<<  -- 4 --  Roderic Dunnett    SUMMER OPERA REVIEWS

But -- as with Welsh National Opera's recent production -- the most satisfying aspect of Broomhill's Turn of the Screw -- apart from some beautifully honed solo and ensemble work from the orchestra, tightly cramped in a crevice at ground level -- was the joint performance of the Governess and Mrs.Grose. The Australian soprano Alison Rae-Jones drew us onto her side with her humanity and intensity alike from the initial coach (or non-coach) ride; Carol Rowlands's Mrs Grose (she also featured in the previous staging at Broomhill) was a performance of massive strength, the more so because it contrasted with her stylish understatement when playing subdued second fiddle to the Governess. When the two reached the point of crisis, following Grose's revelation of Quint's horrific death, their exchange was almost, dare one say, orgasmic. Indeed, for better or worse (but largely the former), this was a quality of the whole terrifying production. Charles Hazlewood's conducting drew it all together to singular good effect.