Mireille ressucitée

Mireille 

Opéra en 5 actes de Charles Gounod

Livret de Michel Carré d'après Frédéric Mistral

Créé au Théâtre Lyrique le 19 mars 1864

Entrée au répertoire de l'Opéra de Paris, 14 septembre 2009

Mireille - Inva Mula

Vincent - Charles Castronovo

Ourrias - Franck Ferrari

Ramon - Alain Vernhes

Taven - Sylvie Brunet

Vincenette - Anne-Catherine Gillet

Andrelou - Sebastien Droy

Ambroise - Nicolas Cavallier

Clemence - Amel Brahim-Djelloul

Le Passeur - Ugo Rabec

Orchestre et choeurs de l'Opéra de Paris

Conduction - Marc Minkowski

Stage direction - Nicolas Joël

Opéra Garnier Sept.22 performance - gala AROP

There were certainly some in Paris to boo Nicolas Joël's new production (only on the premiere it seems, as in NY). Nobody followed through in the performance I attended though, not even me, though his lack of ideas and actors direction is the only thing one can think of after seeing his production.

But Joël's decision to start his 5-yr contract as director of the Paris Opera by staging this particular piece is so commendable - and Minkowski's conduction is so exquisite one can only thank the man. Finally, after too many years of drought, Gounod is back in Paris. Adios Gérard Mortier...

I can't emphasize enough how extatic I felt when the first notes of the overture emerged and how exquisite the musical execution was. Finally, after too many years of bad treatment - including Plasson's massacre last year in Orange, Gounod's music is fully rehabilitated.

Who can, after hearing this performance, honestly say Gounod is boring and emotionless? It took Mark Minkowski - a baroque's conductor - to unravel all the marvels of Mireille's score.
I had truly never heard this opera played so brilliantly - a magnificent interpretation indeed (why he was also booed on the premiere is beyond comprehension).

And so does it really matter that Joël's staging is unattractive and quite dumb and so desperately true to the libretto ? Not for me.

Beginning of Act I

The piece

Gounod wanted to adapt provensal poet Frédéric Mistral's novel for the lyric stage (he actually composed most of the music while staying in the very places Mistral's story takes place in), but had to adapt to so many demands he ultimately delivered a piece quite different from his original idea.
 The huge pressure he got all his life from opera directors and prima donna meant he constantly had to make concessions and give way.

For Mireille, Marie Miolan-Carvalho - wife of the Théâtre Lyrique's director and the soprano who would create the role - told Gounod "Surtout, n'est-ce pas, faites brillant, très brillant, brillant" [Make it shiny, shiny, shiny], so he had to cut most of the dramatic scenes and add light and joyful arias for Mireille.

The score was cut and rewritten again and again after the premiere, and some arias of the original score were lost during the fire of the Opera House.

The version performed in Paris is the one Reynaldo Hahn assembled in 1939 - the closest to the original version.

More on this opera:
- Synopsis - in French

Alain Vernhes and Inva Mula

 

The performance

Apart from the marvellous job Marc Minkowski did, the orchestra had a great night as well.
The strings were superb, as were the woods and the brass.

The energy coming from the pit was mind-blowing, but the chorus of the Paris Opera did not deliver nearly as good a performance as the musicians did. The change of the chorus master hasn't succeeded in improving the quality of the ensemble - their unison is always somehow off and terribly unstable.

The soloist singers on the other hand were overall interesting - and Charles Castronovo, with his dark yet juvenile timbre made a good impression on me as Vincent.

I was also impressed by Alain Vernhes' Ramon, a rich and colorful voice very expressive, and Anne-Catherine Gillet's Vincenette.

The weakest main character was Franck Ferrari's Ourrias. The acting was vaudeville-esque and pretentious(and I hate vaudeville at the opera), while the singing was mediocre and not really up to the overall level.

Inva Mula's French is not really understandable for anybody, but her singing was decent enough not to ruin Minkowski's view of Mireille.

Overall a great evening for me.




Further reading 
- Mireille au palais Garnier,  Formalhaut
- Oh Mireille, même à Garnier, tu ne vieillis pas

Opéra National de Paris 2009-2010

Better late than never... Here are my comments about the 2009-10 season of the Paris Opera (Nicolas Joël's first season).

