The Soldier's Return 
Opera Sunderland - Online
8th Nov 2020
Cast
The Man - Ian Priestley
The Woman - Katherine Aitken
Voice 1 - Austin Gunn
Voice 2 Andri Bjorn Robertsson
Written by Marcos Fernandez-Barrero and Jacob Polley
Commissioned by Opera Sunderland in 2018 to mark both the centenaries of the end of World War 1 and the world premiere of Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale, The Soldier's Return was originally meant to be an opera performed before an audience, in a small venue to create a sense of intimacy. Unfortunately a worldwide pandemic interfered with that plan and the production was reimagined as a film, with a socially distanced cast. Not the easiest way to create intimacy, one would think...
However production succeeds in all of it's aims, I think. Only two cast members appear on stage, with two other characters appearing as projections on the backdrop. The orchestra has been pre-recorded individually in a recording studio and the choir, all recorded their parts individually on phones or tablets and sent them in to the chorus master (Simon Davis-Fidler) to be woven into the soundtrack. The rehearsals were all carried out over Zoom. It's an astonishing achievement.
The premise of the opera is that of the eponymous soldier who returns from war to find everything is changed and he no longer feels that he fits in. Because the lyrics come from real soldiers, they are the words of fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, and the female character is a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister. Neither character is given a name. He is The Man, she is The Woman; two other characters who appear on the screen are similarly identity free, other than being military figures.
The setting is a living room - a safe space, one would think. However as the story progresses the space becomes less and less home-like, as The Man's mental state is revealed, he is unable to let go and his military experiences continue to infringe on home life. On a screen at the back a series of images from different war zones and conflicts appear and the two characters speak, echoing the words of The Man.
The score is a multi-layered sound - combining sounds that echo gunshots and explosions, marching boots and the whine of a radio tuning in and out. It is at once melodic and discordant and perfectly embodies the mental conflicts within the characters.
The overall effect is somewhat disjointed, confusing, and yet there are recurring motifs throughout such as the radio as a means of communication and connection, the repetition of phrases - both in the words and the music, which all combine to create a thread that gradually draws together towards the calm, quiet of the final scene. "You are home".
The Soldier's Return premiered online at 11.02 on November 8th 2020. It is available to view until 30th November at www.operasunderland.co.uk/operas-events/the-soldiers-return It is a telling and honest exploration of the effects of military duties on both the men who serve, and those who wait for them to return.
It is free to watch, but donations in support of Opera Sunderland's work are welcome.
Image Credit: Mark Savage
Denise Sparrowhawk
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