Varasemate toodangu ülevaated
12In a sparsely filled room at the Opéra de Strasbourg, Peter Konwitschny's staging of Halévy's La Juive offers a convincing vision of this Grand Opera, well served by a high-quality vocal set. The bass Jérôme Varnier ( already appreciated in the Grand Opéra Les Huguenots in Nice ) lends his deep voice to Cardinal Brogni, whom he makes endearing despite his past crimes and his severe condemnation of Leopold in Act III, so much does he show tenderness for Rachel whose true identity he does not know, and of compassion for Eléazar to whom he offers his friendship at the beginning of the book. The bodily clumsiness of the spindly singer has something to do with the humanity that emanates from this head-bending character. His brilliant voice in the bass and harsh in the midrange has a pleasant timbre. During the a capella passage of Act III, he finds the required notes with accuracy and emotion. Finally,Nicolas Cavallier portrays both Sergeant Albert and Provost Marshal Ruggiero with a wide and powerful voice, perfectly projected with perfect French articulation.
From February 3 to 12, the OnR is giving Halévy's La Juive in Strasbourg before it is given at La Filature in Mulhouse on February 24 and 25. This rare work on the lyrical stages is nevertheless a worthy representative of the great French opera. Chance of the calendars, this production comes less than a year after that of the Opéra de Lyon directed by Olivier Py which absolutely delighted us . It is therefore with joy that we found Rachel Harnisch in the role of Rachel, but what about the rest of the Strasbourg production? If Rachel Harnisch had left a vivid memory of her Lyon performance, she seems even better here, with perfect pronunciation, an incarnation of the role of an intense truth and a song that manages to find a beautiful balance between power and expressiveness. Ana-Camelia Stefanescu , who embodies Princess Eudoxie, lacks a little bit of projection but her investment is not in doubt, her pronunciation is good, the highs are present and it is not easy to appreciate the richness of this voice finally deprived of the great air of the character “My sweet lord and master” (we will come back to this later). Robert McPherson 's Leopold is very convincing, but we would appreciate more restraint in the often excessive projection. Nicolas Cavallier, for his part, is a fairly solid Ruggiero who also takes on the role of Albert. Finally, Jérôme Varnier offers a Cardinal Brogni of rare quality whose deep bass voice descends to the abyss of the score without ever bending or seeming tense, thus offering the full range of emotions that can be drawn from this character.
After Jenůfa in 2010 and L'Affaire Makropoulos in 2011, Marc Clémeur continued his Janáček cycle directed by Robert Carsen with Kát'a Kabanová , a production by the Opéra des Flandres revived in Milan or Barcelona (where she performed subject of a recording for the DVD) but offered here for the first time to the French public. But this setting would only be vain aestheticism if it were not inhabited by characters of flesh and blood, torn between their impulses and the weight of morality and social rules. The Opéra du Rhin has lined up a remarkable cast of homogeneity and intelligence. Andrea Danková 's Kát'a is impressive in strength and endurance; inhabited, possessed from the start by the revolt that will prevail, less "evolving" or fragile than usual, it dispenses there trebles sharp as daggers or floating like its dreams of freedom. Facing her, Julia Juon 's Kabanicha belches her imprecations and distills her venom with subtlety, less an ogress than a victim of her psychorigidity. Miroslav Dvorsky as an inconsistent lover andGuy de Mey as a deceived husband come together ideally in the cowardice and blandness of their characters, the first more virile, the second more sensitive and sincerely loving. Oleg Bryjak portrays a formidable Tikhon, all black and brutal. Finally, the radiant and sunny Koudriach by Enrico Casari and the mischievous and smiling Varvara by Anna Radziejewska bring the perfect balance of happiness to the setbacks of the main couple.
“Bernheim donne envie de pleurer dès qu’il ouvre la bouche, tant sa voix est belle et son phrasé parfait. Humble et recueilli, son Ingemisco est un des plus beaux qu’on ait pu entendre, et son Hostias pianissimo fait s’ouvrir les cieux. De la magie, on vous dit…”
That performances of Les Troyens, with its enormous cast, are an ‘event’ goes without saying but with a cast as starry as tonight’s, expectations were stratospheric. The Strasbourgeois assembled 350 performers tonight – a super-sized orchestra, including six harps, numerous off-stage bands, sixteen soloists and three choruses, including one placed off-stage and, at times, in the auditorium. It was an especially nice touch to invite the chorus of the Karlsruhe opera, where Berlioz’ magnum opus was first performed complete, to participate. Tonight’s performance, and a second on Monday, were recorded for Erato for release in due course.
«Michael Spyres reprend avec une confondante versatilité quelques-unes des pages les plus inspirées, épaulé par un Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg bluffant lui aussi d’adaptabilité » Le Figaro Largement saluée par la presse nationale et internationale, la parution de l'enregistrement a suscité de nombreux éloges, soulignant notamment la finesse la direction de Marko Letonja et la musicalité de l'Orchestre : « Avec une dextérité sans faille, l’ensemble instrumental propose des nuances tout aussi changeantes que peut l’être la voix de Michael Spyres, et devient un formidable compagnon de jeu pour le baryténor » Opera online. « L'accompagnement de Marko Letonja est à la hauteur de son soliste, [et] va au-delà de la prouesse vocale » Diapason
Concernant le voyage initiatique de la fratrie, Rousseau a organisé une succession de cauchemars avec des scénographies variées et mobiles en faisant ressortir le sous-texte sexuel. L'un des atouts de cette production est de parvenir à créer sur scène, notamment par un détournement des codes enfantins, une inquiétante étrangeté très réussie.
Sauvée par le streaming et diffusée ce mercredi, la nouvelle production par l’Opéra du Rhin de l’œuvre d’Engelbert Humperdinck se pare d’une dimension sociale inédite. Un régal.
