War drama ‘Song of the Dark Forest’ opens strong, but gradually loses tension

It is a golden idea: having a Ukrainian bass-baritone sing Russian songs while Ukraine groans under the devastating war of agression from its neighbour Russia. Director Serge van Veggel and his company Opera2Day have realised many special productions with changing partners, and joined forces with Scapino Ballet Rotterdam for Song of the Dark Forest. The staging is beautiful; dancers, singer Andrii Ganchuk and the Doelen Ensemble perform excellently, yet the opera-ballet gradually loses its appeal. A woman in front of me even dozes off.

(c) Bas Czerwinski

Yet the secondary school students behind me, who confess to having come to Stadsschouwburg Nijmegen with healthy aversion, react enthusiastically. ‘From me they get an eight,’ says one boy, ‘I think it’s even worth an 8.5,’ adds his neighbour. (In the Dutch school system the highest note is 10.) ‘I liked it too, but halfway through I lost the thread of the story,’ admits a third.

With his observation, this critical pupil exactly nails the weak spot. In principle, linking divergent dance styles can be exciting, but this only works if they are chosen from one common vision. Unfortunately, the four choreographers and the director seem to have given too little thought to this; the show becomes increasingly disjointed.

Song of the Dark Forest opens strongly, with Ganchuk to the left of the dark stage. In a forest of hanging trees, he sits dazedly on a palisade of chairs that effectively evokes the rubble we are daily presented with from Ukraine, Gaza and other war zones. To the sounds of Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No 2, a group of ragged extras pass by him, their shabby possessions clasped in their arms.

When Ganchuk strikes up Mussorgsky’s song ‘We will find peace’, this comes like a slight shock: his voice is amplified. However, one quickly get used to this and it even proves to be dire necessity given the hall’s dry acoustics. The lonely violin with which Henk de Vlieger’s beautiful arrangement begins barely comes to life.

Ganchuk, however, quickly makes you forget this shortcoming: not only does he have a superb voice, he moreover impersonates his role with exceptional empathy and can be understood verbatim. With his imposing appearance, resembling a ferocious cossack, he attracts all attention, even in the many purely instrumental passages.

Then Ganchuk wanders or crawls like a soldier across the stage, half alive, half dead, often in subtle interaction with his dancing alter ego (Filip Wagrodski). The latter’s intent now seems to kill him, then to seek friendship or protection. When Ganchuk lovingly takes him in his arms, this is quite moving – as if he were a male pietà.

The first choreography by Yoy Performing Arts is the strongest. Dancers dressed in drab army clothes perform rhythmic, jerky movements reminiscent of breakdance. Angularly raised elbows, fingers that appear to razor-sharp cleave an apparent opponent, and hands placed like axes before the nose create a terrifying atmosphere. In contrast is the more classical dance by the duo Miller de Nobilie and and Diego Sinniger de Salas.

The dramatic war atmosphere is broken when, during Mussorgsky’s song ‘The Rocking Horse’, the dancers perform a group dance that most resembles a jolly village party, including exuberant cheering. When next the troupe makes spastic movements and loudly moans and groans while writhing as if in agony, all tension subsides. Yes, war is terrible and soldiers lose eyes, arms, legs and even their lives, but it is counterproductive to depict this so explicitly. Somewhat larmoyant, too, is the family of three that is woven as a thread through the performance.

Andrii Ganchuk & Filip Wagrodski (c) Bas Czerwinski

Wagrodski not only dances Ganchuk’s alter ego, but also the role of the girl’s father who walks across the stage twice with a balloon. The first time this is black; the second time, at the end, it is white. Then she puts it down next to Ganchuk who lies for dead on stage, after which she and her parents cheerfully leave the stage. – A sign of hope? It’s pure kitsch, but it works.

The huge figure with that fragile white balloon forms a rock-solid final image, but unfortunately this is followed by an epilogue, Prayer for Peace by Sergey Akhunov. This piece was added by conductor Maarten van Veen at the composer’s request. It is laudable that the Russian composer wrote a silent protest against his homeland’s war-mongering, but his overly sweet lamento is a stark contrast to the powerful music of his late compatriots. Song of the Dark Forest contains beautiful moments and the performance is excellent. However, the production would benefit from tighter direction and some solid cuts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS0Sy9Cn9RI&ab_channel=ScapinoBalletRotterdam

Visited 13 December 2023, Stadsschouwburg Nijmegen
Tour until 24 February 2024. More info: Opera2Day

#AndriiGanchuk #DoelenEnsemble #FilipWagrodski #OperaDay #ScapinoBallet #SongOfTheDarkForest