ENO 25 February 2012

It has taken over twenty years for John Adam’s The Death of Klinghoffer to reach the English stage and it is still bound up with controversy. That Tom Morris’ highly sympathetic new production for ENO was warmly received was a tribute not only to the company for mounting the work but to an ensemble cast where there are no star performances and no histrionics. If anything it was the coolness of the approach which was so impressive and, in the end, emotionally effective.

The opening set the tone for the whole evening when the chorus of exiled Palestinians morphs seamlessly into the chorus of exiled Jews. They are one and the same, suffering because of external pressures over which they have no control. The chorus remain a vital part of the work, closer to a baroque or Greek chorus than a verismo crowd, with their ability to change attitudes and comment as the work progresses.

The same is true of the solo singers. Plot is kept to an absolute minimum while individuals are allowed extensive solo arias to confront us with their individuality. There is little sense of making a political case for either side, more of letting us understand the thoughts and paradoxes of the individuals. In this the air-head dancer – a wonderful comic turn by Kate Miller-Heidke – is important in balancing the weight of politics which hangs in the air but is never fully explored.

Amidst all of this Klinghoffer himself is a somewhat elusive figure. He says very little, and what he does say sends contradictory messages. His death is shocking but as he sings to us after he has died the longer term effect is subtly contextualised. The work appears to be hinting at the Christian parallel, that it is better one man die for the people than that all the people suffer. When the Captain covers up the death, he effectively saves the rest of the passengers and crew, who applaud the hijackers as they leave the boat on the assumption that there has been a peaceful outcome, which of course for the majority there has been.

The large cast assembled by ENO bring immense clarity to their roles and most of the important text carries easily. The orchestra, with additions and amplification as required by John Adam’s score, was crisply directed by Baldur Bronnimann.

But, overall, it was the visual impact which made the evening so successful. Tom Pye’s set, apparently based on the wall which sadly divides Palestine and Israeli, was an apt metaphor for the context of the work and a splendidly manipulable space. Onto this was projected a combination of video and lighting effects which were constantly apt to the text and action but never upstaged the singers. This balance was maintained throughout to great effect. It was only in reflection that I realised that the movement of the boat was being projected and that it was changing its rhythm all the time. 

Works like this are not emotionally easy as they challenge our preconceptions and convictions. All the more reason they should be staged and discussed.

BH