Wormsley Estate, Buckinghamshire
July 14, 2016
Maggie Foyer
Garsington Opera, that artistic gem in the Buckinghamshire countryside, is presenting three operas and one oratorio this season. Experiencing Franz Joseph Haydn’s The Creation in the midst of verdant summer fields while sheep graze peacefully, adds a unique flavour. Last season Garsington had a great success combining dance and music in Death in Venice with choreography by Andreas Heise and now, for the first time, a dance company takes to the stage with a commission for Mark Baldwin, director of Rambert, to choreograph on Haydn’s masterpiece.
The creation of the world is a big idea – ideas don’t come much bigger. Haydn used all his considerably skill in orchestral tone painting and the power of the Biblical texts as well as John Milton’s Paradise Lost to build a strong focus and coherent line. Baldwin has contributed a great deal of dance, filling nearly every musical phrase, and his reach is wide with many styles from many sources. However, without a defining concept to link it to the lofty theme, it seemed to take place in a peripheral sphere and I struggled to find a reason for its inclusion.
Photo Johan Persson
There was certainly fine dancing on display, notably from Luke Ahmet and Joshua Barwick while among the women Lucy Balfour and Vanessa Kang stood out. The choreography, if nothing else, proved the versatility of the dancers as they worked in a range of styles from classical ballet to modern genres. In addition to the company dancers Baldwin incorporated 25 dancers from the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. Their sections, more structured and minimal, and simply clothed in black body tights, were more in harmony with Haydn and provided some of the best moments. In these brief periods it was possible to enjoy the production in its entirety – dancers, orchestra and singers. There were also several striking young dancers from the school who we will no doubt see more of in the future and it was encouraging to see a stronger partnership building between company and school.
The Creation climaxes on bliss in the Garden of Eden, before that pesky snake offers the apple and it all goes so terrible wrong. With the arrival of Adam and Eve and into the final recitative and chorus the pace of the dance slowed and the final stream of couples peeling off into individual duet brought welcome depth.
Photo Johan Persson
The design elements, by visual artist Pablo Bronstein, were eclectic and the make-up for the dancers decidedly eccentric; some heavily painted and other appearing to wear little or none. The men mostly sported bright red lips which, together with the frilly detail on the company’s body suits lent a foppish, dilettante air.
The archaic Gothic rood screen also contributes to the separation of dance and song; dance on the front stage and music to the rear. The orchestra, who generates the wondrous sound full of textual complexity, under the commanding baton of Douglas Boyd, could do with more exposure as could the chorus housed in balconies on either side and making a fine contribution. The archways served to frame the excellent soloists, Sarah Tynan, soprano, Neal Davies, bass-baritone and James Gilchrist, a tenor with a voice of wonderful clarity.
It was disappointing that so much energy and talent yielded so little effect, but I hope this does not discourage Boyd, the artistic director of the Garsington Opera, from further collaborations with dance companies.