Two vulnerable women trapped in a haunted, incest-poisoned house sounds like the plot for a horror movie. But Benjamin Britten’s opera The Turn of the Screw can out-spook Hollywood when done well.

Last weekend, two student singers ran shivers up my spine with the intensity of their performance of a scene from Screw at the NZ School of Music. Laura Dawson as the self-deluding housekeeper Mrs Grose was an assured dramatic and physical presence. Her fear-filled incantations of “God forgive me” when she realised the new Governess had seen the ghost of Peter Quint (the children’s abuser) were convincing. This nicely contrasted with her later forced cheeriness when Mrs Grose refuses to take any responsibility for not preventing the tragedy she reluctantly relates to the Governess.

Dawson deserves special congratulations because, not only did she sing different roles in the two Screw scenes, she also directed them and designed the lighting. These, plus two scenes from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, were the culmination of four years study of opera stagecraft towards her Masters degree. Her portrayal of the ghost of the former governess, Miss Jessel, in the other scene was also effective – her gesture of repeatedly offering a broken doll to her successor underpinned the eeriness of the music.

But the star of the two Screw scenes for me was Bridget Costello as the Governess. Her silvery soprano was just right for this demanding role, and her very musical and expressive singing was compelling. Both in the scene with Mrs Grose and in the second when she confronts the ghost of Miss Jessel, Costello exhibited sustained dramatic focus and an intensely still physical presence that is difficult to learn and unusual in student performers. What’s more, she looks great! In other words, she has the package, and the New Zealand Opera worthies need to go see her.

NZ Opera could take note of more than the young singers in this performance – The Turn of the Screw would make a ideal touring opera, and we clearly have the talent for it on hand. Sure, there is the difficulty of reducing Britten’s full orchestration for a touring band, but Michael Vinten has a proven record of accomplished reductions. Of course, the casting demands a superb lyric tenor – the shoes of the late, great Phillip Langridge are hard to fill. But surely Richard Greager could?

While always rich and full-toned, Dawson’s singing of the ghost could have done with more light and shade, as could her singing in Dido’s suicide scene earlier. She made an appropriately regal Dido (though slightly marred by melodramatic twitches as she died and some insecure intonation). Her Aeneas, Thomas Barker, has a warm-toned, promising baritone and portrayed Aeneas’ quandary clearly. However, both of them lacked any hint of Dido and Aeneas’s irresistible passion that caused the destruction of Carthage.

As the Sorceress who plans Dido’s downfall, Dawson was nicely nasty, but unfortunately miscast as she is a soprano and this role demands a true contralto. However, the continuous circling movements of her minion witches (Emily Simcox, Amelia Ryman, Joshua Kidd and Isaac Stone) was effectively directed and their visible relish in their evil intentions was fun. Their swirling black capes and frenzied spell reactions were a little too Harry Potter for my liking – I prefer more of the fateful gravitas of Virgil in my Dido, but the witches’ scene was as full of verve as a student show should be.

Even more vivacious were the scenes from Offenbach’s rarely seen operetta La Vie Parisienne, which derives its comedy from the cultural clash of a prim English family visiting Paris. These scenes were directed by Rachel Lenart, the tutor for the students’ stagecraft class, and the (English) dialogue script was adapted by the cast and director as an exercise in character development. Witty and engaging, with clearly delineated characters, this was an accomplished performance by all involved. Costumes and wigs were also delightfully apt.

Standout performers for me were Bridget Costello again as the sophisticated Parisienne Bridgette and Isaac Stone as the lascivious English Uncle Geoffrey. Costello’s singing was stylish and crystalline, the contrast to her style in Screw showing her vocal versatility and musical understanding. While not operatic, Stone’s voice suits this lighter repertoire, with his effortless musicality and light comic touch. Their duet ‘Paris, c’est l’amour’ (Paris is love)was funny and flirtatious. Second-year students Emily Simcox (Gertrude), Simon Harnden (George) and Amelia Ryman (Amelie) performed their smaller roles most effectively. Thomas O’Brien as Robert was hilarious.

The evening started with entertaining performances of two ensembles from Mozart’s Cosí fan tutte from mostly second year students. Elitsa Kappatos was Dorabella to Norman Pati’s Ferrando. Thomas Barker (Aeneas) as the worldly Don Alfonso was ably aided by Amelia Ryman as Despina. Third-year Joshua Kidd played Guglielmo, and the more dramatic role of Fiordiligi was shared by second-year Angelique MacDonald and third-year Bryony Williams. Together their spirited singing and acting shenanigans (and sexy costumes!) gave the audience plenty of laughs.

The finale was a special treat – the final trio and duet from Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier. Vocally, this is a big ask for young voices, and all three women struggled a little with producing good tone on the highest notes.

Otherwise, it was a satisfyingly sumptuous finale, beautifully costumed and well cast. The star for me was mezzo-soprano Bianca Andrews, who sizzled in the ‘trouser’ role of Octavian (here ambiguously fe/male). In her accomplished, sensual acting she showed why she was cast as Cherubino in the Day’s Bay Figaro in March of this year. Her warm-toned, beautifully phrased singing blended well with Imogen Thirwell’s mature soprano. Thirwell gave us an appealingly young and shy Sophie, who blossomed under the touch of Octavian – a sexy and convincing picture of young love. Bryony Williams made a dignified and full-voiced Marschallin, releasing Octavian to Sophie with appropriately mature regret.

Bruce Greenfield proved once again that if anyone can make a grand piano sound almost like an orchestra, he can! Congratulations also to his fellow Vocal Ensemble and Stagecraft course coordinator Jenny Wollerman. While the NZSM didn’t produce a full opera this year, the high production values and vocal standard of these opera scenes came a very close second, and gave more students well-suited opportunities to shine.
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