Last Updated on November 4, 2025
Guildhall double bill speaks truth to power
3.5 out of 5.0 starsWhy stage Der Wald and Lucrezia together? Dominic Wheeler, head of opera studies at Guildhall, explains in his conductor’s note that part of the reason for this pairing, is to showcase the particular talents of their second-year cohort. However, there are certainly more thematic similarities between Der Wald & Lucrezia than Wheeler lets on. Both verismo operas, by Ethel Smyth and Ottorino Respighi respectively, dive headfirst into the murky waters of unwanted affection, and in particular, they explore the intense uneven power dynamics that often characterise spurned advances. In both operas, death is cast as the only answer.
Ethel Smyth’s Der Wald is a particularly interesting choice of opera. Not only is it the only opera by a woman staged at the Metropolitan Opera House in the whole of the 20th century, but it sits at an interesting point in the repertoire. First performed in 1902, the score begins and ends with sweeping and romantic choral phrases, but as it zooms in on the drama, the psychological depth of modernism, associated with the early 20th century, begin to dominate the music. Der Wald, or ‘The Forest’, uses the juxtaposition between the wholesome forest dwellers and the unknowable mystery of the woods, as the backdrop of a young couple’s destruction.
This particular production of Smyth’s opera, directed by Stephen Barlow, brings it forward by at least fifty or sixty years, dated exactly by the flashing of an Elvis Presley vinyl. Characterised primarily by a very nippy looking barn, the set – designed by Jon Morrell – revealed a very simple existence. The villagers are preparing a humble celebration for Röschen and her betrothed Heinrich, a woodsman. However, when the mysterious Iolanthe takes a shine to Heinrich, spurning her own lover Rudolf, her tenacity leaves the woodsman in grave peril.
Although the performances were largely very good, there was a distinct feeling that the students were let down by this production’s strange visual language. Röschen, sung marvellously – and played charmingly – by Seohyun Go, and Heinrich, sung by Harry Jacques, who warms to his role in due course, don’t appear particularly out of place. But when Iolanthe, sung by the immensely powerful soprano Avery Lafrentz, arrives clad entirely in leather, and showing off a motorbike, you can’t help feel that the costuming distracts us from the drama of the show, and the innate capabilities of the performers.
Likewise, although the chorus handle the building of the drama really well, particularly in the more romantic elements of the opera, sometimes the choral interactions felt over busy and unnatural. They work brilliantly, however, with the Guildhall Opera Orchestra, who successfully tease the darker elements of Smyth’s opera to life. However, the orchestra did bring more power and urgency to the evening’s second opera.
It is natural to want to compare an opera double bill, and unfortunately in the case of Der Wald and Lucrezia, there is a clear winner. In what was, surprisingly, the UK Premiere of Respighi’s Lucrezia, the cast pulled off a far more impressive feat: a dramatically intense opera cleverly designed to speak to a modern movement.
Gavel in hand, a judge presides over a courtroom with two people sat on either side, but it is in the middle of this courtroom where the drama predominantly takes place. A raised platform with three marble benches is what becomes the true stage – a play within a courtroom – because this is where Tarquinius, Bruto and Collatino begin the debate over whose wives are the most faithful. Tarquinius begins to lust over Lucrezia, Collatino’s wife, who is known for her honour, honesty and devotion. Compelled by his sickening desire, he rushes to Lucrezia’s house.
Much like Britten’s opera The Rape of Lucretia, which UK audiences will find more familiar, there is an omnipresent voice on stage, which in this production is literally called La Voce. Sung by Gabriella Giulietta Noble, who possesses a honeyed mezzo soprano, La Voce commented on the drama unfolding, and showcased an incredible potential for complex and demanding roles. In this production, they are not only the story teller, but also the modern-day prosecutor responsible for securing justice for her plaintiff, a woman who has been assaulted.
It was Hannah McKay’s Lucrezia, however, who was able to hold the audience’s attention from start to finish. Her richly intense soprano, along with an impressive acting ability, held the drama together. From her sweet and honourable interactions with her maids (including a very impressive Venilia, sung by Manon Owen Parry), to her defiance in the face of Tarquinius’s wickedness, she was able to deftly navigate a deeply difficult part. Tarquinius himself, sung by baritone Redmond Sanders, showcases a raw but emerging talent.
After Tarquinius assaults her, Lucrezia is only able to prove her innocence if she dies, but before then, she demands her husband and father avenge her assault. In another bizarre costume choice, the men strip down to bright red vests to overthrow Tarquinius. Full of fire and shaking their fists, they are however, now ready to seek their revenge.
Both Der Wald & Lucrezia deal with the power people seek from other people, and the violent ends these corrupt motives bring to life. As is explained at the end of Lucrezia, the production was inspired by Chanel Miller’s autobiography, about the sexual assault she experienced at Sanford University, where the culprit received an unusually light sentence. However, unlike these two operas, thankfully, the right person had to answer for their crimes.
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Silk Street Theatre
Silk St,
London
EC2Y 8DT
3, 5, 7 & 10 November, 7 pm.
Looking for something different? Check out ENO’s new production of Dead Man Walking, currently showing at the London Coliseum
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