Henry James may have dismissed his novella The Turn of the Screw as a mere potboiler, but the subtlety of this little ghost story has ensured its survival in both film and opera. Britten's setting is eerily faithful to its suggestiveness and ultimate ambivalence.
Jonathan Kent's new Glyndebourne on Tour production is alert to contemporary resonances of child abuse. Quint approaches Miles in his bath and wraps him in a towel, but nothing is made explicit. The Christmas-time setting emphasises the contrast between the wintry landscape and the merry Yuletide interior, while Flora's escapade by the lake becomes even more irrational.
Paul Brown's handsome sets slide in neatly. A rattling train for the Governess's journey to Bly becomes a toy train chugging round the room. Kent's direction is full of such touches.
Tall and commanding, Kate Royal makes an impressive Governess, inviting our sympathy for her tortured imaginings. Anne-Marie Owens is a sound, sturdy Mrs Grose, Daniel Norman more effective as an insidious Peter Quint than as Prologue narrator, while Christopher Sladdin and Joanna Songi are first-rate as Miles and Flora. Edward Gardner, on his last Glyndebourne tour before heading for ENO, conducts immaculately.
Touring until 7 December. www.glyndebourne.com
Glyndebourne On Tour: The Turn Of The Screw
