of enigma chamber opera Although based in Boston, it was conceived as a traveling ensemble when it formed in late 2019. The pandemic may have curtailed travel plans, but ECO has forged ahead artistically, presenting Benjamin Britten's Ecclesiastical Fable Opera, which is rarely heard these days. , completes the cycle with performance this weekend At St. Paul's Cathedral Church.
Engima Chamber Opera Artistic Director Kirsten Cairns joins GBH Taking everything into account Host Arun Rath discusses “In the Fiery Furnace.'' Below is a lightly edited transcript.
Arun Rath: First of all, please tell us about the artistic impulse and energy behind the founding of Enigma Chamber Opera. One thing that's clear is that you seem to prefer underrated, or at least underrated, repertoire.
Kirsten Cairns: Yes, one of our missions is to perform songs that are established in the repertoire but, as you say, are perhaps overlooked.
There are a lot of small companies doing new work, and I love doing new work. But for Enigma, we felt it would be interesting to focus on a piece that isn't all that new and has been around for a while. But perhaps the reason they aren't getting the love they should be getting may be because we don't understand how they relate to modern audiences. Part of it is taking these works and saying, “What message do they have for us, the modern audience?”
Russ: What does “chamber” reflect? Does it have something to do with the scale or intimacy of the work?
Cairns: both. Scale is a big consideration. Typically, chamber operas do not have a choir and perform with a chamber orchestra, so the number of performers and singers is small.
It mainly concerns the budget. Let's be honest. It is very expensive to put on a large show with a full orchestra and choir. We work on a smaller scale, which also means it's a more intimate show, giving us the flexibility to perform in interesting and unusual environments.
Russ: That's interesting too, because there's a sense that these are shows you can enjoy on the go.
Cairns: That's the idea. That's our hope. I'm actually based in Glasgow myself. Although we do most of our work here in Boston, we always have the idea that there may be other arts festivals, venues, and locations around the world where we can perform our work.
Russ: Your first work was Britten's “Turn of the Screw.” And coming back to Britten for this weekend's performance, can you tell us a little about why you started doing that work?
Cairns: This is an interesting story in that the idea of starting a company was in my head. I tell people that because I've been in this industry all my life and I've worked with some great people, if money wasn't an issue, I know all these incredibly talented people. , I've been saying that I can put on an incredible show. people. One day I thought: “What if we pretended money didn't matter and got all these people together and did something?” So that was in my mind.
Then I was talking to Matthew DiBattista, who is the resident music director and also performs on all the shows. I said to him, “I have a great idea for Turn of the Screw,'' and he said, “I've never sung the role of Peter Quint, and I've always wanted to sing.'' Told. And I said: Now, if I make it happen, will you do it too? That was the impulse for me. Well, I guess I need to start a company now to do that show. That's how it started.
Russ: Focusing on this weekend's performance of “The Burning Fiery Furnace” (also by Britten), this is a fascinating and unusual work. This is one of his so-called church parables. Please tell me about it.
Cairns: Yes, this is one of Britten's least performed works. In general, church parables are not often performed. Of the three, this is the least executed.
These are truly fascinating works. They tell amazing stories with deep messages. When we came out of lockdown, in some ways we had a strange time coming out of lockdown and back into lockdown again, but we wanted to get back to live performance as soon as possible. Somehow it occurred to me that “The River Curlew” at the beginning of the Church's parables was an appropriate work for the time. I felt the message in that piece was the message we all needed at the time.
After I made that decision, I thought, “I think we need to consider all three of these factors.” Well, we end our trip through the trilogy here with “The Burning Fiery Furnace,” which is actually his second work written by Britten. They included “Curly River,” “Burning Fiery Furnace,” and “The Prodigal Son.” But again, the last piece felt perfect for the moment, and “The Burning Fiery Furnace” really feels like the perfect moment for this election year.
Russ: This is a work by the church, so I'll talk a little bit about it, but it's a work by Britten. It feels really liturgical and religious, but it also feels like it encapsulates his own subjectivity as a gay Anglican.
Cairns: Britten's faith is interesting, but I don't know enough about it. I keep thinking that I need to know more and more about what he really believed. Because, as you say, he was a gay man who lived with the love of his life, and that's why he wrote all those great tenor roles.
Of course, homosexuality was still illegal in England at the time. He lived this strange life in obscurity. We don't really know what he believed or how he felt about his faith, but he frequently touches upon religious themes in his parables of the church as well as in other works he wrote. It's clear that he had some pretty deep beliefs, as he kept coming back to .
I feel that the parables of the church clearly contain a deep religious message about taking care of yourself. What's interesting is that I say, “What else is in there?” Furthermore, if you are not a religious person, what do these works tell you? If you examine all three of these parables of the church, you will find that these parables have a lot to do with the fact that we are living in dark times. I found that it had a very deep humanitarian message that really helped me get through it.
There is a line in this piece that goes, “God, save us from the furnace of this murderous world.” I think that's true. We are all walking through the fiery furnace of a world of carnage. And if you can find thoughts, ideas, and inspiration to help you do that, that's all good. I think that's part of the mission of art, and I feel these church parables definitely fulfill that.
