Philippe Jaroussky / Critiques

On stage, Philippe Jaroussky and Davóne Tinesdecline their antagonistic presences on all levels: the dress and the white voice of one mingle with the dark bass of the other, all dressed in black, over two rather carnal confrontations, with very little Manichean contours. The union of heaven and earth does not happen without generating a certain stir and above all a nice range of interferences: the voice of the bass-baritone knows how to become aerial and purify itself of any frying, while the sparkling highs of the countertenor emerges a more dissonant metal, a touch more disturbing than elsewhere. These incursions, rather than multiplied by the electronic device, explore some unexpected areas without distorting the voices - they will just leave a doubt on the intrinsic beauty of their timbres to anyone who doubts their dazzling purity, however acclaimed elsewhere. The conclusion of these two dream-shaped pieces, which came about without delay, can only surprise the spectator in full immersion. Who will console himself by telling himself that he has just witnessed two small miracles: that, first of all, of having attended two hours of post-spectral music, staged without any affectation, and of not having never saw the time pass; and that of seeing this music so far from the usual canons, and its composer, so rare representative of this genre and his, so warmly applauded at the Palais Garnier . The times are changing.

Not for one moment does the opera tire or bore the audience thanks to the dancers’ choreographies and video art projection onto the screen that render the idea of a magical world. However, it was the quality of the singers and orchestra that ensured the success of the performance. First of all, Cecilia Bartoli, in the title roles, gave an intense unforgettable interpretation, her Alcina was touching, needy, her fear of getting old and losing her power and charm was delivered with the hues of her voice as well as the acting. Philippe Jaroussky was a credible undecisive Ruggiero from the beginning when he was under the spell to the end when he finally finds the courage to break the spell. Sandrine Piau was an amazing Morgana, her coloratura was pure and her acting was very apt to the comic role of this character, Kristina Hammarström gave us a really great interpretation of Bradamante in her resolution to free Ruggiero. The rest of the cast was equally fine, including the young Sheen Park of the Vienna Boys Choir in the difficult role of Oberto. The conductor Gianluca Capuano and the orchestra Les Musiciens du Prince-Monaco are specialist of the baroque repertoire and performed the difficult score with minute attention to details. The show was an amazing experience throughout and, except for a few members of the audience who were clearly nostalgic for old baroque productions, it was greatly appreciated.