This week I was part of the world premiere of John Joubert’s Jane Eyre, his seventh opera. Charlotte Brontë’s story is tightly condensed into two acts, focussing on the relationship between Jane and Rochester, but giving prominence to the scene with St John Rivers, which Joubert considers the emotional turning-point of Jane’s journey. I had not previously encountered Joubert’s music outside the choral repertoire (his Torches being a staple of many carol services) so it was a revelation to hear the influences of two of his admitted great loves, Britten and Wagner, in his vocal lines and orchestration. For my money there was some Richard Strauss in there too (never a bad thing).
April Fredrick and David Stout (left) led the cast as Jane and Rochester, with Mark Milhofer as St John Rivers. A group of us played various smaller roles in the wedding scene, which is a crucial dramatic and musical climax. Kenneth Woods conducted the English Symphony Orchestra and our performance was recorded live by SOMM records for commercial release in 2018.
I hope Jane Eyre has a future on the stage – the story is such a strong one and it would be great to see this piece, which has waited so long to be heard, make the final leap into a full production.