The Girl from Arles review – Bizet’s music for forgotten rustic tragedy has punch and poetry

Key points

• Bizet's complete incidental music for The Girl from Arles received its first UK performance at Queen Elizabeth Hall.
• Sir Mark Elder conducted the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and soloists in Jeremy Sams' staging.
• The music, written for a small cello-heavy orchestra with saxophone and harmonium, was praised for its rustic punch and elegance.

The Girl from Arles, Bizet's incidental music for Alphonse Daudet's 1872 play, was given its first complete UK performance at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Sir Mark Elder conducted the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and soloists in a staging by Jeremy Sams.

The music comprises 27 separate numbers, from brief string passages to full orchestral interludes and choruses. Two orchestral suites have long been familiar, but this was the first chance for UK audiences to hear the complete score in its proper context.

A rustic tragedy on stage

Set in rural Provence, the story follows farm boy Frédéri, played by Kerill Kelly, whose infatuation with the unseen girl of the title leads to tragedy. Helena Lymbery played his mother Rose as passionate but pragmatic.

Jeremy Sams directed the action in the north of England not so long ago, using his own translation. Alex Doidge-Green's designs placed a shepherd's caravan and a laundry hanger on either side of the playing area, with the orchestra and chorus at the back.

The prettiest music in the world

— Alphonse Daudet

Music with punch and poetry

Written for a small, cello-heavy orchestra coloured with saxophone and harmonium, the score was described as having a rustic flavour. The OAE and Elder brought out its punch while never losing sight of its elegance, with the chorus contributing snappily.