The cost of composing an opera

Interesting article in Le Monde today about the creation of a new opera, "Avec Philippe Boesmans, dans les secrets d'un opéra nouveau".

According to Gérard Mortier, the most paid composer these days is Philip Glass (no surprise there), whose salary could compare to the one Laurent Pelly received for his Fille du Régiment, "Le mieux payé aujourd'hui est Philip Glass qui reçoit à peu près ce qui est versé à un metteur en scène connu pour un opéra coproduit par trois maisons. Au prorata du temps passé, un compositeur reste donc beaucoup plus mal payé qu'un chef d'orchestre ou un metteur en scène...".

Another interesting fact is that 70-year period after a composer's death where you are required to pay royalties to his heirs, meaning for instance playing any Richard Strauss' opera (he died in 1949) costs as much as any performance of Glass or any other composer still alive.

Met 2009-10

Complete season here, HD broadcasts there.

Evidently, I'm hugely disappointed Riccardo Muti's Attila (new Pierre Audi production) won't be part of the HD season next year, because it means a trip to NY if I really want to see it (Feb.23 to March 15 with Muti, March 19 to 27 with Armiliato conducting). The cast includes Ramón Vargas, Violetta Urmana, Carlos Alvarez and Ildar Abdrazakov.

La Fille du Régiment will be back with Laurent Pelly's successful production (Vienna 2006, London 2007, NY 2008). Juan Diego Flórez will be paired this time with Diana Damrau (Feb.6 to 22, 2010). Amazingly enough, if I could catch the premiere of Attila, I could also attend the last performance of La Fille.

Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet is also appealing, with Natalie Dessay and Simon Keenlyside (March 16 to April 9), conducted by Louis Langrée. The production comes from Geneva.

Frittoli, Gheorghiu, Alagna, Kwiecien will sing Bizet's Carmen conducted by that intriguing Yannick Nézet-Séguin (premiere on New Year's Eve).

Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffman will be performed from Dec.3 to Jan.2, with Rolando Villazón, Anna Netrebko, Elīna Garanča and René Pape, under the baton of James Levine.

Robert Lepage’s production of Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust will also be back (Oct.23 to Nov.17).

So if some French fellow like myself want to see XIXth century French operas with great casts, the only reasonable option at this point is to move to NYC. Other bloggers commenting the 2009-10 Met season:

• An unamplified voice
• Mostly opera
• SarahB
• Maldito Candelabro (in Spanish)

Also:

• "After Cutting to Make Ends Meet, Met Plans Eight New Productions", Daniel J.Wakin for the NY Times

2e Fille

A few notes after hearing yesterday's broadcast from the Met of La Fille du Régiment (previous review of the premiere here and of JDF's encore there). I basically concur with my previous impressions about both the conduction of Marco Armiliato, the speaking parts and the performances of Palmer and Corbelli. I thought JDF was lacking unison with the music at times (nothing serious, just a small tiny shift of nanoseconds) and almost missed a note at some point, but these critics are just picky because he is really magnificent and unique. Dessay's voice had some issues on this Saturday matinee, and I am indeed worried as well. For the French audience that stayed home last night and listened to the performance via the radio (France Musique), Natalie Dessay was kind enough to do an interview from her dressing room at intermission time, in which she sounded a bit upset and admitted she mixed up the lines in "Salut à la France", repeating the first verse in place of the third one (something I hadn't notice, to be honest).

"Salut à la France", not so much in French though

Overall, this run of La Fille du Régiment is a bit disappointing.

It took me a while to realize why, because Juan Diego Flórez was as wonderful and exquisite as always, Natalie Dessay doing what she's best at: acting in a comic opera* is a joy to watch.
Felicity Palmer and Alessandro Corbelli were irreproachable and, having previously seen the broadcast from last year's run at Covent Garden, I already knew I liked the work of Laurent Pelly on this one (despite the usual ugly set of Chantal Thomas - one has to understand Pelly always works with the same team and Chantal Thomas is the set designer on this overall pretty good team).

The first issue of this run is Marian Seldes, who filled in last minute for Zoe Cadwell. She doesn't obviously have the comic talent of Dawn French and Agathe Mélinand, who adapts the librettos of Pelly's productions (probably the best element of that team), was well aware of the situation, as she added some replicas, in a desperate attempt to compensate for the lack of comic presence of Seldes.
Most noticeably, whereas Dawn French was only justifying the absence of Duke Scipio (to be married with Marie) by "olympic obligations" (in English dans le texte), Marian Seldes also adds "Bobsleigh team" (also in English).
The other problem with Seldes is her French diction, or her lack of rather. For a native French like myself, this was truly unbearable.
Furthermore, the notary (Jack Wetherall) was also disastrous (Covent Garden had the intelligence to cast a French actor, Jean-Pierre Blanchard); these two ruined the first scenes of Act II (despite the efforts of Felicity Palmer).

"Tous les trois réunis", scene 10 of Act II
Covent Garden 2007

Yet those points can seem picky to anyone who does not understand French (i.e. the vast majority of the Met's audience). And they can only partially explain my relative disappointment. Nor could the (also) very poor diction of the chorus or its stiffness (once again, chapeau bas to Covent Garden for the excellence of its chorus - both singing and acting).

