London Coliseum, 29 January 2014

Over the last year, with the Britten anniversary, we have had a number of presentations of Peter Grimes. The revival of David Alden’s production for ENO was certainly justified in its many strengths, not least the casting, but it still has a number of all too obvious difficulties for many in the audience. While the soloists react naturalistically for most of the time, with many very moving relationships created, their relationship to the borough as a whole, and to the movement of the chorus is confusing. This is particularly noticeable at the end of act one where there is little sense of place in ‘Auntie’s’ and movement is over-stylised. Grimes sits like a children’s story-teller for Now the Great Bear and Pleiades, at odds with the intensity of the music. Act two opens more promisingly with at least some sense of the open landscapes of Suffolk and of the sea, though this is lost entirely with Grimes’ hut, requiring the boy to climb up a ladder in order to fall off the cliff.

Stuart Skelton is probably the finest Grimes we have at present and did not disappoint. The sensitivity he brings to the part and the variety of tone he creates is both refreshing and convincing. Elza van den Heever is one of those rare Ellen’s who you feel really could have made something of Peter under other circumstances. Her singing and her presence are firm throughout, covering her emotional turmoil with courage. The large cast is drawn from strength with Iain Paterson’s Balstrode highly convincing. Quite why the nieces are dressed as school-girls given the 1940s setting is one of many strange anomalies in the production, but they sang with sincerity. The great female quartet was one of many musical highlights of the evening.

Edward Gardner drove his forces hard from the pit and there was often a savagery to the score which was in keeping with the hard edge of David Alden’s production.

A welcome revival but there is more to Peter Grimes than even this production shows. BH

There are seven more performances until 27 February.