Les Enfants Terribles - a Dance Opera

Emotions, incest, singing, dancing, talking and watching movies are all part of a single show, reviving one of Jean Cocteau’s works.

It has been a long time since the Belgrade stage saw a work of contemporary opera, let alone a dance opera. But American composer Philip Glass’s adaptation of Jean Cocteau’s inter war novel, Les Enfants Terribles was brought to the stage of Dom Omladine this month.

The producer at the Malo Pozoriste, Dusko Radovic, obviously saw this as an opportunity for the promotion of young Serbian artists and, if we view the show from that perspective, then truly, few flaws can be found.

We follow the story of Elizabeth and Paul, a brother and a sister from an old Parisian family, who live alone in a room, where they create their own world, with almost no connection to the world outside. A young man, Gerard moves in with them and becomes a spectator of their everyday debates. As Elizabeth tries to find work, she meets Agathe and brings her to the family as well. Living under the same roof,  Paul falls for Agathe and Gerard for Elizabeth. Deja Vu? Your memories of seeing this relationship onscreen are likely linked to Bernardo Bertolucci’s film The Dreamers and indeed, the Belgrade staging is supported at crucial moments by video projections from the film.

In this interesting staging, part of the audience is seated at the centre of the performance, where much of the dancing takes place. Among the audience too is the narrator Milos Timotijevic, playing Cocteau, who personally narrated all his cinematic work. He struts stiffly among the audience, chewing on a cigarette holder. Apart from his ferocious engagement in chewing and his beautiful radio-announcer baritone, there is little to say about his acting.

The singers, on the other hand, were an absolute discovery. The young generation of Serbian opera performers is outstanding. Elisabeth is played by Branislava Podrumac, whose recent diploma performance received standing ovations at the Music academy. Her soprano is surprisingly dynamic for such a young woman. She easily possesses the qualities necessary for this none too demanding role accompanying the music  in a measured fashion. In just one or two places however, she demonstrates that her highs lie in singing more dramatic passages.

Marko Kalajnovic, a baritone, plays the role of Paul with no less excellence. The young singer had the Milanese critics complimenting his recent performances something which should fast-track him to opera stardom. His voice is very powerful, and he delivers a well-measured balance of emotions and technique. Ljubomir Popovic, the tenor who sings Gerard, is well-suited to the role, but his voice shows the good and the bad sides of a very young singer. Popovic builds on emotions very strongly, so strongly, in fact, that his relationship with the dynamics of the work is sometimes less than focused. Agathe (Ana Radovanovic) has been credited as mezzo soprano in the show’s booklet, and alto online. If I had to decide, it would be the former rather than latter, if for nothing else than for the very light way in which she portrays this somewhat dramatic role.

To me, the musians were more than just members of the supporting cast. The three pianos were played near faultlessly by Nada Kolundzija, Sonja Loncar and Andrija Pavlovic. The modern contours of this work are often shaped by alternating classical works of Bach. They are made to sound like background music for singers, but it is, in fact, the singers who support the music. There are no arias in Les Enfants Terribles. Where we expect the crescendo of voices, an outburst of music happens. Sometimes hectic, sometimes well-focused, the tunes show there is a reason for Philip Glass to be considered one of the leading contemporary composers.

As this is a dance opera, we see several other people onstage and mingling with the audience. They represent the dancing persona of the four characters, two dancers for each. The young performers try to depict the emotions of the leads by movement, but I believe there were truly few in the audience who understood this was the case. The narrator also dances, and very well, too.

If you are looking for something different, a multi-media opera, sung in French with a man who sucks a cigarette holder leading you through events accompanied by excellent singers, complex music of quality and some movement and video, then strange yet compelling mix is for you.

Les Enfants Terribles runs at Dom Omladine until December 25th.