Opéra des rues 2009

Festival Opéra des Rues
Paris 12e et 13e arrondissements
4-6 septembre 2009

Before the show

Arena di Verona July 15, 2009

Il Padrino

Riccardo Muti
Salzburg Festival August 6, 2009
AP Photo

Pagliacci, Orange

I Pagliacci
Ruggiero Leoncavallo
Dramma in due atti (1892)
Libretto Ruggiero Leoncavallo

Nedda - Inva Mula
Canio - Roberto Alagna
Tonio - Seng-Hyou Ko
Silvio - Stéphane Degout
Beppe - Florian Laconi
Orchestre National de France
Choeurs des opéras de région
Georges Prêtre, direction
Mise en scène, Jean-Claude Auvray

France 3 live broadcast of the Aug.4 performance
Chorégies d'Orange

 

If I had the opportunity to choose an opera to stage, I would choose Pagliacci.
First of all, for very personal reasons, I love "le Théâtre dans le Théâtre" or, in this case, "le cirque dans l'opéra". It automatically carries, for me, a deep sense of Absurd that is longing to be explored. Yet I haven't seen any production of Pagliacci that focuses on this aspect. This one included.

Can you imagine what a director familiar with Harold Pinter's work would do with such a piece? Clearly Jean-Claude Auvray never heard of Pinter.

His one big idea, changing the end of the opera by having Canio kill himself is the ultimate misreading of the libretto. This is not an opera about death, although Nedda and Silvio actually die, this is about life. Canio's life. And his rebirth, after killing his unfaithful wife and her lover.

There is so much to explore in this piece without altering its meaning, and yet Auvray chose the easy path - making it more dramatic (or totally idiotic) by having Canio commit suicide. Les mots me manquent. How did he dare? It is so hard to really read the libretto, written by Leoncavallo himself, and try to play with lines such as Canio's "Il teatro e la vita, Non son la stessa cosa." ?


The conduction of Georges Prêtre was fortunately on a whole different level. There was a very cinematographic feel to it and it blended the music perfectly with Orange's Théâtre Antique.
At one point during the love scene between Nedda and Silvio, with the wind blowing in Inva Mula's hair, I felt like I was watching a movie from the sixties (which only shows how different a live performance and a broadcast really are, regardless of the size of the TV screen).

In any case, Prêtre's conduction was fresh and truly vibrant. The contrast between his music and the physical appearance of this now very old man is really mind-blowing.

As for the cast, Inva Mula gave a forgettable performance - not bad, but not particularly exciting as well. Roberto Alagna was not very convincing either, but substituting singing with shouting hardly ever is. And his "Recitar... vesti la giubba", the highlight of the score for me, fell terribly short I'm afraid.

Song Hyon Ko was the best of the cast. His singing was full of colours and nuances, the voice was well-placed, and the acting was convincing enough. A really interesting portrayal of Tonio by Ko.

" Genial grace "

The search for the next generation of great conductors is an endless quest that is often very frustrating and can lead to long desperate moments. And then, once in a while, the Graal is here, almost palpable.

And I'm not talking about Gustavo Dudamel. Hell no.

My top of the list is Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Even NY Times' killjoy Anthony Tommasini was impressed with his NY debuts. Isn't that a miracle in itself?
" Conductor Embraces His New York Moment " NY Times, Anthony Tommasini, August 5, 2009

Saldi

Bologna July 19, 2009

Vent de contestation sur Bologne

Apparently, opera directors around the world can't run anything without some kind of conflicts. Conflicts that can only escalate to dramatic levels in countries such as France and Italy. How long has the revolution been under way in Bologna?
Forever, it seems.

Respect pour le public! Le gouvernement coupe le budget des théâtres de 200 millions d'euros: un char d'assaut en moins. Respect for the public! Governement is cutting the budget for theaters off 200 million euros: the cost of a tank.

"Vous n'avez pas été faits pour vivre comme des brutes." Dante, Inferno L'Art aussi est un bien !!! "You were not made to live like brutes." Art is a good too!!!

NB. Marco Tutino covrintendente e direttore artistico del Teatro Comunale di Bologna Tutino mène le théâtre à la faillite! Sauvons le théâtre! Tutino is running the theater to bankrupcy. Let's save the theater! 

 

Un vrai pays de barbares n'est pas un pays qui n'a jamais connu l'Art mais un pays qui ne sait ni apprécier, ni conserver ses innombrables chefs d'oeuvre. A real barbarian state is not a state where Art never existed but one that doesn't know how to love and preserve its countless masterpieces. 

Teatro comunale, Bologna July 19, 2009

Outside the Arena

Arena di Verona July 15, 2009

Il Paese di Verdi

Busseto, provincia di Parma July 13, 2009

Roncole

Roncole Verdi, provincia di Parma
Casa natale di Giuseppe Verdi
July 13, 2009

Fin de cycle

La Traviata
G.Verdi
Opéra de Lyon

Photo Opéra de Lyon

July 7 review (last performance of the run).
For further details about the cast and the production, see here.

Amazing how 15 days of performances can make a difference on an orchestra.
Although I am still very much doubtful about the level of the flute and French horns, I must say the orchestra as a whole sounded decent this time around.
Even the conduction of Gérard Korsten was more inspired and focused - but I still think he has a consensual and panache-less reading of the score.
The chorus was also better last night, which cannot be said of the cast as a whole.

The three main roles, Alfredo, Giorgio and Violetta sounded tired and both Alfredo and Violetta had lost some clarity in the voice (the problem was obvious for Edgaras Montvidas as Alfredo).

Ermonela Jaho as Violetta also looked pretty tired, which obviously brought her closer to her never-dying character (by the way, in this production, she doesn't actually die on stage, but ends up as a static zombie while the curtain is closing - talk about originality).

Once again, I couldn't really relate to the emotions she showcased, as I found myself deaf to her vocal expressivity. Her stage presence improved on the other hand, especially at the end (from "Addio del passato" to the end).

This performance was the official end of the 2008-09 season in Lyon. It's very doubtful I will attend any performance here next season. I'm done with Serge Dorny's choices.

Cordes raides

Musée de la Musique, Paris
June 16, 2009