A mesmerising new production of Pelléas et Mélisande at Longborough Festival Opera

****

Much of the anticipation of the new production of Pelléas et Mélisande was based on how Anthony Negus would take his rightly loyal Wagner audience into Debussy’s world. The theatrical side of the show was always going to be secondary and this indeed proved to be the case.

The minimalist Max Johns set design, is basically a climbing frame wall of a castle battlement with recesses, and the occasional perfunctory prop. It relies on rather overdone lighting rigs being dragged onto the stage to created varied shadowy atmospheres. While water is essential to the story this was always replaced by Peter Small lighting designs, whether a simple tube, reflections on some glorified tin foil, a dangling lamp or a bank of beams. It works but gets too much towards the ending of the opera.

It works because it adds to the notion of an illusory world, what is and isn’t real, literally illuminating this symbolist piece where we (and the characters) never know if anything is quite what it seems. Perhaps the most striking image is Mélisande wheeled on to the stage in what looks like a glass exhibition case, in which she is interrogated by her by now quite bonkers husband Golaud about the nature of her relationship with Pelléas. Even her baby becomes a sort of light.

Kateryna Kasper

Our key interest is the developing interactions in the love triangle of Golaud, Mélisande and Pelléas. The pleasure in the vocal contrasts of these voices in the international cast that includes Karim Sulayman as Pelléas and Kateryna Kasper as Mélisande who are visually appealing despite rather dowdy Anisha Fields costumes, which are of course of little concern compared to the elegant singing from the hypnotic pairing.

It is the power and stage presence of Brett Polegato as Golaud that dominates from the strange poolside meeting with Mélisande to his near insane ranting, always beautifully sung, at the closing of the work and his eventual collapse. The baritone’s deeply disturbing confrontations with both Mélisande and the horrific manipulation and bullying of his young son by his first marriage Yniold (sweetly and effectively sung and acted by Nia Coleman) took him to the dramatic centre of the evening. A fine transition from singing the role of Pelléas in the earlier career of the Canadian-Italian.

Making her UK debut, the Ukrainian-German soprano Kasper’s Mélisande is gently luscious, directed to be always deeply melancholic, and while we see the depth of her relationship developing with Pelléas it is always suggested rather than overt. This is left to the sometimes generous if at other times over-restrained baritone of Lebanese-American tenor Sulayman, who brings smooth richness to the role that needs both alluring subtlety and bursts of rapture. This is most evident in the famous tower scene where Mélisande is supposed to let down her hair, but this would be just too much of a literal act for the director to convey, so again this is all some sort of symbolic ritual.

Brett Polegato and Nia Coleman

The strength of the cast is greatly added to by a glorious sonorous bass from Julian Close as Arkel who is portrayed particularly wise and perhaps less detached as some of the other more psychologically troubled players. This is a strong following on from his excellent Wagner roles at Longborough.

Catherine Carby and Pauls Putnins sing a fine carefully drawn Geneviève and a rather menacing doctor.

In the pit, Anthony Negus brings the expected subtlety to his handling of a score he clearly adores and even with too much stage action (those clunky lighting rigs and unnecessary technical tinkerings) the orchestral interludes were particularly exquisite. This is not an opera for grand arias or soaring extremes.

My own first experience as a reviewer was the 1992 Pierre Boulez work with Welsh National Opera on which Negus worked with the great French man when at WNO. The show went to Paris and with the staging by Peter Stein it was a stunning accomplishment that the sadly diminished Welsh company can only dream of now. Fortunately, Longborough has given Negus the opportunity musically, if theatrically it is interesting rather than sublime.

Karim Sulayman

This will not be particularly embraced for the theatrical elements, generally effective as they may be, but as a rewarding experience for the singing and playing of a memorable quality.

Julian Close

Until July 10.

https://lfo.org.uk/opera/pelleas-et-melisande

Images by Matthew Williams-Ellis

Also from Longborough 2025:

Wahnfried: https://operascene.co.uk/reviews/wagners-dynastic-dystopia-uk-premier-at-longborough/

Il barbiere di Siviglia. https://operascene.co.uk/reviews/crowd-pleasing-barber-delights-longborough-audiences/