Peter Hall's production of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, nearly half as old as the opera itself, carries a certain authority - Peter Pears, the co-librettist, said he wished the composer could have lived to see it. Many were saying something similar, this time of the designer John Bury, on Monday night. Bury reworked his original sets for this, the production's first revival in the "new" Glyndebourne theatre, but did not live to see the results. This performance was dedicated to his memory.
It was a fitting tribute. Bury's designs, still fresh after 20 years, give this magnetic production much of its magic. Blurring, shifting branches draw us in immediately; look harder and you can see silhouettes of naiads and dryads at their centre, creeping around the stage during every interlude. But this is no Narnia - unless Lisa Larsson's poised, icy Tytania can be read as the wicked queen - and the presence of so many half-glimpsed spirits makes this enchanted forest very sinister. The lighting, on the cusp of twilight, loves the part-Elizabethan, part-animal costumes of the fairy king and queen, but is unforgiving of their cruelty.
The pivotal figure, on stage and in Britten's score, is Oberon. Michael Chance is a seasoned exponent of what is still the best countertenor role since Handel's time, and every word, every malicious intention is crystal clear. The rest of the cast, if not quite vintage, is much more than satisfactory. Madeline Bender and Gordon Gietz make promising house debuts as Helena and Lysander. Bottom, as played by Peter Rose, is a bit close to a pantomime dame, but he put his words across well, even when singing into the twin obstacles of a huge donkey head and Tytania's cleavage. The fairies are sung by the excellent Trinity Boys Choir.
David Atherton could perhaps bring a touch more incisiveness to his conducting of the fairy music, though he kept the glissando passages of the opening and the interludes beautifully delicate. But on this occasion it was the only non-singing cast member that threatened to steal the show. Eight-year-old Jack Liman as Puck delivered his couplets with an assurance that must have had his grown-up colleagues looking on with as much envy as delight.
• In rep until July 7. Box office: 01273 813813.
