The centrepiece of the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s Total Immersion weekend In Remembrance: World War I was a concert staging, conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth and directed by Kenneth Richardson, of The Silver Tassie, Mark-Anthony Turnage’s adaptation of Sean O’Casey’s 1928 anti-war play, first performed by English National Opera in 2000. Arguably Turnage’s masterpiece, it hasn’t been heard in the UK since 2002, and its neglect in recent years is inexplicable.
O’Casey’s depiction of footballing Harry Heegan, who returns to Ireland from the trenches in a wheelchair to be betrayed by those who once admired him, has been criticised for the unwieldy juxtaposition of its realistic portrayal of working class Dublin with the expressionism of its warfare scenes. Turnage’s score, however, bridges stylistic divisions. The opera’s four acts are cast along symphonic lines: the opening allegro and whirling dance-hall finale convey the teeming complexity of Dublin life, while a gut-wrenching choral adagio for the soldiers in the trenches contrasts with the bitter scherzo of the hospital scene, in which Harry’s world falls apart. The structural tautness contains and offsets music of great anger, compassion and immediacy. It’s impossible not to be moved by it.
The performance was tremendous. Wigglesworth prised open the score with fiery intensity and formidable control, inexorably ratcheting up the tension as the evening progressed and immaculate in his judgment of orchestral colour and detail.
The cast was consistently strong. Ashley Riches, who is rapidly emerging as one of today’s finest young singers, made an outstanding Harry, his initial exuberance giving way to tangible frustration and despair. Mark le Brocq and Susan Bickley were deeply touching as his fretful parents, struggling to comprehend the nature of his injuries, both physical and psychological. Marcus Farnsworth and Claire Booth were also superb as the maritally embattled Forans, whose private tragedy mirrors the Heegans’ own, while Louise Alder and Sally Matthews played glamorous Jessie and religious Susie, the women whose failures of emotional understanding increase the bitterness of Harry’s isolation. The choral singing, from the BBC Singers, was wonderful in its commitment and fervour.
