The operas of Benjamin Britten have been sadly (and I would say unduly) neglected by San Francisco Opera (SFO) since it entered the 21st century. The last Britten performance took place in the fall of 2004 with Willy Decker’s staging of Billy Budd. Last night in the War Memorial Opera House, Billy Budd returned in a production by Michael Grandage that was first performed at Glyndebourne on May 20, 2010. Ironically, this was the first time Glyndebourne had presented the opera; but the production has sustained. It was performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in recognition of Britten’s 100th birthday. The current revival has been staged by Ian Rutherford, and it marks the first SFO presentation of a Grandage production.
Given that the opera demands a large all-male cast of individual parts, as well as choral work for both men and boys, one can appreciate that it is not performed more frequently. However, given the intensity of the libretto, an adaptation of Herman Melville’s novella of the same name prepared jointly by E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier, one can appreciate why it has not served as a more steady diet. Departing from Melville’s chronological account of the narrative, the libretto is framed as the “remembrance of things past” of Edward Fairfax Vere (tenor William Burden) reflecting on an incident that occurred when he captained the HMS Indomitable. In old age he still cannot reconcile the injustice of the incident and his own involvement in that injustice.
Except for Vere’s prologue and epilogue, all action takes place aboard the Indomitable, a British man-of-war deployed during the French Wars of 1797. Christopher Oram, also making his SFO debut, designed a unit set based on the overall structure of the ship, which can be repurposed for the scenes that take place in Vere’s quarters and the sleeping quarters for the crew. The massive size of the ship can be appreciated through the extensive diversity of the people on board, not only the naval crew and officers but also an army platoon and a small team of cabin boys. At the beginning of the second act, when the Indomitable prepares to attack a French ship, it seems as if everyone on board is now on deck, giving an overwhelming feeling of just how massive the vessel is.
“All hands on deck” as the Indomitable prepares to attack a French ship (photograph by Cory Weaver, courtesy of the San Francisco Opera)
However, the opera is not about the war. The title character (baritone John Chest, making his SFO debut) is a merchant seaman impressed from his ship, the Rights o’ Man, into naval service on the Indomitable. The name of the merchant ship is significant, since it captures the sort of republican spirits that had enabled the French Revolution, spirits taken as a threat to the British monarchy. Budd accepts his impressment and proves to be a first-rate sailor well-liked by the crew. However, he arouses the suspicion of Master-at-arms John Claggart (bass-baritone Christian Van Horn), most likely motivated by a homosexual lust for the young sailor.
Vere’s prologue text recognizes that, in the battle of good and evil, good always has to contend with some fatal flaw. In Budd’s case, that flaw is a stammer. When Claggart brings Budd before Vere to accuse him of inciting mutiny, Budd’s stammer prevents his denying the charges. Ultimately, his frustration gets the better of him; he lashes out with a blow to Claggart that immediately kills the Master-at-arms. As a result, Budd, himself, must face execution (hanging from the yardarm with the entire crew called out to witness). Yet his last words address Vere by the nickname the crew has given him, “Starry Vere, God bless you!” Even with that gesture of forgiveness, the hanging is followed by a sinister restlessness of the entire crew, which slowly disperses of its own accord.
Since the music is by Britten, one expects it to contribute to the telling of the narrative as much as the actions on stage and the words given to the cast of characters. Conductor Lawrence Renes, last seen conducting the revival of John Adams’ Nixon in China in June of 2012, clearly understood how to interpret Britten’s score, ranging all the way from the broad strokes of the narrative to the meticulous details behind every character portrayal. Particularly impressive were the ways in which Britten associated individual instruments, such as the saxophone, with personality traits. Also, is there any other composer that has written a virtuoso passage for bass drum (as part of the execution scene)?
Between the twists and turns of the plot and the intricacy of the musical score, there is more than enough to draw and sustain the attention of the serious opera-goer. Last night’s performance reflected the best of opera production, combining thoroughly compelling drama on stage with an impeccable account of the instrumental support in the orchestra pit. If anything the entire production stretches the limit of how much mind can grasp. For my part, I have already planned to return for a “second viewing.” I know better than to claim that I “took it all in” last night; and I feel a need for a second encounter to help me recall what I missed the first time!
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