The "ironing scene", "Au bruit de la guerre", scene 3 of Act I
Ken Howard for the Metropolitan Opera, April 21, 2008

fin de l'air "Au bruit de la guerre", scene 3 of Act I
Covent Garden 2007

My real discontent is the conduction of Marco Armiliato.
Or more accurately, the instinctive comparison I made with Bruno Campanella, who brought fuzz and lightness to this piece in London. In perspective, although far from mediocre, Armiliato does not play in the same league as Campanella. I won't say his reading of that piece is rigid or heavy, but it's undoubtedly the main reason for my relative upset.

"Salut à la France", scene 7 of Act II
Sara Krulwich for the New York Times, Met April 21, 2008

Relative because, all and all, nobody can come close to the combination Dessay/JDF in that particular piece.

scene 7 of Act II
Covent Garden 2007

Met Photo Gallery of La Fille here.

* It must be said that Dessay didn't get all the credit she deserved on opening night. After the arias of bravery of JDF (including the perfect 18 high Cs), her "Il faut partir" was sensational and brought tears to my eyes.
But then again, JDF was also sensational in his emotional aria, "Pour me rapprocher de Marie" (surprisingly full of sensitivity and honesty).

A well-orchestrated encore

La Fille du Régiment
Met premiere, April 21

Sara Krulwich for the NY Times
See the piece published in the NYT about that encore.

Flórez singing as brilliantly as he does, it was obviously a delight to hear him again in "Pour mon âme/Ah mes amis!" (Act I) on the opening night of La Fille du Régiment.

What was frustrating however, is how set up this encore was; and how naive the audience was, to think they had anything to do with it (one would think New Yorkers are not that naive).
Sure, JDF received a well-deserved ovation after his first run of "Pour mon âme". Yet, as I deeply agree with Maury d'Annato that the public response is to be judged upon its volume rather than its length, the ovation at the Met was not that impressive. I've heard much more fervent responses in Europe - none of which ever rewarded by an encore by the way.
As Maury also sharply noticed, M.Armiliato was indeed pretty quick to turn back the pages of the score when people were anarchically cheering.

Peter Gelb, the Met's GM, is undoubtedly the guilty part in that faked spontaneous highlight. JDF conquered Europe last year in that role, from London to Vienna and of course Milan, where his encore made headlines all over the world (ending the century-long ban set by Arturo Toscanini himself).

It was only right that he should equally perform and bis in New York as well.
For NYC image's shake.

I Should Be So Lucky Lucky Lucky Lucky

[Incredible news do indeed call for inept pop song references]

Natalie Dessay, Act I, La Fille du Régiment, Covent Garden 2007

Remember when I said yesterday the best way to get tickets is to plan way ahead?
Well, that's true, for sure. To a certain extend.

"Never underestimate the power of luck" is my new motto today. And what a beautiful Sunday it has been. Full of passion, emotions and luck.
Especially full of luck.

This afternoon, I was watching, in total despair, the magnificent Covent Garden's La Fille du Régiment I also talked about yesterday. I was contemplating, with greater desolation, the fact that it will only come back in Paris in 4 years (2012). Who knows what can happen, in 4 years, to the voice of Dessay or JDF. I was therefore envying these lucky New Yorkers who will enjoy this production in April / May.

I went to check the dates of the performances, in order to schedule the day of the broadcast. But then again, and I never say that, this production is going to lack so much with the sound only.
And that's when the lightning struck.
Not only were there still few seats available for the premiere on April 21, but I am indeed on vacation on this very week.

So, ladies and gentlemen, with overwhelming emotion, I will see this fantastic production of Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment live, in a few months. How great is that seriously?



Cast

Conductor: Marco Armiliato
Marie: Natalie Dessay
Marquise of Berkenfeld: Felicity Palmer
Tonio: Juan Diego Flórez
Sulpice: Alessandro Corbelli
Duchess of Krakenthorp: Zoe Caldwell

Production: Laurent Pelly
Set Designer: Chantal Thomas
Costume Designer: Laurent Pelly
Lighting Designer: Joël Adam
Choreographer: Laura Scozzi
Associate Director/Dialogue: Agathe Mélinand (whose name is wrongly spelled on the MET's website - no luck for her there).

YouTube extracts of this production
[London / Vienna performances]

• "Chacun le dit, chacun le sait", Natalie Dessay, Act 1
  
• "Ah mes amis!", JDF, Act 1
• Begining of act 2, Dawn French
• "Le jour naissait dans le bocage", Dessay, Act 2
  
• "Pour me rapprocher de Marie", JDF, Act 2
  
• "Salut à la France", Dessay, Act 2
• Channel 4 report on the production
  

Oh and by the way, I love the weak dollar against the euro too. €450 for plane tickets from Lyon to New York, that's what I call a bargain!

Juan Diego Flórez is the man

Donizetti's La fille du regiment is currently playing at La Scala, without Natalie Dessay in Marie, but with Juan Diego Flórez as Tonio.




