When is an Opera not an Opera

This afternoon we saw the Sacramento production of Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw. (The picture by the way is not Fred Rogers but Britten.) Britten's inspiration comes from a Henry James novella of the same name. On its face the story would be a good opera. It concerns a governess who is hired by a wealthy man to take care of two children who he has no interest or time for. The prior governess and her lover, Mr. Quint, both died. And somehow, they are controlling the situation in the house called Bly. When the governess takes action against Quint, the boy, Miles, dies. So it is a ghost story, with lots of overtones.

Britten wrote this in 1954, and although I have not read the James book, it has the feeling that most critics suggest about the source book. It is gothic in its proportions. Britten's score suffers from being more ponderous than profound. I found it unrelenting.

As I watched the performance I wondered what constitutes an opera. A simple definition of opera is a production where singers tell the story. I find that definition inadequate. I guess I am more addicted to operas which are a bit more lyrical - not just to the bel canto period but in the end you want some music which is memorable. Even Wagner (who I do not really care for) has a couple of tunes in his operas that one can remember. Britten's work is a collection of sounds not songs. For my taste, this opera was a disappointment.

Even with that disappointment I am glad that the Sacramento Company tried it. The performance, although not to my liking, was dramatic. The half dozen or so singers in the production had wonderful voices. And occasionally it is good to get out of the comfort zone of what we know.