It feels strange to be performing again, especially with the sense that everything could change again and concerts could disappear at any moment. But it is very exciting, especially when I get to sing something as engrossing as Les Illuminations. I’m plunging straight back into it – no easing my way back in!

What can you tell us about Britten's Les Illuminations?

Les Illuminations takes as its text poetry by Arthur Rimbaud, who wrote these poems over a period when he was living in London. There isn’t a through-line or unifying theme as such – they are like little windows, little observations on society. It’s like you are a drone, hovering above the city, and zooming in on different scenes: a stately court one moment, the slums the next. 

There are moments of exquisite beauty, moments of vulgarity. And there is a theatrical element as well. There is so much imagery at play. At times it feels like a circus, like something out of The Greatest Showman. There is a huge scope and range of themes within the poems. 

And then Britten pulled out the poems that he wanted to and incorporated them into his own work. And he re-ordered them, so they appear in a different sequence to how they appeared in Rimbaud’s work, which adds to the sense of wonder, of theatricality, of bouncing around a city just teeming with life. And it is all written in the present tense, so it really feels like you are there in the moment, like it is all happening in real time right in front of you. 

Right at the start of the piece, there is a declaration: ‘I alone hold the key to this wild parade’. So throughout the piece the singer acts as an observer, looking at all elements of society from royalty to vagrants in the taverns. 

It is quite an incredible piece to get stuck into. 

What are some things our audience should listen out for? 

There is so much going on in this piece, but I love the way the music matches the wildness of the text. In one movement, Parade, which is where that sense of zooming in and out is at its strongest, the music creates the raucous atmosphere - the sense of a circus, the wild parade. 

But then you also have these beautiful, suspended moments where the music is like a silver thread, suspended in the air, glimmering before us. 

So listen out for the different textures in the music, and the different sounds that the orchestra creates. Especially with gut strings - there is a different quality and presence that you just wouldn’t get on modern strings. 

Also pay attention that opening theme, the declaration of ‘I alone hold the key to this wild parade’. The music from that moment appears again and again, woven throughout the piece, but it is different every time it shows up. 

And then one of my favourite parts is in the fifth song, Marine. The way the violins are playing in the beginning, and the way the vocal lines run up and down, really does sound like waves. It’s a beautiful moment, and really extraordinary writing. 

What does historically informed performance for a singer? What are some techniques or different approaches that you will be making for this performance as distinct from if it were a non-HIP reading? 

My method is to approach a piece from the text first and foremost, to make sure that the text makes sense and is clear to the audience. That is the most important thing, and then any phrasing and musical choices you make come from what you are saying.

For this piece and for this time period we have been focusing on glissandi - which is a technique where a singer ‘glides’ from one note to another, rather than jumping from note to note. So we have really been making the most of those moments, and really leaning into them. 

You have performed with the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra before – Grieg’s Elegiac Melodies for Richard Gill's memorial concert, and Mozart arias and duets at ‘Madness & Confrontation’ in March 2019. What do you enjoy about performing with the orchestra? 

I find it a hugely satisfying experience to be performing with such an amazing group of musicians that are so responsive to what you do. I feel like when I sing with them we are so in tune with each other, with the musical choices. You can have the freedom to be spontaneous, and to make decisions in the moment and know the orchestra can go with you. One of the joys of performing with such a talented group. 

And it is so exciting to do a deep dive into a work like Les Illuminations. I have been working with Dean Sky-Lucas who is an incredible repetiteur, and he knows lots of French repertoire in particular. We really got into the piece, and pulled it apart to find all the different textures, and different sounds. And that is so satisfying to be able to really make the most of all those moments, to really get under the skin of the piece.  

Hear Jacqueline perform Les Illuminations in concert in February 2021. Click here for more information.