• The season will open with Charles Gounod's Mireille, directed by Nicolas Joël (Sept.14 to Oct.14, Garnier). Clearly not the masterpiece Faust is, this light opera marks at least the comeback of Gounod to the Opéra de Paris. The cast is rather unexciting (Inva Mula, Charles Castronovo and Franck Ferrari in the main roles). Marc Minkowsky will conduct the Paris Opera Orchestra and I must say it is quite a surprise to see him choose such a repertoire. I wonder what reading he has of Gounod.
• The revival of Laurent Pelly's 2006 production of L'Elisir d'Amore is a guaranted sales success, as the cast features Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon (Oct.10 to 25, Bastille); the two will also sing in Mozart's Idomeneo in Jan. (Luc Bondy's production from 2006 , Garnier)
• Korngold's Die Tote Stadt is coming in Paris in the Willy Decker's production that premiered in Salzburg in 2004 and has already traveled to Vienna last year and London in February (Oct.9 to 27, Bastille)
• The new production of Bellini's La Sonnambula will surely be the event of the season in Paris, with Natalie Dessay coming back at the Paris Opera for the first time since her Lucias in Oct.2006 (Evelino Pidò conducting, Michele Pertusi as Rodolfo and Javier Camarena as Elvino, Jan.25 to Feb.23, Bastille); Natalie Dessay will also sing the tiny part of Musetta in La Bohème (Oct.29 to Nov.29, Bastille)
• Rossini's La Donna del Lago will allow for the rare opportunity to hear Juan Diego Florez in Garnier (June 18 to 30), with Joyce DiDonato, Daniela Barcellona and Roberto Abbado conducting.
• Other noticeable facts: Rameau's Platée (Laurent Pelly prod., Marc Minkowsky conducting his Choeur et musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble) in December (Garnier); Marcelo Alvarez as Andrea Chénier (Dec., Bastille); Jonas Kaufmann as Werther in Jan. (but unfortunately with Michel Plasson conducting);
• Selected revivals: Corine Sereau's 2002 production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Graham Vick's Don Carlo from 1998

All and all, I can't say a season full of revivals is exciting, but at least it's not such a bad start for Nicolas Joël.

Opera wars

Isn't it fascinating to realize some XIXth century practices still go on in major Opera Houses?

The example of the intense competition currently going on in Paris is reported in "Clause d’exclusivité : Favart tacle Garnier et Bastille", an article published on Qobuz (a site ran by Abeille Musique).

Nicolas Joël, soon to be the director of the Opéra National de Paris (that includes both Bastille and Garnier), is apparently reviving the exclusivity clause when signing his cast.

The Opéra Comique, the third lyrical theater in Paris, and struggling to survive, is complaining of such unfair customs, in the voice of its director, Jérome Deschamps.

There's something incredibly wrong in Joël's justification though. "If they do in in NY, why can't we?" Well, because we're French maybe? And should care more about the Art than about the money?

Rondine from the Met

La Rondine 

Giacomo Puccini

Opera in 3 acts

Libretto Giuseppe Adami

Premiere Théâtre de Monte Carlo, March 27 1917

Magda: Angela Gheorghiu

Lisette: Lisette Oropesa

Ruggero: Roberto Alagna

Prunier: Marius Brenciu

Rambaldo: James Courtney

Conductor: Marco Armiliato

Production: Nicolas Joël

Set Designer: Ezio Frigerio

Costume Designer: Franca Squarciapino

Lighting Designer: Duane Schuler

Premiere in Toulouse in March 2005, performed in San Francisco in Nov. 2008

Jan.10 Arte broadcast live from the Met

Synopsis here and there, libretto (Italian only) here

 

Act 1, Terrence McCarthy
 

Act 2, Terrence McCarthy

 

Not much to say about this production of Nicolas Joël, except for the obvious word that comes to mind: boring. The set, the costumes, the lights, the actors' direction, everything is very very forgettable.

His dollhouse version of La Rondine lacks any kind of statement, exploration of characters, work on the relationships between the characters, any kind of analysis really. As for the muscial performance, Marco Armiliato's reading of the score is also especially boring, as it lacks passion, emotions and life (so basically, he missed the whole point of the score there).

The cast was also pretty forgettable; Gheorghiu was out of breath from the start, displayed no real emotion and struggled with her voice all evening; Marius Brenciu' singing was inexpressive as well and his high notes were not particularly successful; James Courtney's use of vibrato was excessive; Lisette Oropesa's Lisette was energetic and full of life, but her diction was well, lost from the beginning.

The only one that stood out for me was Roberto Alagna. His diction is so refined he's the only one I know who can sing perfectly such lines as "Cosi timida e sola assomigliate alle ragazze di Montauban" (Act 2) with the perfect pronunciation, both in Italian and in French on "Montauban". His expressivity could have been better, but it was so much better than the rest of the cast, it felt like he was the only one really trying to portray his character. A rather disappointing evening.

Mortier & Joël news

Gérard Mortier will be the new Artistic Director of the Teatro Real in Madrid, starting January 2010. Official release here (in Spanish). About the successor of Mortier at the head of the Paris opera, Nicolas Joël, who suffered a stroke at the end of August, reeducation is going well, as he attended the premiere of Le Nozze di Figaro in Toulouse a few days ago (Nov.21).

Joël's health problems

Nicolas Joël, a few days from starting his last season at the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse, and headed for the Paris Opera after that, had a stroke last week. He's expected to make a full recovery (or is he?).

Faust, Orange

August 5 performance review

Nicolas Joël’s staging

Obviously, Joël’s view on Faust is centered around Marguerite.
The huge set in the background – a replica of the organ in the Narbonne’s cathedral – was designed to emphasize the church scene at the end of Act 4 where Marguerite seeks refuge feeling guilty after her brother’s death, only to be “welcomed” by Méphistophélès – effectively rushing her to madness, ultimately leading her to kill her child and being imprisoned and executed.

