Our world is accustomed to the breaking down of things but, for some things, change and readjustment can bring new life to what remains vital, even prosaic within. Close to our hearts and sense of being, human relationships are not immune.
It’s a theme composer Andrew Schultz and librettist Glen Perry put under the microscope in their thought-provoking, 85-minute chamber opera, The Children’s Bach, currently on stage in a handsomely created production presented by Lyric Opera of Melbourne (LOM) and Theatre Works.
Music forms a key motif in Schultz and Perry’s source material – Australian author Helen Garner’s 1984 novel of the same name – as well as it connecting the characters in subtle ways, lending itself well to musical interpretation.
First performed in 2008 after a commission from Melbourne-based Chamber Made, both musically and structurally, the work never fails to challenge. Experiencing it, one might feel that it was the creators’ duty to make it so.
The Children’s Bach sets in motion a domestic undoing of disquieting magnitude, building with accumulative intensity as music’s “fugue” metaphorically supports it.
Inner suburban married couple, Athena (Kate Amos) and Dexter (Michael Honeyman), live with the difficult task of raising their severely autistic son, Billy (Ben Touzel alternating with Chris Touzel). When the permissive, ideologically confident pair of Elizabeth (Juel Riggall) and Philip (Adrian Li Donni) come into their lives – as do Elizabeth’s needy sister, Vicky (Lucy Schneider) and Philip’s precocious daughter Poppy (Chloe Taylor) – Athena and Philip become involved in a wild fling unhidden to all.
The dynamics established bristle with substance as the concept of family stability is juxtaposed with inner isolation, sexual desire and betrayal. And during its course, there’s much to ponder on about “modern love”.
Three governing devices shape Perry’s libretto: characters interact with each other, they communicate personally to the audience and the fugue is sporadically referenced to and highlighted by astute young Poppy. These create the work’s overarching form while dramatic developments mimic the three main sections of a fugue as Schultz’s music explores the form’s possibilities.
Among other elucidations on the fugue, Poppy tells us that two-thirds into it all hell breaks loose. And it does. As the work progresses, you’re never sure where the various unfurling entanglements will end.
It’s a dense work, daubed with moments of ethereal reflection and lyrical beauty amongst an array of bold dissonance, quirky inventiveness and unsettling jaggedness.
At issue in my mind is the first section’s “exposition” feeling somewhat elongated and the vocal lines leaping beyond or jarring against the underlying orchestration that make it seem counterproductive.
At Saturday’s opening night, it wasn’t due to the input conductor and LOM artistic director Patrick Burns gave to the score. Burns brought compelling energy to the piece and his small ensemble of six, on piano, violin, cello, double bass, clarinet and percussion, were faultless.
Similarly, Katy Maudlin’s overall savvy direction certainly does justice to the complexities revealed. Maudlin must’ve faced her own challenges with a cast required to navigate the limited floor area within eight various sized spaces – achieved with mixed success – as part of set and costume designer Jacob Battista’s otherwise impressive two level cross-sectional construct. Battista brilliantly captures the story with a sense of contemporary fluidity with Amelia Lever-Davidson’s lighting design skilfully cued at every turn.
Athena acts as the story’s pulse and Amos is superb in the role, rendering her domestic frustrations and uncomfortable truths with affecting force. She leads a convincing cast of females with Riggall in particular stamping a formidable mark with her portrayal of the seemingly unfazed Elizabeth.
As the genuine-souled Dexter and hedonistic Philip, while looking the part, both Honeyman and Li Donni face obstacles in ironing out the upper vocal demands. Schultz and Perry’s work demands seamlessness between shifting from performing as an actor alone to that of singer/actor and greater attention could be afforded to that aspect.
Powerful it is on one hand, exhibiting hallmarks of a strict intellectual exercise on the other, The Children’s Bach is rich in substance. It’s provocative, complex and honest. It can also be annoying and abrasive as it offers alternative ways in approaching relationships. But, even with that sense of irritation, you might want to experience it at least a second time.
The Children’s Bach
Theatre Works, 14 Acland Street, St Kilda
Performance: Saturday 31 August 2024
Season continues to 7 September 2024
Bookings: www.theatreworks.org.au
For more information, visit: www.lyricopera.com.au for details.
Images: Kate Amos, Lucy Schneider, Chloe James, Michael Honeyman, Juel Riggall and Adrian Li Donni in The Children’s Bach – photo by Jodie Hutchinson | Michael Honeyman and Lucy Schneider – photo by Jodie Hutchinson | Adrian Li Donni and Kate Amos photo by Jodie Hutchinson
Review: Paul Selar