Benjamin Britten: The Turn of the Screw, Oxford Opera Company, North Wall Arts Centre, 8 February 2008.

The Oxford Opera Company was formed in 2006 by Swedish soprano, Sara Jonsson, with the conductor James Ross. It is based around a group of young singers of considerable experience, dedicated to performing opera in costume in the original language. They have performed at a number of venues in and around Oxford. However, The Turn of the Screw, premiered at the North Wall Arts Centre in Summertown, on 8 February, is their first fully staged production. It is also the first opera to be staged at The North Wall since it was opened in July 2007. This new Arts Centre with its 200 seat auditorium and exhibition space has rapidly established itself as an important venue for cultural events of all kinds, offering possibilities not satisfactorily available elsewhere in Oxford. How does it rate as opera house?

First impressions caused concern. With seats in row E, we were disconcerted to find that the first three rows had been removed to make space for the thirteen instrumentalists, including piano, harp and percussion. Surprisingly this turned out to not to be a serious impediment to our enjoyment. Acoustically, the sound of the singers carried across the players, the stage just high enough that the view is only interrupted by bassoon and double bass.

This was a thoroughly professional production and performance, to be judged by professional standards. It was directed by Sara Jonsson who also took the role of the Governess – a daunting combined task confidently executed. James Ross conducted. The chamber ensemble, largely student, provided solid support to the singers with notable contributions from the agile percussionist Gareth Caredig and the pianist, repetiteur James Longstaffe. The opera was staged in costume, the atmosphere of the house at Bly suggested by a few props, efficiently stage managed under Cara Bleiman and the elaborate lighting programme designed by Pie Ramsey; as if deliberately, there was no attempt to add a spectral quality to the lighting of the two ghosts giving them a disconcerting reality.

The opera, informatively described in a pre-performance talk by Simon Whalley and in the well produced programme, has the musical form of a prologue, theme and fifteen variations, depicting scenes from James’ novella. In a structural parallel with The House of Usher, the prologue and first scene of The Turn of the Screw declare the summons and describe the journey of a new governess to a remote country house, in this case haunted by the ghosts of a previous governess Miss Jessel and a valet Peter Quint, struggling for possession of the two children Flora and Miles. In both operas, there is the hint that one may be witnessing fantasies of the protagonists, William and the Governess. This unresolved suggestion adds to the unsettling nature of both works.

From her first appearance, Jonsson established her mastery of the role of the Governess, a subtle interpretation conveying the nuances of her state of mind and relations to others – but maybe just a shade too much in control of her situation. The rest of the parts were equally well thought out. Flora Heather Uren, age 18, as Flora and Toby Pleming, 12, as Miles could both have been mistaken for 15 year-olds in appearance, though acting younger; the latter, in particular, cleverly suggested to our contemporary sensitivities the unstated implications of his relationship with Quint. Katharine Cooper, Miss Jessel, gave an intriguing picture of the wantonness of corruption.

I have to confess that I was not completely grabbed by the first act of the performance (and, incidentally, it should have been played without an interval). This I ascribe partly to my general problem with Benjamin Britten, that the superficial cleverness of his invention masks the depths beneath. But there was also a question of the clarity of the words. With the exception of Adam Tunnicliffe, as Narrator and Peter Quint, whose every word was crystal clear, we had to strain our ears to catch the rest. This was all changed in Act 2 -  maybe our ears had adjusted -  and we could follow the mounting tension as the screw turned to the terrifying climax, with Miles manic piano-playing leading to the final tug-of-war, leaving him dead in the Governess’ arms, having finally rejected Quint.

As I remark, this was a Double First: for the Oxford Opera Company and for The North Wall. Both have established a foothold in the overcrowded musical life of Oxford. The auditorium has comfortable upholstered seating; the acoustics are good (and performers approve), if a little dry. There is a bar but nowhere to hang coats. The main constraint at present is the accommodation of an orchestra – could more use be made of the gallery? Of the Opera Company, one can only say that their next full production is eagerly awaited. They can be seen in Act 2 of Le Nozze di Figaro, staged and in costume at a charity concert on 3 May - but that is in the Sheldonian.