Brett Dean
Rooms of Elsinore
Jennifer France (soprano), Lotte Betts-Dean (mezzo-soprano) et al; Swedish Chamber Orchestra/Brett Dean
BIS BIS-2454 79:18 mins
Clip: Brett Dean – And once I played Ophelia: I. Fast, breathless
It is all about Hamlet, though Hamlet does not feature. This compelling album presents five works prompted by writing an opera on Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy. Each stands on its own, yet they obliquely inhabit its world. The opening song cycle, And once I played Ophelia, breathlessly plunges straight into the psychologically fraught atmosphere. This Ophelia is no frail, pale wallflower, with soprano Jennifer France imperious one moment, ethereally untethered the next, and Ophelia’s torment incisively mirrored by the strings of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. The five shorter songs of Gertrude Fragments reflect the growing anxiety of Hamlet’s mother, conveyed with profound empathy by mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean.
Alongside these vocal character studies come three instrumental works. Confessio for bass clarinet finds Volker Hemken spanning the instrument’s range in wordlessly delivering the twists and turns of Claudius’s guilt-ridden monologue. By contrast, Rooms of Elsinore, takes a step back from the personal drama, instead portraying the atmosphere of the play’s locations with remarkable economy of means. Adroitly partnered by pianist Juho Pohjonen, Dean himself is transfixing as viola soloist, whether in the lyrical floating and sighing of ‘The Platform’ or driving energy of ‘The King’s Chamber’. Finally, The Players, a concerto for accordionist James Crabb, encapsulates the first act’s progress as reflected by the travelling players. Its manic exuberance and dark undertones make a formidable showpiece and round off a superb album. Christopher Dingle