2 nights ago was the opening night.
And the unbelievable happened at La Scala.
Juan Diego Flórez sang an encore of the aria "Ah! mes amis".


You think this is not a big deal?
An encore at La Scala is a revolution.

The first one in... 74 years.
Yes, 74.
A rule set by Arturo Toscanini himself, in order to respect the continuity and integrity of the score, the music and drama.

As mentionned in Playbill Arts, Riccardo Muti did allow the chorus "Va, pensiero" from Nabucco to repeat once in 1986 and once in 1996, and in 1984 the chorus also repeated an aria from I Lombardi alla prima Crociata, but no soloist had sung an encore at La Scala since the legendary bass Fyodor Chaliapin did it once in 1933 in Il Barbiere di Siviglia (while Toscanini was out of town).


The article of Il Corriere della Serra, Scala, il bis di Flórez rompe un tabù; "Alla fine ha vinto lui. Il «bis» di Juan Diego Flórez della celebre cavatina «Ah! mes amis», n. 6 della partitura della Fille du régiment di Donizetti è rimbalzato fragoroso tra le pareti rinfrescate ma pur sempre storiche della Scala. (...) Giusto? Sbagliato? Un sacrosanto diritto del pubblico? Una profanazione? Nulla di più normale nei teatri d' opera che un' aria particolarmente bella e ben cantata venga ripetuta a furor di loggione. Non alla Scala."



So yes, the encore of Juan Diego Flórez is indeed a big deal.
Not everybody gets booed at La Scala...
Some tenors should learn from that...

The mp3 of the aria and its encore can be found here and there. (poor sound)



Worth mentionning;

Sopranos Désirée Rancatore and Nino Machaidze take on the role of Marie deserted by Dessay; in its newsletter, La Scala describes Nino Machaidze as "one of the most beautiful flowers of La Scala Academy of Performing Arts, and [she] displays the marks of Leyla Gencer and Luciana Serra's excellent teaching, completed by Mirella Freni." (good marketing campaign, don't you think?)


The set and designs, originally the same as in London (Laurent Pelly's) were switched to the old Franco Zeffirelli production (the reason why Dessay retracted from the show), which La Scala sells as "In 1959 Franco Zeffirelli designed its sets and costumes for the Teatro Massimo of Palermo, in a figurative key that announced a bit Tullio Pericoli's traits, and still today declares to be proud of it.
Filippo Crivelli, who has worked with passion to keep the production young, took care of the staging at its creation and has always had opportunities to refresh its look in the following productions, the latest being at La Scala in 1996."
(so much for bringing the opera to younger audiences).





Rest of the cast:

La Marquise de Berckenfield, Francesca Franci
La Duchesse de Crakentorp, Anna Proclemer
Tonio, Juan Diego Flórez (Shalva Mukeria)
Sulpice, Alessandro Corbelli (Vincenzo Taormina)
Hortensius, Francis Dudziak
Caporal, Guido Loconsolo
Paysant, Sergio Spina

La fille du régiment, Dessay

Alors que Natalie Dessay s'apprête à commencer les réprésentations londoniennes de cette production de La fille du régiment de Gaetano Donizetti mise en scène par son grand ami Laurent Pelly, elle a annulé toutes celles prévues en février/mars à la Scala (qui vient enfin de mettre à jour son site web), la maison milanaise ayant décidé de ressortir la production de Franco Zeffirelli plutôt que celle de Pelly. Juan Diego Florez, plus professionnel, est toujours d'actualité à la Scala. C'est Odile et Janine qui vont être déçues!

Informations complémentaires: Petit synopsis de l'opéra par Kozlika (avec extraits musicaux à la clé).

Extraits YouTube: Duo de l'acte I chanté par Juan Diego Florez et Patricia Ciofi à Genève en 2005; toujours à Genève, l'air "Ah mes amis" chanté par Florez; "Salut à la France" chanté par Annick Massis à Genève en 1998 (son pas terrible); même air par June Anderson à Paris en 1986; reportage sur Florez se préparant pour les représentations de La fille du régiment à Lecce (Italie) en 2003; les coulisses de la tournée de l'opéra de Bologne au Japon en 2006 avec La fille du régiment.

Rajout du 13 janvier: Visiblement, la prestation de Juan Diego Florez vaut le déplacement (Juan Diego Florez donnera un récital le 5 février prochain au Théâtre des Champs Elysées avec la mezzo-soprano Daniela Barcellona). Natalie Dessay on the cast of La Fille du régiment at Covent Garden in the Sunday Times, January 7, 2007 (found here): "It's my first Marie, and here at Covent Garden we have a fantastic cast: Juan Diego Flórez as Tonio, Alessandro Corbelli as Sulpice, Felicity Palmer as the Marquise, Dawn French as the Duchesse!" Laurent Pelly's staging is a three-way London-Vienna-New York co-production. "We will do it in April in Vienna, then next season at the Met in New York," says Dessay. "Always with Flórez. Tonio is an impossible role to cast, and only he can do it at the moment. He's the best. We are a good couple on stage. For this type of repertoire, I always ask if he is free before I sign any contracts."