Page 66 - FINAL_Theatre of Sound Coverage Book

• What is it about this production that makes it different from any
other adaptation?

We have reversed the gothic horror story of dungeons and torture
chambers and implied abuse that the piece is normally associated with
instead are presenting the fable of locked doors as locked memories
inside the head of Judith. We imagine the long and happy marriage
between her and Bluebeard and see how important accessing key
moments in their long partnership is when dealing with that most
modern of horror stories; that of encroaching dementia.

• The fact that the opera is going to be performed in such an intimate
setting, does that have any effect on the way you conduct the work?

I will have my back to the singers, which means that I am relying on
them to lead the tempi, and we in the chamber orchestra are acting as
accompanists in the true sense of the word: inflecting and phrasing with
the singers to create a flexible, freely moving whole. I want the
performances to be nuanced and different each time, and working with
this crack team of musicians means we can achieve that.

• What are you hoping the audience will experience in this
production?

I want them to be bowled over by the genius of Bartok’s writing, and for
that to be reinforced by the very human approach to our production.
Many images and scenes will be accessible in a personal way, in as
much as we are depicting life events that we have all experienced. SO
many things are important with this version - the closeness to the action
and the music, the atmospheric feel to the venue, the beauty of the set
and lighting and the intensity of the score will all, I hope, add up to be a
full on immersion into a wonderful musico-dramatic world.