Danish film director Lars von Trier’s Golden Heart trilogy elevated him to international success. Breaking the Waves (1996) was one of the trio and the “golden heart” at its heart is the unsophisticated Bess McNeill. Composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek’s 2016 opera is based on the movie. It is now at the Adelaide Festival in Scottish Opera’s European premiere production, directed by Tom Morris, first seen at 2019’s Edinburgh Festival.
Sydney Mancasola as Bess and cast members. Photograph © James Glossop
This Breaking the Waves is a very fine reworking of the harrowing, non-musical original and it’s arguable that Mazzoli’s insightful, sometimes contrarian score actually makes it even more toughly dramatic. In the eyes of the Calvinist church elders of Skye, where the story is set, Mazzoli could well be considered “froward” – not a misprint but from old Norse and meaning “a person difficult to deal with, contrary”. It’s how they describe Bess and this young woman is naturally the target of their ire.
The role of Bess is filled – brilliantly – by America rising star soprano Sydney Mancasola. Moreover there isn’t a weak link in the cast, male chorus or orchestra....
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A wonderful evocation of the society of Calvinist Skye! Missy Mazzoli’s score raises the drama high.
I’ve two comments: the first is that the explicit story, of a woman sacrificing herself to heal her man, is unnecessary to the drama. I found Jan’s sudden awakening and walking around undamaged quite distracting from the actual sacrifice Bess had made. But von Trier’s story had to be told, I guess, for permission to adapt it to be granted.
The second is Mazzoli’s very explicit tribute to Britten’s Peter Grimes in particular. The evocation of the moods of the sea was beautifully achieved, but the winds and brass could well have been playing the Sea Interludes from Grimes, the chords and progressions of the prologue seemed to my untutored ear to be the same. Can the sea be better evoked? No one has so far… I don’t cavil at Mazzoli’s use of this musical meme, it worked!