Margo Briessinck's Letter from Brussels

December 2003 

Le roi Arthus at at La Monnaie: Dagmar Schellenberger as Genièvre and Douglas Nasrawi as Lancelot Photo: Johan Jacobs

Chausson's posthumous opera Le roi Arthus was first performed at La Monnaie on 30 November 1903. The 100th anniversary was celebrated by a new production by Matthew Jocelyn, with a double cast for the three principal roles. It was an abstract and mostly dark staging, with the singers picked out by spot lights, except for some scenes which were lit by big windows, inspired by Medieval stained glass windows.

The opera started strangely with the chorus lined up behind three music stands - one each for Arthus, Mordred and Lancelot - as in a concert performance. But halfway through the first scene, the chorus opened up to make way for Genièvre, after which the action really started with the Wagnerian love duet of Genièvre and Lancelot (Tristan und Isolde is never far away).

Le roi Arthus: Andrew Schroeder as Arthus, Yves Saelens as Lyonnel, and Klaus Florian Vogt as Lancelot Photo: Johan Jacobs

The second act consists of two big scenes. The first one has another duet for the two lovers, but the high point of the performance is the scene devoted to Arthus. Seated in the dark on a throne, he's torn apart by doubts about his wife's fidelity (comparable to Filippo's 'Ella giammai m'amo' in Don Carlo). When Merlin appears - very cleverly done in this production with a video projection of a close-up of the singer (Olivier Lallouette) who was seated in the pit - his world collapses.

It's a pity that neither Arthus was really up to his task. Louis Otey came closest, despite an occasional wide vibrato. Andrew Schroeder's voice was one size too small. I was expecting a more heroic sound, especially in the first scene when they celebrate the defeat of the Saxons. On the other hand, Klaus Florian Vogt was a most convincing Lancelot. This German tenor has a gorgeous voice with a baritonal tinge, homogeneous over his entire range and with exemplary French diction. In comparison, the Lancelot of the first cast (Douglas Nasrawi) was so ugly that you wondered why Genièvre would fall for him in the first place. Dagmar Schellenberger was a beautiful and convincing Genièvre, although her French was less idiomatic than Hélène Bernardy. But the latter had trouble making her lower notes heard over the orchestra.

The final scene of Le roi Arthus at La Monnaie Photo: Johan Jacobs

For the end of the year, La Monnaie programmed Don Giovanni in a new production by David McVicar. (This was a co-production with San Francisco Opera, which will also be performed at the opera houses of Luxembourg and Lille.) David McVicar concentrates on the darker side of the opera, almost completely neglecting the 'giocoso' elements. From the front, the stage looks like a mass grave with skeletons and skulls. It is in this mass grave that Don Giovanni's body is dumped after the Angel of Death has taken his soul - instead of disappearing under the stage with a lot of fire and smoke -maybe a reference to Mozart's own anonymous grave? In general, McVicar follows the libretto very well, but with some additional action such as the violent killing of the Commendatore and the appearance of the funeral procession during 'Or sai chi l'onore' and Don Giovanni performing a blasphemous consecration moments before he is killed.

Don Giovanni at La Monnaie: Tatiana Lisnic as Zerlina, Simon Keenlyside as Don Giovanni and Taras Konoshchenko as Masetto Photo: Johan Jacobs

This production was completely double cast. And, as it often goes, the 'perfect' cast would have been a mixture of both casts. It would be difficult to choose between Simon Keenlyside or Umberto Chiummo. Both singers portrayed a splendid Don Giovanni, be it very differently. Chiummo's voice is darker and more robust than Keenlyside's. This resulted in a different interpretation. Keenlyside was the seducer throughout, while Chiummo was more of a hunter. This was most notable in the scene with Zerlina which culminates in 'La ci darem la mano'. Keenlyside's Don enjoyed the courting and lightened his voice to make it sweeter. Chiummo's Don was trying to get this part over with as fast as possibly, so that he could put another mark in the 'catalogo' of his conquests. When he was addressing Zerlina, he was as seductive as Keenlyside, but when Zerlina wasn't looking at him, he made it clear with facial expressions that he wasn't particularly interested in her seduction.

