Saul

Handel’s dramatic oratorio could not have been in better hands than at Glyndebourne on the first night of this extraordinary new production. From the moment the lights gently rose to reveal the severed head of Goliath to the final curtain, the entire production was nothing short of breathtaking. Barry Kosky’s production wrings every drop from the music, the singers, dancers, designer and choreographer to create a dramatic spectacle that has the audience gripped from the first note to the last. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Ivor Bolton are on shining form, the delicate layers of Handel’s work unfolding to create moments of terrifying power and darkness.

Lucy Crowe and Sophie Bevan soar above this with beautiful clarity and diction. Benjamin Hullet stalks the stage, a menacing presence throughout. American Paul Appleby sings the role of Jonathan with golden tones and a real sense of innocence and despair. Christopher Purves captures the crazed decline of Saul with skills that depend as much on great acting as singing, a stand that gives depth to this production and that once again shows that Glyndbourne is dedicated to a complete experience.

Iestyn Davies once again shows that he is a counter tenor of stellar qualities, who better than he right now, and although his role as David is perhaps the least demanding dramatically, he makes it truly believable. The Chorus are on top form, powering through the mathematically precise score and complexities of the staging with the sure-footedness that we have come to expect and the dancers with their weirdly convincing choreography are as assured and effective.

Designer Katrin Lea Tang’s amazing designs create the perfect landscape in which the whole is played out, darkness balanced by wit, strangely timeless costumes that sever any hope of fixing this tale in a static age – and a Witch of Endor that draws gasps from an already enthralled audience. This is surely the jewel in the crown of the 2015 Glyndebourne Festival.

Glyndebourne, 23 July 2015

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