Review: BBC PROMS: PROM 24: PURCELL'S THE FAIRY QUEEN, Royal Albert Hall

During the Restoration and beyond, there were numerous attempts at rewriting Shakespeare - one famous example being Romeo and Juliet changing to a happy ending. His work has also been adapted for slightly different kinds of staging, which is evident in Henry Purcell’s operatic composition; The Fairy Queen is in fact a musical and slightly alternative view of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Ahead of Prom 68 (Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Les Arts Florissants and Compagnie Käfig combined to present their interpretation of Purcell’s piece, with Paul Agnew conducting.

The first thing to note is that the entire piece was captioned, displaying at various vantage points to allow patrons on all levels to make use of it. Although the singers were mostly very clear and their words comprehensible, it’s vital that these accessibility measures start to creep in - and in a work like this, having the words to follow also helps you to keep on top of the narrative, rather than getting bogged down as the lines are repeated.

As someone on first name terms with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, I have to say I struggled to be certain about what was taking place during each of the five masques that the composition is split into. Parts of it did bring sections of the play to mind, but it certainly wouldn’t have hindered anyone coming in with little or no knowledge of the original Shakespeare.

The dancers from Mourad Merzouki’s troupe were incredibly athletic, energetic and dynamic; it almost made you feel as if you were in Paris watching Simone Biles and co. competing in a slightly more classical gymnastics event. Merzouki’s choreography choices for this is like the inverse of Bridgerton’s use of popular music performed in a classical style, and with traditional-looking dances; he has found the beats and rhythms that were hiding away in Purcell’s music, and brought them to the fore with contemporary moves and a smart-casual dress code.

It also felt as if both the musical and dance sides were working as one symbiotic being, rather than the orchestra being there merely to provide backing for the soloists and dancers. Possibly my favourite moment of the evening saw the two recorder players (Sébastien Marq and Nathalie Petibon) get out of their seats and start mingling with the dancers, mimicking birdsong as they did so. The principal violinist (Augusta McKay) also had a moment to shine later on, where it felt so intimate it was as if the singer and musician were in a duet all of their own.

Purcell’s beautiful score would have been an enjoyable enough listen, with its mix of frivolity and drama, but the presence of a group of phenomenally talented dancers really took it to the next level. It’s a shame that this one wasn’t chosen to be filmed for broadcast, as it was definitely a sight to behold.

The BBC Proms run at the Royal Albert Hall until 14 September

Photo credit: BBC/Chris Christodolou

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