Showing posts with label chatelet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chatelet. Show all posts

Oct 13, 2007

La Pietra del Paragone

"Non ricusi il mio favor."
[Atto 1, Scena Terza]


Je signale l'initiative intéressante de France 2 qui, en parallèle à la diffusion télé, met à disposition en streaming, sur internet et gratuitement un des premiers opéras de Rossini, la Pietra del Paragone, dans la production de janvier 2007 du théâtre du Châtelet (livret intégral de l'opéra disponible ici).

Le programme est divisé en deux parties, la première accessible depuis lundi dernier (1er acte), la seconde à partir de lundi prochain (acte 2). La qualité, tant sonore que visuelle, est excellente (diffusion du DVD livre paru chez Naïve).


Livret de Luigi Romanelli

Direction musicale: Jean-Christophe Spinosi
Ensemble MATHEUS
Choeurs du Teatro Regio di Parma

Conte Asdrubale: François Lis
Marchesina Clarice: Sonia Prina
Barconessa Aspasia: Jennifer Holloway
Donna Fulvia: Lauren Giordano
Pacuvio: Christian Senn
Giocondo: José Manuel Zapata
Fabrizio: Filipo Polinelli
Conte Macrobio: Joan Martin-Royo

M. en scène: Giorgio Barberio Corselti & Pierrick Sorin


Critique du Figaro ici, de Libération là, de Classique News.


La mise en scène est... spéciale on va dire. Un ersatz de sketch de Mister Bean, qui ne me sied absolument pas.

La partition, jouée sur instruments d'époque, pleine de dorures châtoyantes et luxuriantes, ne se marie juste pas du tout avec les écrans plasma des années 2000 et une esthétique et des costumes des années 60.
Au contraire, je trouve que le contraste ne fait pas honneur à la musique de Rossini. Il la ringardise complètement.
Bref, je n'aime pas l'association des deux.

Au-delà de cela, cette production me ramène à la même sempiternelle interrogation: à quand remonte la dernière mise en scène potable, au Châtelet?

Seriously.

Sans compter évidemment la médiocrité des chanteurs.


Oct 4, 2007

Monkey business





Initially, this blog is my way of remembering things.
Well, it turns out I still forget a lot of stuff.


Take Monkey: Journey to the West the first try of Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) at opera. I wrote about it six months ago, hoping I would remember to buy tickets for the opening of this season at Le Théâtre du Châtelet.


Of course I didn't remember anything.

So I can only read about it; here is an extract from Le Monde (in French, Oct.1): "A ce tourbillon s'ajoute un appareil musical confié à Albarn. Instruments traditionnels, claviers, cordes et vents, percussions. Sa partition, dans l'esprit des répétitifs américains n'est pas au niveau de l'inventivité du spectacle. Et lorsque elle devient pop on regrette qu'Albarn n'ait pas opté de bout en bout pour cette légèreté." ; here from the AFP (in English, Sept.26).



Now here's the thing; going to Paris this week-end and beginning of next week, will I remember to find the time to go in front of the house on Sunday afternoon to see if there are tickets still available (since the booking via internet is closed) ?


This answer, and probably many more next week...


Mar 23, 2007

Monkey : Journey to the west


I knew it since several months. That Damon Albarn, former leader of Blur and Gorillaz, was composing an opera. The kind of news I'm kinda excited about (after all, I like Albarn's pop music) and real anxious at the same time (if his operatic try is a disaster). Things are getting real, now. The Manchester International Festival has announced its programmation for its first edition; Albarn's Monkey:Journey to the west will premiere on Sat. June 28th, 2007, and be played until July 8. Albarn's work, subtitled A circus opera for the 21st century (aren't you scared? just a little bit?), based on an ancient Chinese legend, will feature 45 Chinese circus acrobats, Beijing Opera actors & singers, and Shaolin martial artists (scared already?). In addition, there will be 15 Chinese and western musicians. Oh, and the "libretto" is in Madarin, with English surtitles. Still not scared? Are you sure? Director: Chen Shi-Zheng Design & animation: Jamie Hewlett (also a Gorillaz member) Lyrics: David Greenspan Designed and created by the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris in co-production with Manchester International Festival and the State Opera House, Berlin (Staatsoper Unter den Linden). Paris performances: opening of the 2007/2008 season, from Sept. 26 to Oct. 13 (15 performances).