The libretto is quite rushing these events by the way – no doubt a main flaw to fluidity in this piece. On this level, Joël didn’t really help understand the story better; the duel scene in which Valentin (Marguerite’s brother) is killed by Faust, with the help of Méphistophélès, was conceptualized as a kind of “struck by lightning” moment with Faust and Valentin both static, with no sword in hand, and Méphistophélès killing Valentin by a casual fan movement.
I liked the idea very much, but people not familiar with the piece were clueless as to what was happening (I should know, I know some of these people).

Anyway, the church scene – staged as it was to be the counterpoint of the evening – was clearly a success, and I must admit the whole organ setting was indeed well thought of (as I managed to convince the couple sitting next to me of its relevance – though they were more than skeptical about it).

The rest of the production, I must say, was a disappointment: very conventional, very static, very boring. The costumes were unimaginative as well – except for Méphistophélès who was dressed as a circus host – a costume that didn’t suit René Pape’s silhouette (or lack of, rather) at all.

Michel Plasson’s direction

I still remember the first time I saw Plasson conducting, a decade ago, when I was a student in Toulouse.
He was trying to bring classical music to young people by performing free concerts exclusively for students – and there’s nothing more appealing to a student than the word “free”. He was conducting Mahler and his interpretation was full of life, energy and passion.

Neither of those components was to be found in Orange. His conduction was painfully slow, blend and apathic (from what I heard his performances of Carmen in Orange were equally bad). Moreover, the rhythm was awfully off on the fast arias, and clearly “Gloire immortelle de nos aïeux” was a disaster. This was kind of my last try with Plasson, and I must say I’m done for good with him.

From now on, his presence will dissuade me from attending a performance.

Supporting roles

My beloved Nicolas Testé as Wagner made a terrible entrance. His first sentence was an absolute nightmare and in such a small part, the first notes are decisive. The role of Siebel – a male role with a soprano line – was filled by a tenor (contrary to tradition) and I must say this choice actually worked pretty well for me – plus Xavier Mas as Siebel made a good impression on me. Marie-Nicole Lemieux’s Marthe was fun and entertaining, which is basically what the part demands, more than technical perfection.

Jean-François Lapointe as Valentin was praised by a lot of the audience (beautiful timbre and good singing) yet I could not get pass Ernest Blanc’s Valentin. At that point, I realize I probably never will and will remain unsatisfied by any performance. Inva Mula’s Marguerite was also a disappointment. The first part of the jewels aria, “Il était un roi de Thulé” was inaudible as it was obvious she was keeping her strength for the “Ah je ris de me voir si belle en ce miroir” part. The rest of her performance was OK I guess, but again, first impressions are unforgiving.

René Pape and Roberto Alagna

There is no doubt Pape has a great stage presence and is equally good in comic and dramatic situations. His high notes are splendid and incredibly convincing, but the lower lines –numerous in this part – are clearly his weakness. They all were perfectly hit on Thursday, but the volume level was too weak – even with the great acoustics of the Théâtre Antique. On the other hand, projection is not really an issue for Roberto Alagna. As expected, the live broadcast on France 2 brought out the best of him, vocally and most noticeably in the acting department. He’s not the fantastic Faust he used to be several years ago but his performance was superb – maybe some of the light vibratos on the high notes could have be prevented, but his stage presence was indeed one of the best I’ve seen of him since 3-4 years.

Conclusion

The review – as always with me – may be mixed – mitigé as we say in French – but there’s one thing unique in Orange – especially for someone like me living in the heart of a big city: attending an opera performance literally under the stars is a one-of-a-kind experience: the beauty of the music is an amazing complement to the wonders of the Universe.

 
French légionnaires watching over the performance

 

Toulouse 2008-09

The last season of Nicolas Joël as head of the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse is once again very well-balanced and has two majors highlights, in my opinion (full brochure there):

- Anna Caterina Antonacci will be Carmen alongside Zoran Todorovich (Don José) and Inva Mula (Micaëla). The production, a revival from 1997 (directed by Nicolas Joël), will be conducted by Daniele Callegari (April 3 to 12).

- The Faust production by Nicolas Joël that will premiere this summer in Orange will be performed in Toulouse from June 19 to 30. Orlin Anastassov should make a very fine Méphistophélès, and will share the stage with Inva Mula (Marguerite) and Giuseppe Filianoti (Faust). Emmanuel Plasson (the son of Michel Plasson who will be in Orange) will conduct.


The 2008-09 season in Toulouse will also feature Marco Armiliato (conducting Le Nozze di Figaro in Nov.), Karine Deshayes (Offenbach's La Périchole for the Christmas holidays), Stéphane Degout and Emmanuelle Haïm and her orchestra and chorus of Concert d'Astrée for Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie, and Ludovic Tézier (Jochanaan) and Thomas Moser (Herodes) in Salomé.