Opera review: The Rape of Lucretia at the Wexford Opera House

"A rotted body politic riven with lies and factions and a sense that debauchery, despotism and tyranny governs all," is how director, Michael Barker-Caven describes the background of The Rape of Lucretia.

The dramatic plot of Britten’s 1946 chamber opera was given a modern makeover in Irish Youth Opera’s inaugural production which opened at Wexford Opera House on Saturday and plays at Everyman Cork tonight (Tuesday).

In Joe Vanek’s setting, the stage becomes a daytime TV studio with red leather sofa and a bank of monitors.

The Male and Female Chorus (Ross Scanlon and Jennifer Davis) are sharply dressed anchormen in Act 1 and later, flak-jacketed war correspondents who act as narrators while the Etruscan generals are jackbooted, beer-swigging soldiers larking about taking selfies and injecting drugs. Britten is not noted for his female characterisation.

Think of the all male line ups of Billy Budd and the Church Parables. Here there is a symmetry in the cast comprising a trio of army generals balanced by Lucretia and her two attendants. With weighty roles for each, it made a good vehicle for eight voices to show their mettle. There were strong performances all round from a cast mostly in their 20s. Gyula Nagy was a menacing edgy Tarquinius egged on by Rory Musgrave’s manipulative Junius. Bass Christopher Cull was the upright Collatinus.

The rich contralto tones of Raphaela Mangan made a good contrast to Emma Nash’s bell-like soprano tones. Carolyn Dobbin was convincing in her portrayal of the despair of ravished Lucretia. Stephen Barlow conducted a pit ensemble of 12, adding piano himself.

The darker colours impressed and there was poignant and lovely playing from Matthew Manning on cor anglais and Gerald Peregrinne on cello. With the majority of voices in the mid to low register, the ensemble did seem at times too strident for the singers.

This is a grim and challenging piece, given a strong contemporary reading by an impressive young Irish cast. The project secured €169,000 in funding from the Arts Council and was performed in the presence of newly appointed Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys.

Whether the minister saw any resonances in contemporary Irish political scene, she didn’t mention it in her post curtain-call speech. A four star performance.