The Turn of the Screw

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In the shadowed corridors of a country estate, a young governess finds herself destabilized by mystery. As disturbing events occur, she grapples with increasing paranoia that plunges audiences into a realm of psychological suspense. This is an operatic ghost story for the ages.

Staged by Louisa Muller, get ready to be immersed in a haunting atmosphere that mirrors the eerie tension of the narrative. New Zealand-born conductor Gemma New takes the podium in her company debut. The cast features former apprentice and soprano Jacquelyn Stucker as the Governess, soprano Wendy Bryn Harmer as Miss Jessel, Jennifer Johnson Cano sings Mrs. Grose and Brenton Ryan is Peter Quint.

En los oscuros pasillos de una mansión campestre, una joven institutriz se ve perturbada por un misterio. A medida que se suceden eventos inquietantes, la institutriz lucha contra una creciente paranoia, sumergiendo al público en un halo de suspense. En el mundo de la ópera, ésta es ya una eterna historia de fantasmas.

Bajo la dirección de Louisa Muller, prepárese para sumergirse en una atmósfera inquietante que refleja la tensión escalofriante de una narrativa muy especial. La directora nacida en Nueva Zelanda Gemma New debuta al frente de la compañía. El elenco incluye a la soprano y antigua integrante de nuestro programa para jóvenes talentos Jacquelyn Stucker en el papel de la institutriz, a la soprano Wendy Bryn Harmer como la señorita Jessel, a Jennifer Johnson Cano como la señora Grose y a Brenton Ryan como Peter Quint.

Music By

Benjamin Britten

Libretto By

Myfanwy Piper

A Canadian Opera Company production originated at Garsington Opera

Sung In

English

Instant Translation Screen

English and Spanish

Production support generously provided by

Robert L. Turner

Additional artistic support provided by

The L.A. and A.O. Crosby Endowment Fund

The Fund for New or Rarely Performed Operas by Dr. Patricia A. McFate in memory of Ambassador Sidney N. Graybeal

The performances of Gemma New are supported by

Susan Esco Chandler & Alfred D. Chandler

The engagement of Louisa Muller is supported by

The Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation

The performances of Jennifer Johnson Cano are supported by

The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation

Run Time

Approximately 2 hours 10 min; includes a 25-minute intermission

Prologue

The tenor sings of an account he found in the hand of a young and inexperienced Governess who was sent to care for two children in a country house, on the stipulation that she not contact their guardian, a busy uncle in London.

Un tenor canta sobre un relato encontrado en las manos de una joven e inexperta institutriz que fue enviada a cuidar a dos niños en una casa de campo. La única condición a cumplir consistía en no contactar al tutor de los niños, un tío muy ocupado que vivía en Londres.

Act I

Bly, a country house in England. On her journey to Bly, the young Governess ponders all the uncertainties of her new position. Will the children like her? Will she impress their guardian? When she arrives, she is welcomed by the children and Mrs. Grose, the sympathetic housekeeper. A letter arrives expelling Miles from school for “an injury to his friends.” The Governess decides not to discuss it with him.

She sees a strange man in the tower on the grounds. She describes him to Mrs. Grose, who tells her he must be Peter Quint, the valet to the children’s guardian, who “had his will morning and night” with Miles and with Miss Jessel, the former governess. Miss Jessel went away and died, and Quint died too. The Governess is horrified. She swears to protect the children, and Mrs. Grose promises to stand by her.

In Miles’s Latin lesson he sings a strange song on “Malo,” the word for “bad,” and asks if the Governess likes it. While sitting by the lake with Flora the Governess sees Miss Jessel, but Flora says nothing. Quint and Miss Jessel call to Miles and Flora at night. The Governess intervenes just as they are disappearing, and Miles says to her, “I am bad, aren’t I?”

Bly, una casa de campo en Inglaterra. En su camino hacia Bly, la joven institutriz reflexiona sobre todas las incertidumbres de su nuevo trabajo: ¿le gustará a los niños?, ¿impresionará a su tutor? Cuando llega, es recibida por los niños y por una simpática ama de llaves: la señora Grose. Llega una carta notificando la expulsión de Miles de la escuela “por una lesión a sus compañeros.” Decide no hablar del asunto con él.

La institutriz ve a un hombre extraño en la torre de la finca. Describe sus características a la señora Grose, quien le dice que debe de ser Peter Quint, el criado del tutor de los niños, un señor que solía “controlar a su antojo” a Miles y a la anterior institutriz: la señorita Jessel. La señorita Jessel se acabó yendo y al tiempo murió; Quint también. Al escuchar esto, la institutriz se horroriza y jura proteger a los niños. La señora Grose le promete que la apoyará.

