A hush falls over the audience as the curtain rises on an immaculate dining room, the table set for a grand celebratory feast. But beneath the veneer of joyous occasion, an undercurrent of disquiet permeates the room. So begins Festen, the explosive new opera from composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and librettist Lee Hall, making its highly anticipated debut at the Royal Opera House in London.
Based on the groundbreaking 1998 Danish film of the same name, Festen (The Celebration) tells the story of a wealthy family gathered to celebrate the 60th birthday of their patriarch, Helge. But as the night unfolds, Helge’s eldest son Christian unleashes a bombshell – a dark history of child abuse and deception at the hands of his father. Over the course of the increasingly tense dinner, secrets and lies are laid bare, threatening to tear the family apart.
While the subject matter of Festen is undoubtedly heavy, Turnage and Hall are adamant that the opera is more than just an unrelenting barrage of unpleasantness. “Although it has all this very shocking subject matter, it’s really a very dark comedy,” Hall explains. “I think what might surprise people is that it’s quite a fun show.”
A Challenging but Compelling Adaptation
Still, bringing such a provocative story to the operatic stage was not without its challenges. The film’s unflinching portrayal of trauma and taboo tested the boundaries of what audiences would accept, and the creative team had to carefully navigate how to translate that to a new medium.
I think I forget that I’m liberal, left wing, you know … you forget there are people who are offended.
Mark-Anthony Turnage, composer
But rather than shy away from the uncomfortable aspects, Turnage and Hall saw an opportunity to create something truly impactful. “I think that’s why you go to the opera: to enjoy a serious aesthetic look at difficult things,” Hall asserts. “The worry for me is that we patronise an audience by being too scared of that.”
For Turnage, known for his bold and rhythmically driven compositions, Festen provided fertile ground to flex his musical muscles. Having previously adapted another challenging subject with his 2011 opera Anna Nicole, he was no stranger to taking on controversial material.
Bringing Dogme 95 to the Opera House
The original Festen film, directed by Thomas Vinterberg, was a defining work of the Dogme 95 movement – a minimalist filmmaking style that rejected artifice in favor of raw, handheld realism. Capturing that sense of unvarnished truth on the ornate opera stage presented a unique challenge.
“In film, you have the camera right in the face of the actors,” Turnage notes. “But in opera, you’ve got this huge orchestra pit between you and the action. It’s a very different way of connecting to the audience.”
To bridge that gap, the team relied on the power of the music to convey the roiling emotions and taut atmosphere. Turnage’s score is a masterful blend of brooding dissonance, sharp rhythmic drive, and moments of dark levity that perfectly capture the film’s tone.
A Showcase of Operatic Talent
Bringing Festen to life is a star-studded cast led by British tenor Allan Clayton as Christian and Canadian bass-baritone Gerald Finley as Helge. Both are known for their dramatic intensity and impeccable musicianship, assets that will be put to the test in this demanding work.
The Royal Opera House orchestra, under the baton of conductor Edward Gardner, will have a central role to play as well. Turnage’s complex and layered orchestral writing is a true ensemble showcase, requiring utmost precision and sensitivity from the musicians.
An Opera for Our Times
In an age when issues of abuse and toxic power structures are at the forefront of public discourse, Festen feels urgently relevant. By unflinchingly confronting these difficult realities through the heightened lens of opera, Turnage and Hall invite audiences to grapple with hard truths and perhaps even find a path to healing.
It’s in a more European tradition of the grotesque than simply, you know, dour. I think that’s why Festen still resonates today.
Lee Hall, librettist
Some may balk at the idea of turning such troubling subject matter into an entertaining night at the opera. But in the hands of Turnage and Hall, Festen has the potential to be a profound artistic statement, one that reaffirms the power of music and drama to shed light on even the darkest corners of the human experience.
When the final curtain falls and the last unsettling notes dissipate into the stunned silence of the auditorium, audiences will have undoubtedly been shaken. But they may also emerge with a renewed appreciation for the cathartic possibilities of art – and the unshakable resilience of the human spirit.
Festen runs at the Royal Opera House, London from 11-27 February. Not for the faint of heart, but highly recommended for anyone ready for an uncompromising operatic journey into the abyss – and perhaps out the other side.
