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THE TELEGRAPH - 27 OCTOBER 2003

Unexpected delight

Rupert Christiansen reviews Ion performed by Theatre Wales at the Royal Opera House and touring

Creusa, daughter of the King of Athens, visits Apollo's shrine at Delphi with her foreign husband Xuthus to ask why she cannot bear children. Years ago, she gave birth to Apollo's son and abandoned him - is her infertility the god's revenge? Xuthus is told that the first person he meets on leaving the shrine will be his son - it is the caretaker Ion.

Creusa is initially furious and plots to kill Ion. Then the oracle explains that Ion is in fact not Xuthus's son by another woman, but hers by Apollo. Reconciliation follows, with Athena explaining that Apollo gave Ion to Xuthus so that he would end up his heir.
Thus runs the play Ion, one of Euripides's most peculiar fables. Its tone is grey, neither comic nor tragic, and its implications obscure. Is the common anxiety surrounding one's parental origins its underlying theme? Or is it an ironic dig at the wayward influence of the gods on human life? Its sensibility is so distant from ours it's impossible to tell.

The further question here is whether it makes an effective opera libretto, and I fear that despite David Lan's punchy, pacey translation, the answer is no. The characters are too ambiguous, the situation too puzzling. By the force of genius, Debussy can make magic out of a comparably mysterious scenario in Pelleas et Melisande, but as a rule opera thrives best on a thumpingly obvious emotional and dramatic backbone.

Yet this new opera is well worth hearing. Param Vir's score (originally commissioned for Aldeburgh, where extracts were performed in 2000) is immaculately crafted, with thoughtful vocal writing and vivid, arresting orchestration. The choruses have gorgeous lyrical fluency and the overall pacing is secure. I feel ungrateful saying it, but Vir is tasteful to a fault: if he'd ripped Euripides up a bit (in the manner of Strauss and Hofmannsthal), he might have written something truly marvellous rather than merely admirable.

Music Theatre Wales's performance is excellent. Michael Rafferty conducts a fine chamber orchestra with authority, and Michael McCarthy's uncluttered production is cool, clear and precise. Rita Cullis's potent singing of Creusa reminded me how underused she is in Britain; as Ion, Michael Bennett displays a firm, steely tenor. All the smaller roles are confidently projected, and the five-woman chorus blends beautifully. Serious opera-lovers should catch this interesting and rewarding work on tour.