I am beginning to think that the creatives behind the various arts organisations in Leeds know something I don’t. This is the fourth production I have been to in the last three months which highlights their youth sections. Have they got access to information suggesting that they had better invite me to see the actors and musicians of the future now, in case I won’t be around when they turn pro, or is it just to give them a taste of what being reviewed feels like. I hope it is the latter, as I have a hospital appointment for the day after I am writing this, so don’t want it to be the former!
Opera North Youth Company comprises four sections which specialise in musicianship and performance, the first and last of which took to the pit and stage tonight. They are: Opera North Youth Orchestra, a pre-professional ensemble of 16-25 year-olds and/or those in full-time education; Opera North Children’s Chorus for 8-11 year-olds; Opera North Young Voices, covering the 11-15 age group and Opera North Youth Chorus for those between 15 and 21. Although they appear in concerts along with the main Orchestra and Chorus, this production was all their own work, with the exception of the conductor, Nicholas Shaw and the two lead singers; Pasquale Orchard, who sang the role of Christina and Ross Ramgobin as Count Heinrich. The latter filled the role created for a baritone, and so required a more ‘seasoned’ voice, whereas the former undertook singing the part of a manipulative vamp, not averse to breaking her promises to get what she wanted. Not something to instil into the psyche of an impressionable young lady!
The story is a cautionary tale reminiscent of The Pied Piper, in that a stranger agrees to do the people of a town a favour in exchange for a reward which is not forthcoming, so he wreaks his revenge. Rather than ridding the place of rats, he magically moves 100 beech trees from the valley to the castle on the hill, inhabited by Count Heinrich, who wanted somewhere shady to take his morning walk. This was obviously an impossible task, especially when given such a short deadline for the job, so, when a mysterious Green Man arrives and offers to do the job for them, the villagers jump at the chance. The snag is, that in return for the subcontracting, he asks for the hand of one of the village girls in marriage. None of them feels inclined to take up the offer, which would mean moving away, until Christina, who is already betrothed to a local chap, says that she will volunteer, knowing full well that she has no intention of walking down the aisle with anyone other than her fiancé, Carl. The Green Man and Christina seal the deal with his kissing the back of her hand. This causes her to experience a burning sensation on the place where his lips touched. I had taken a swift look at the programme and, when I saw that a green man was moving a large number of trees unassisted, I thought it must either be The Incredible Hulk, or the big boy who scoffs sweetcorn, but no, it was a normal geyser in a green suit and hat.
Over the next couple of nights, he must be used to double time for anti-social shifts, the beech trees begin to appear outside the castle, until they have all been moved. As a bonus, to exact revenge against the Count, on behalf of the villagers, the Green Man has planted them close together so that, not only do they shade them during his walk, they cut out the light completely.
The Count learns of Christina’s intention to welch on the deal with Green Man, when he sees her cousin, Caspa, who tells him she has been invited to the wedding with Carl. The big day arrives and the pain in Christina’s hand gets worse culminating at the altar, where a black spider crawls from under her skin and runs amok among the guests. It is a vicious critter and bites anyone who comes near it, extending its range to cover the whole village. No one is able to kill it so the carnage continues.
The count feels secure in his castle until he finds the spider has hidden in his helmet and is burning into his brain. He goes mad, fair enough, and mounts his horse to flee the castle, hotly pursued by his henchmen. At the top of the mountain he loses control of his steed and falls down a deep precipice, along with his posse.
Back at the village, the inhabitants are having a gloomy drink, whilst Caspa plays a folk song, a bit like listening to a Leonard Cohen album, when in bursts a herald bearing the news of King Casimir’s death, along with a request that they contribute some money towards a tomb in which his body will be sealed. This gets the usual reaction in response to a tax demand, and they ignore it, obviously waiting for the red final warning. It suddenly occurs to the villagers that the tomb would be a great place to inter the spider, if only they could catch it. Christina, in a stroke of genius, brings the trumpet down on the arachnid, trapping it in the bell, which they then bung up and the instrument, along with its contents, is taken to Kraków where it is placed into the tomb before it is sealed.
All ends well with Caspa curing Christina and the villagers having a knees-up whilst the priest has several attempts to explain the lessons learned from the episode.
When I say that all ends well, it is only a temporary state of affairs, if you can call 530 years temporary. The construction of the piece is very imaginatively done with the first scene taking place in the present day at the tomb, which is being examined by a group of archeologists. As the original story progresses, so does the parallel one, in five short flashbacks, although I suppose they are really flashforwards. The initial one sets the scene; the second, sees the tomb being opened and a spider emerging; the third shows the Museum Director visiting the tomb, where they are told that the archeologist has been taken ill; the fourth involves a pathologist discovering a link between deaths of those working at the tomb, and the final one the autopsies being completed with the conclusion that ‘there is a rational reason to everything.’ Sciencespeak for ‘don’t ask me, mate.’
As is my modus operandi for writing reviews of amateur productions, I don’t mention anyone by name – obviously I have credited the professional singers, who were both magnificent – as they are still work in progress and there is a long road ahead. They are also at various stages of physical and personality development, meaning that they are not yet able to inject their life experiences into the acting part, most of them reciting their lines rather than living them.
As previously stated, the singing voices have yet to mellow and strengthen, but they were exceptionally good for young people in that age range. Well, what else would you expect from students being trained by Opera North.
The choice of performing this particular work by Dame Judith Weir, composer and librettist, meant that the fairytale element, dark as it was, seemed ideally suited to the various levels of ability. There was also plenty of comedy involved, so not as sombre as it sounds. In fact, once again, I was seated in front of a woman who was laughing at absolutely everything. There is nothing so hilarious as a rampaging poisonous spider destroying a village and its inhabitants. Slap my thigh!
The Secret of the Black Spider was directed by Rosie Kat, with set and costumes designed by Zahra Mansouri. The lighting was designed by Jake Wiltshire.
I thoroughly enjoyed both the opera and its performance, which was superbly accompanied by Opera North Youth Orchestra under the baton of Nicholas Shaw. I look forward, consultant willing, to being able to see a lot of them again, should this be the life path they choose.
Sadly, the two nights at Leeds Grand Theatre were the only performances of this work, but to see what else is coming up from Opera North please go to https://www.operanorth.co.uk/# Should you have not yet seen an opera in the flesh, then have a look at the brilliant offers to help you give it a go, https://www.operanorth.co.uk/your-visit/new-to-opera/
Feature image from Opera North. Photographs by James Glossop.
Tyke It To The Limit 