Britten's Opera for Children Delights Audience at New National Theatre, Tokyo on Children's Day; 1st Return of Kids' Opera at Venue Since 2011
© Akihito Abe/New National Theatre, Tokyo
The opening scene of Britten's 'Let's Make an Opera!' at the New National Theatre, Tokyo on May 5.
An opera for children by Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) delighted audiences at the New National Theatre, Tokyo (NNTT), for two days last week.
Britten loved writing music for children. 'Let's Make an Opera! The Little Sweep' (1949) is a fine example of the British composer's ability to create a musical piece that mixes artistic simplicity and complexity.
The partly interactive opera was staged at The Pit, the most intimate venue of the NNTT complex in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, on May 5 (Children's Day) and May 6. It was a fitting choice for the return of the kids' opera program at the NNTT for the first time since 2011.
Kyohei Tomihira conducted the new production, and Yasuko Sawada directed it. Two sets of the cast sang four performances altogether. I watched the 3 p.m. performance on May 5.
The show was split into three parts. The first part was the play 'Let's Make an Opera!' in which the cast discussed creating a homemade opera together and chose 'The Little Sweep.' The second part was joined by members of the audience, quite a few of them children, learning to sing a song. The third part was the opera, 'The Little Sweep,' a play-within-a-play in three scenes.
The plot centered around Sam, an 8-year-old novice chimney sweep bullied by Black Bob and Clem, the sweep master and his assistant, and how the boy is saved by children and their governess in a family home. They give him a bath, food and clothes and help him escape to his parents.
The story is based on 'Songs of Innocence and of Experience,' a collection of poems published in the late 18th century, by William Blake and was made into an opera libretto by Eric Crozier, who worked with Britten multiple times as a director or a librettist. The text was translated into Japanese by Tadashi Kato this time.
© Akihito Abe/New National Theatre, Tokyo
Conductor Kyohei Tomihira teaches the audience 'Audience Song I' from Britten's 'The Little Sweep' at the New National Theatre, Tokyo, on May 5.
Of the three audience songs Britten wrote for the opera, the Tokyo production featured 'Audience Song I' at the beginning of 'The Little Sweep.' Conductor Tomihira did a great job as the audience's teacher, animatedly giving them instructions. The audience enjoyed learning the upbeat song in an unfamiliar 5/4 time.
Director Sawada made the entire setting a traveling fair with colorful tent sets designed by Yoshiko Nagata.
The 11-member cast consisted of seven adults, all opera singers, and four children, who were accompanied by an ensemble of a string quartet, a percussionist and two pianists. Miss Baggott, the authoritarian housekeeper, was efficiently sung with clear diction by alto Rei Matsuura. Baritone Masafumi Tanaka and tenor Takuma Takahashi made a great villain team as Bob and Clem. Their singing and acting livelily entertained the audience. Gaku Kato's vibrant boy soprano was perfect as Sam.
There were a few moments when it was hard to understand the words sung by some singers. It might have been a good idea to use surtitles like regular opera productions at the NNTT.
The story was simple yet had enough thrills to keep the audience on the edge of their seats, such as in one scene where Sam is hiding in a large trunk and no one knows whether Miss Baggott, Bob or Clem will find him first. The suspense was enhanced by Britten's inspiring music, which evoked his other works at times.
The governess Rowan's aria, beautifully sung by soprano Mari Iwamoto, reminded me of the women's quartet in 'Peter Grimes,' and the nighttime music in the second scene had the same feeling as the song cycle 'Nocturne.'
All in all, it was a nicely done, fun production. For sure it proved a charming addition to the theater's operatic repertoire, not only for an educational purpose but also as a work of art.
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