Lyndsey Fineran is charmed by DOE’s ‘Albert Herring’, 12th – 14th November 2009

‘Albert Herring’ is Benjamin Britten’s 1940s comic chamber opera and the latest offering from the Durham Opera Ensemble. A quaint and nostalgic journey to a bygone England and its eclectic inhabitants, it tells the tale of Albert, the village’s timid and painfully innocent greengrocer’s son who finally makes his break away from both the community’s suffocating moral code and his mother’s apron strings – offering both a moving personal journey and a jocular parody on small-town life.

The last night it may have been, yet the production may be better described as one of firsts: the group’s first Michaelmas term production, their first Assembly Rooms staging, and the refreshing first appearance of Durham Opera scene’s most promising new arrivals. And if I may, for a moment, make a personal addition to the aforementioned lists of ‘firsts’, Albert Herring was my first experience of student opera in Durham and I truly couldn’t have picked a better point from which to start. It was, in a word, magnificent. It was a production so full of energy, talent and passion; a promising beginning to my Durham opera experience and to DOE’s year. Every scene simply bursted with colour, animation and musical prowess; each moment performed with incredible detail and intricate crafting.

Opening in a provincial Suffolk town thrown into turmoil during its traditional May Day attempts at crowning a suitable May Queen, usually renowned for her chastity and upstanding moral code, events are thwarted by the unscrupulous behaviour of its female inhabitants; the show instantly positioned its audience in the very heart of village life and all its politics and eclectic inhabitants. Leading the eclectic group of village busy-bodies was the formidable Lady Billows, played strongly by Katy Thompson. A new face in the Durham opera scene, Thompson’s powerful vocal performance and equally powerful stage presence were highly impressive, serving as an integral antithesis to the play’s barrage of lighter, more comedic characters and securing her arresting debut on the Durham stage. Joe Childs as the eponymous lead was similarly excellent. A fellow fresher, his portrayal of the downtrodden and pitiable Albert incited the perfect mix of sympathy and humour necessary for the character.He proved a constant pleasure to watch, establishing him as another exciting new voice to watch out for.

The scene of his crowning as May King, in which a slip of gin in his celebratory lemonade acts as the catalyst for his unwitting rebellion and ensuing night of youthful hedonism (or the level of hedonism small-town England can cater for, that is), was wonderful. Similarly impressive was Amy Annette as Albert’s bustling and over bearing mother, who gave a performance of great expression and timing. Richard Roberts and Rebecca Collingwood likewise sparkled as the village’s young, coquettish couple.

Indeed, it was the performance of the show’s smaller characters that for me, pushed the show into its highest quality. Whilst more minor in role, the eclectic mix of the village inhabitants had a memorable prominence with each creating, and maintaining, their own very marked and individual character throughout. It was the full cast scenes, such as that of the May Festival that, for me, was the show’s high point: each character continually maintaining his or her own idiosyncrasies, creating wonderfully nuanced and colourful ensemble moments, for which the show’s directors must be applauded - it was clear a great amount of attention and detailed character work had been done to achieve this. One critique I must offer however is towards that of the three village children. Whilst an endearing touch, they were often slightly overacted and at times proved distracting from the main goings on in the scene.

Praise must, of course, be given to the show’s musical team: its 11-piece orchestra and musical director, Jonathon Clinch, whose handling of Britten’s wonderfully expressive and intricately witty orchestration was nothing short of sublime. Every moment was laden with meaning and expression, adding great depth and astute social observations to what is, in essence, a very basic plot. A word also must be said for the staging decision of placing the orchestra behind the action, which I’m sure while making musical directing all the more challenging, was vital in securing intimacy with the audience. ‘Albert Herring’ proved an incredible effort and a laudable achievement for DOE and all involved. With a tight production schedule, its production team deserve the highest of praise for their impressive energy in creating such a challenging show and its display of striking fresher talent holds nothing but promise for the world of Durham student opera, one which I am sure to remain a firm attendee of.