The Siege of Calais Review
The Siege of Calais
www.englishtouringopera.org.uk
Reviewed by Erica Bourn
This is powerful, and sombre, stuff, and perhaps a slightly more light-hearted first introduction to opera than English Touring Opera's Donizetti's 'The Siege of Calais' would have been preferable in hindsight. That said, there is no denying that this was a fantastic production, with full 26-piece orchestra, clever set design and top class singers that has made this a truly unforgettable experience, and one that has left me wanting to explore the genre more.
The highly acclaimed English Touring Opera visit 55 venues each year, giving some 100 plus performances. Between the 11th-13th April, York Theatre Royal played host, and York opera fans were treated to three varied performances: Mozart's comic opera Cosi Fan Tutte; Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, and culminating in the Saturday night performance of Donizetti's little performed work 'The Siege of Calais'.
It is the story of the burghers of Calais, (depicted by Rodin in his famous sculpture which stands outside Westminster), six brave volunteers, including the mayor and his son, who offer up themselves to save their wives, children and beloved city. It explores strong questions of patriotism with due regard to how this can conflict with the attachment and love of family.
The action starts with Aurelio, son of the leader of the besieged city, attempting to steal supplies for his starving family from the enemy camp. After briefly being captured and escaping, the short lived jubilation concedes to a realism that their fight is lost. Towards the end he defiantly rejects the king’s demands for the slaughter of noble hostages, but his father Eustace insists on sacrifice lest everyone die of starvation.
In this production, a third Act has been cut, which as originally scripted gave a happy ending with the Queen being so touched by the bravery of the six that she called for a pardon. It is understood that this was widely regarded as a weaker aspect of the works, and as such James Conway has chosen to exclude it resulting in a sombre ending when we see the six burghers trudging off to their death. After the stage calls, cheers and bravos from a very appreciative York audience, the orchestra suddenly struck a lighter mood with ballet music from the cut Act III.
In updating the production, inspiration is taken from the 1947 siege of Stalingrad, with Samal Blaks concrete set and huge rotating sewer pipe which distinguishes the English outside the Walls from the French within – clever design which worked well in situ and could be transported from venue to venue.
As already pointed out, I am no Operatic expert, however, for my money, (a view I feel is supported by the rapturous applause of my far more knowledgeable fellow audience members), the vocal performances were first rate. Of particular note was Australian Helen Sherman was Aurelio. Before she started singing, her convincing mannerisms and body language made me think she was a man, and she gave a magnificent portrayal of the role. The intimate scenes with wife Eleonora and their infant son were heart wrenching, and made me glad, for once, my own infant son woke in the night so that I could hold him close.
It is true that this is not the easiest of going of subjects that this opera explored, but was certainly thought provoking and left a huge impact on my husband and I. We would jump at the chance to see any further productions from the fantastic English Touring Opera, particularly at such a lovely venue as York Theatre Royal proves to be every time we visit.
Performances continue on tour at: Snape Maltings Concert Hall, 20th Apr; Buxton Opera House, 27th Apr; Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, 2nd May; Warwick Arts Centre, 11th May; Perth Festival, Perth Theatre, 16th May; Cambridge Arts Theatre, 21st May.
Rating: 4/5
The Seige of Calais is currently on Tour performed by the English Touring Opera, for more details or to book tickets click here.