The Donna Elviras of Malena Ernman and Nataliya Kovalova were equally different. But in this case, I found Ernman's portrayal completely wrong. Most of all, because she was totally miscast in the role. With her mezzo voice, she couldn't do justice to the demands of the role and this affected her interpretation. For example 'Mi tradi' became the cry of a woman on the edge of a nervous breakdown. She did reach the higher notes, but couldn't do anything with them. In comparison, Kovalova had at least the right sound and had much more fire in her acting as well.

Simon Keenlyside as Don Giovanni Photo: Johan Jacobs

Lorenzo Regazzo was vocally a good Leporello, but he overdid the buffo part. He was more of a clown than a servant. Petri Lindroos was less convincing vocally, but more restrained in his acting. I didn't hear the Don Ottavio of the second cast (he was ill the night, I was supposed to hear him). But I doubt that anybody could have been better than Charles Workman. He sang a fabulous Don Ottavio with a big voice and showed an incredible breath control during 'Il mio tesoro' and an amazing mezza di voce in 'Dalla sua pace'.

Both Donna Annas also sang well. Carmelia Remigio was still a bit one dimensional. Elzbieta Szmytka brought more experience to the role, which was especially clear during 'Or sai chi l'onore'. With Remigio it was all rage and anger. When Szmytka sang it, she also brought sadness into the picture. This extra emotion made the whole piece so much more interesting. The result was breathtaking and kept me on the edge of my chair from the beginning to the end.

Don Giovanni: Charles Workman as Don Ottavio, Carmelia Remigio as Donna Anna, Malena Ernman as Donna Elvira, Tatiana Lisnic as Zerlina, Lorenzo Regazzo as Leporello, Taras Konoshchenko as Masetto Photo: Johan Jacobs

Another McVicar production was presented at the Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp in November. The company revived his Les contes d'Hoffmann of four years ago. This previously successful production hadn't lost anything of its charm. It starts in Hoffmann's small student room, but very soon everything in this room is enlarged to about three times normal size. We see the enlarged table in Luther's tavern, the stove in the Antonia act, the bed in the Giulietta act etc.

Gerard Powers was the only singer from the original cast to return for the revival. He sang a splendid, idiomatic Hoffmann with unforced high notes and a nicely characterized Kleinzach aria. Heather Buck was a decent Olympia, although not really spectacular. Fionnuala McCarthy was a rather cool Antonia. Barbara Haveman has the right creamy voice for Giulietta, but was less intelligible. Philippe Rouillon was close to perfect as the four devils. And Stephanie Houtzeel was a wonderful and moving Nicklausse with a lot of character.

Les contes d'Hoffmann at the Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp: the prologue Photo: Kurt Van der Elst

During the same period, the Opéra Royal de Wallonie revived its own production of Les contes d'Hoffmann in Liège. The production by Claire Servais is not bad, but it doesn't reach the level of detail and imagination of McVicar's production.

Nicolas Cavallier was again marvelous as the four devils. But his interpretation was closer to the polished nobility of a Mephistophélès, than Rouillon's raw approach. Either approach is valid. Jean-Pierre Furlan was a rather poor Hoffmann and barely survived to the end of the performance. Delphine Haidan lacked presence for Nicklausse. Also the three women didn't reach the level of those at the Vlaamse Opera.

Les contes d'Hoffmann at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège: Alexise Yerna as Giulietta, Jean-Pierre Furlan as Hoffmann and Nicolas Cavallier as Dappertutto Photo: Opéra Royal de Wallonie

The Vlaamse Opera ended the year with Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel. The production of Andreas Homoki is very colourful, although in the first act everything is gray, depicting the poverty of the family. It has Homoki's favourite stage prop: carboard boxes. In this case, they come tumbling out of the witch's house.

The performance was entertaining, despite a few unfortunate touches, like the overacting of both the witch and the father, and the replacing of the angels by clowns. Nidia Palacios and Natalie Karl sang Hänsel and Gretel respectively. Both had some trouble being heard over the thick orchestration, but dramatically they were very convincing, especially Natalie Karl who was a very credible Gretel. Werner Van Mechelen was a good Peter, despite the overacting. It was interesting to hear him sing the Witch Legend as a ballad, instead of a dramatic aria. Irmgard Vilsmaier brought Wagnerian proportions to the role of Getrud. And Doris Lamprecht was a hysterical Witch.

Hänsel und Gretel at the Vlaamse Opera: Irmgard Vilsmaier as Gertrud, Werner Van Mechelen as Peter, and Natalie Karl as Gretel Photo: Annemie Augustijns

© Margo Briessinck, 3 January 2004