Page 493 - Media Coverage Book - 75th Aldeburgh Festival 2024

‘Better late than never,’ said Britten Pears Arts chief executive Roger Wright of Weir’s position as a
featured composer at this year’s Aldeburgh Festival, which in this case included the opening-night
opera. Aldeburgh leads the way in terms of its advocacy for female opera composers – recent years
have showcased work by Sarah Angliss (Giant) and Emily Howard (To See The Invisible) – but, as
current Master of the King’s Music, Weir is already a household name.

Premiered by ENO in 1994, Blond Eckbert has been performed several times in Germany (it was
staged in Potsdam last year); this is its first UK appearance since a Linbury Studio production in
2006, for which this so-called ‘pocket version’ was created. The libretto, written by Weir, is
adapted from a short story by German Romantic writer Ludwig Tieck. The bird – our guide
through this fantastical tale – sometimes sings in German, a nod towards the source material but
also the Schubertian elements of the score. Her returning motif is Waldeinsamkeit, the word used
to describe the happiness that comes from being alone in nature.

There’s not much joy in director Robin Norton-Hale’s depiction of the forest. Three singular birch
tree trunks congregate against a static mountainous backdrop. Their canopies lie out of sight, an
experiment with scale that is not entirely successful. The setting relies on lighting to carry the
drama; similarly, Eckbert uses a torch as his weapon. The plot pirouette. Murder, magic and
mystery are cloaked in whimsy: the man Eckbert has killed is not who he seems. Or is he? It’s all
very confusing. ‘Alone in the wood, I don’t feel so good,’ sings the bird, parodying Tieck’s
Waldeinsamkeit. Then, the Oedipus-style plot twist: Berthe is actually Eckbert’s sister. I’m not
feeling so good, either.

The dream-like narrative is anchored by strong vocal performances. As Eckbert, Simon Wallfisch’s
bright baritone fills Snape Maltings Concert Hall, while Flora McIntosh’s Berthe provides the
compelling backstory; at one meta moment, she queues the orchestra. Soprano Aoife Miskelly
reprises her role from Potsdamer Winteroper: her bird is a blackcap whose striking arias crown
her queen of these woods.

Until June 23; brittenpearsarts.org