Durante su lección de latín, Miles canta una extraña canción sobre la palabra “malo” y le pregunta a la institutriz si le gusta. Mientras está sentada con Flora junto al lago, la institutriz ve a la señorita Jessel pero Flora no dice nada. Por la noche, Quint y la señorita Jessel llaman a Miles y Flora. La institutriz interviene justo cuando Quint y la señorita Jessel comienzan a desaparecer y Miles le dice: “soy malo, ¿verdad?”

Act II

The great hall. Quint and Miss Jessel converse bitterly, each confessing the desire for “a friend.” The Governess feels lost in a labyrinth. In the churchyard, the children play at being choristers, and the Governess determines to write to the guardian. Miss Jessel appears in the schoolroom, saying she is weary but unable to rest. The Governess writes to the guardian and leaves the letter on the desk. While she is talking with Miles in his bedroom, her candle goes out and Miles claims that it was he who extinguished it. Peter Quint calls to him. At Quint’s urging, Miles steals the letter. Later, while the adults are absorbed in Miles’s piano playing, Flora slips out to the lake to meet Miss Jessel. When the Governess and Mrs. Grose follow her and press her for answers, she denies seeing Miss Jessel (whom Mrs. Grose still cannot see).

Out of concern for the girl, Mrs. Grose takes Flora for the night, and by morning is determined to send her to her uncle. The two women realize that Miles has taken the letter. Mrs. Grose leaves with Flora. Now that they are alone, the Governess asks Miles to tell her what is on his mind. Quint appears and begins calling. The Governess bids Miles name the one who made him steal the letter, and Miles shouts, “Peter Quint, you devil!” He dies in her arms. She sings him a mournful “Malo.”

En la gran sala. Quint y la señorita Jessel conversan amargamente, cada uno confesando su deseo de tener “un amigo.” La institutriz se siente como perdida en un laberinto. En el cementerio, los niños juegan a ser coristas. La institutriz decide escribir al tutor de los niños. La señorita Jessel aparece en el aula diciendo que está cansada pero que es incapaz de descansar. La institutriz finalmente escribe la carta al tutor y la deja sobre el escritorio. Mientras habla con Miles en su dormitorio, la vela se apaga. Miles afirma que ha sido él quien la ha apagado. Peter Quint lo llama. Bajo su insistencia, Miles roba la carta que la institutriz ha escrito. Algo más tarde, mientras los adultos están absortos con la interpretación de Miles al piano, Flora escapa al lago para encontrarse con la señorita Jessel. Cuando la institutriz y la señora Grose la siguen y la presionan para obtener respuestas, Flora niega haber visto a la señorita Jessel, a quien la señora Grose todavía es incapaz de ver.

La señora Grose está muy preocupada por Flora. Al llegar la noche se la lleva consigo y por la mañana decide enviarla a su tío en Londres. Las dos mujeres se dan cuenta de que Miles ha robado la carta. La señora Grose se va con Flora. Ahora que se han quedado solos, la institutriz le pide a Miles que le diga en qué está pensando. Aparece Quint y empieza a llamarlo. La institutriz ordena a Miles que le diga quién le hizo robar la carta, a lo que éste grita: “¡Peter Quint, eres el demonio!” y muere en sus brazos. Ella le canta una triste canción con la palabra “malo.”

LOUISA MULLER

When Nothing Is Certain, What Can We Believe?
by Michael Clive

Directed by Louisa Muller, Britten’s The Turn of the Screw will haunt you.

The Turn of the Screw is a ghost story. Are the ghosts real? “I think that people who see the opera could have a spirited debate about that in the car on the way home,” says director Louisa Muller. “You interpret the performance in the way it makes sense to you.” But make no mistake: the Governess at the center of the action sees them, and Muller places it in our view as well.

Muller, who directed the Santa Fe Opera’s production of La traviata last season, views both Violetta and the Governess as heroines of their own dramas who make their own decisions. But while Violetta is certain of her tragic reality, the Governess’ world is frighteningly ambiguous. As she tries to protect the children in her charge, the turning screw is fear, and Muller uses a wide range of tools to tighten it. Are the ghosts real? “For the Governess,” says Muller, “that question leads to madness.”

“The house is a character in the opera,” notes Muller. “It almost breathes on its own.” It starts out as a place of protection, then begins to seem threatening. The presence of water on stage — just a sliver at first — grows. “In Act II it has begun to encroach on the space around it as a symbol of what’s happening in the Governess’ brain — the house is becoming a hostile, threatening place.” Muller has even incorporated the timing of the Santa Fe sunsets into her lighting plan.

As a parent, Muller finds the presence of the children on stage particularly moving — in a cast of only six singers, the two of them carry a huge responsibility both musically and dramatically. Their playful energy in the rehearsal room also helped to lighten the mood if the weight of the dark material ever threatened to become too heavy. True professionals!