The score is lavish and sumptuous, the playing gorgeous, the singing excellent. So what makes “Iris” the most bonkers show ever put on at Opera Holland Park?Mascagni’s rarely-staged 1898 opera tells the story of a guileless Japanese child who is abducted and then abandoned by a rich young man. She has a dream about an octopus, and stabs herself from shame. In a strange and symbolic climax, the chorus sings an ecstatic number over her mangled corpse (which is lying in a sewer) about the oneness of the universe and the beauty of life.It sounds ravishing, but what it means is anyone’s guess. Individual sorrow is meaningless? Beauty is brutality? Don’t dream about octopuses? (Mascagni was later seduced by fascism, so perhaps the first two are not far off.)Strangely, it didn’t seem to matter, as the music was so utterly seductive and conducted with late-romantic passion and verve by Stuart Stratford. The performances were top-notch too. Soprano Anne Sophie Duprels was vocally and dramatically thrilling in the title role; tenor Noah Stewart brought intensity (and an impressive six-pack) to the role of the abuser Osaka; and baritone James Cleverton (Kyoto the pimp) and bass Mikhail Svetlov (Iris’s father) rounded out a fine cast.Despite the confusion of the libretto, director Olivia Fuchs managed to achieve a surprising amount of clarity. She set the action in a dreamlike version of 1940s Japan, and created all the necessary locations using three large open cages made from bamboo. A few narrative details went awry - but with such a curious plot to deal with, it would seem ungallant to quibble.Bravo to Holland Park for taking a punt on it. There may never be another chance to catch this stunningly beautiful rarity again. Hear it. Enjoy it. And if you work out what it means – could you let me know?“Iris” is at Opera Holland Park until June 18
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