The Rape of Lucretia

Saddled with perhaps the dodgiest of all opera librettos, director Fiona Shaw has managed the near impossible and made this difficult Britten chamber-work extraordinarily watchable and likeable too. The cast are strong, the singing powerful and the characters played well on a set that is as dark as the story itself. Beautifully lit by Paul Anderson, Shaw plays the story across two eras with her chorus cast as archeologists in the mid 20th century, who narrate by uncovering, in some moments quite literally, the story. Full marks too for incredibly clear diction that negated the need for surtitles and to Nicholas Collon who drives the Glyndebourne Tour Orchestra with a steady and confident hand. Britten’s score is deliciously sparse at moments and then full of sweeping drama. Allan Clayton excels as the male chorus, Duncan Rock makes an utterly believable Tarquinius, and Claudia Huckle is elegantly chaste but perhaps lacking in power when facing her assailant.

Glyndebourne Tour, 28 November 2013
Rating:
Andrew Kay