Feb 8, 2007

Châtelet Bollywood



Jean-Luc Choplin, the head of the Théâtre du Châtelet since July 2006, is either a very funny guy, or a very stoned director.
Or maybe a little bit of both.

I was very sceptical when he put the Chanteur de Mexico in this year's season (and apparently those who saw this production also were), now it's Bollywood time for the 2008 season.

The Times of India announced a few weeks ago that Bollywood filmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali will direct an unidentified opera based on a French script from the 1920s (please let it not be a Pascal Dusapin's score).




Says Bhansali, “It’s an honour not just for me but the whole country. I think my operatic mode of storytelling in Devdas convinced the Theatre du Chatelet to approach me. Frankly, I was flattered but unsure whether I wanted to do it. After all, a staged opera is an entirely different discipline from cinema. I’m glad I’ve agreed to do it.”

I bet you are.

Also, "The dynamics of the opera fascinate me. I always wanted to do theatre, more specifically the opera. (...) The opera gives me the chance to carry every emotion to the highest scale. That's something I enjoy doing. I can't deny theatrical influences in my cinema. So, in a way this opera will give me the chance to return to my roots" Bhansali told IANS.

Anybody scared, other than me?



Jan 17, 2007

Candide, by Bernstein


Candide, the “Operetta comica in due atti” by Leonard Bernstein, is the hype opera of this season.




After Paris (theatre du Chatelet) in december (review in French here with lots of links), and before the once-cancelled then reinstated Candide-Scala version in June/July (Stéphane Lissner's view in Italian here), you can tune in Saturday, Jan.20 at GMT19:30 (20:30 Paris time) to Rai Radio Tre where you will be able to listen “In diretta dal Teatro San Carlo di Napoli” to the Napolitan version of Candide.

Musica di Leonard Bernstein
Libretto di Bernstein, Hellman, Latouche e Wilbur tratto da Voltaire

Candide: Brandon Jovanovitch
Cunégonde: Laura Aikin
Voltaire / Pangloss / Martin / Cacambo: Alan Opie
Old Lady: Carole Farley
Maximilian / Il Capitano: William Dazeley
PaquettePaquette: Cinzia Rizzone
Il governatore / Vanderdendur / Ragotski: John Graham-Hall
Inquisitor I / Charles Edward: Gregory Bonfatti
Inquisitor II / Croupier: Armando Gabba
Inquisitor III / Tsar Ivan: Hector Guedes
Sultan Achmet / Crook: Thomas Morris
Hermann Augustus: Andrea Martin
Con la partecipazione di Adriana Asti

Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Teatro San Carlo di Napoli
Direttore, Jeffrey Tate
Maestro del Coro, Marco Ozbic

Regia, Lorenzo MarianiScene, Nicola Rubertelli
Costumi, Giusi Giustino



Oh, did I mention, for those of you who just can’t get enough of Candide, that another version is waiting for you in Prague Jan.21, 28 and mar 24?

Then, you can always go in Rouen between May 10 and 15…



A few YouTube extracts;

“Glitter and Be Gay”, the ultimate hype tube this season, by June Anderson, Boston 1991 (Natalie Dessay’s version) .
“What’s the use” by Christa Ludwig & Nicolai Gedda, directed by Bernstein himself (London Symphony orchestra & chorus) ; also from this version, “Bon Voyage” by Gedda and “I Am Easily Assimilated” by Christa Ludwig.


The controversial scene from Carsen’s version that caused so much trouble in Milan.