Iphigénie en Tauride is a tricky opera to follow, much of the drama having already unfolded before the beginning.
Suffice to say Tauris is not where you’d want to spend a holiday owing to the local custom of human sacrifice ordained by a murderously xenophobic king.
In ETO’s production, a brutalist temple of Diana sets the tone while the male chorus of barbarous knife-wielding Scythians contrasts dramatically with the captive women, reluctantly chopping, mopping and dreaming of home.
The problem for any director of a Gluck opera is the sheer quantity of beautiful music – much of it originally intended as balletic interludes – and the lack of real action.
There’s no dancing here but a lengthy torture scene at odds with its upbeat, sprauncy accompaniment. For long periods in the first half, the female chorus are left to stand about wringing their hands.
But the triumph of this show is Catherine Carby’s impassioned performance as the eponymous Iphigenie.
Carby’s physical intensity and vocal fluidity act as a unifying force and gives a much-needed credible emotional charge to a denoument which otherwise might have felt unnecessarily distant.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article