is off the charts but this ensemble made it sound effortless.
Set Design and Lighting
I’ve seen multiple operas at the Seattle Opera and I’m always impressed with the set design and lighting. For this production there was one big set that moved independently for scene changes, meaning that no people had to come out and actually move the set for the next scene. Built into the set were doors, stairs, railings, and platforms that allowed the actors to run up to different levels, come out of different doors and exit the scene without having to walk all the way off into the wings.
Onto this incredible moving set was projected different images, creating different scenes for each location. In the beginning we see projected the outside of a large mansion, then the inside of a train with trees in the background, then a river with trees, the inside of a large classroom, and the list goes on. Everytime the scene location changed this projection changed as well, creating for the audience almost a movie like background in real time. It was amazing to see the actors reacting to the new backgrounds and as an audience member it really helped me understand where the scenes were taking place without having to infer it from the lyrics or the supertitles projected above the stage.
Overall impressions
I had a great start to the evening with a relaxing dinner at Prelude, followed by a haunting ghost story, perfect for the Halloween season. The music and acting were incredible and I hope that the Seattle Opera does more small ensemble operas like this to show off how the entire cast and ensemble of talented performers they have at their disposal.
The next opera performed by the Seattle Opera will be Il Trovatore by Verdi. If you’d like to buy tickets or see what other opera’s are being performed check out the Seattle Opera website.
I hope to bring you more reviews of performances in the coming months. As always, aim high and keep on practicing!
Sara
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