Opera Japonica/Archives/Letters from Paris 2001

Frank Cadenhead's Letters from Paris 2001

January

Gerald Finley as Don Giovanni at the Bastille

Photo: Opéra de Paris

With the strikes at the Opéra de Paris finally resolved in late December, all the stages of the lyric theaters in Paris were in full operation and the variety and depth of the offerings were impressive. The first week of January saw Die Zauberflöte finishing its run at the Palais Garnier with all the color and stage effects on display. This production, by 78 year old stage legend Benno Besson, was filled with handsome stage images and imaginative direction. It was a delight for the eyes, and, on the evenings when Natalie Dessay was singing the Queen of the Night, a treat for the ears too.

At the Bastille, the Opéra de Paris featured two productions, one notable for staging, the other for its voices. Die Fledermaus was given a spectacular new production designed by famed actress and film director, Coline Serreau (Three Men and a Cradle, Romauld and Juliette). With an attractive young group of singers who can act, and trapeze acts and break dancing, grand sets and elaborate costumes, it was an impressive night of theater; but the director gave the libretto a different, and darker, interpretative thrust.

Most treat this work as a meaningless song to the pleasures of champagne. Serreau's research found that the Strauss clan was converted from the Jewish religion earlier and that Johann Strauss gave his support and prestige to groups that fought the anti-Semitism that was always a feature of the Viennese landscape. Viewed in this perspective, the story can be seen, as the critic from Le Monde wrote, as a story of 'vengeance, mystification, and humiliation'. Remember the story: Dr. Falke was abandoned by Eisenstein in a park after a party and awoke on a bench at dawn, disoriented and wearing a bat costume. It was Falke, of course, who arranged the party at which Eisenstein makes passes at both his wife and his parlor maid, both in disguise.

The most discussed 'coup de théâtre' was the dancing of the party guests in Act II. After chasing the break-dancers and acrobats from the stage, they were dancing to the choral piece 'Brüderlein' and formed a large X with ribbons held aloft. Towards the end of the piece, the ends tweaked into a giant swastika. The cast featured William Joyner as Eisenstein and Mariana Domaschenko, who gave a pallid performance as Prince Orlofsky, with Adina Nitescu as Rosalinde and a perky Marlis Petersen as Adele. It was not a good evening for the voice, but with all the activity on stage, it was not greatly noticed by the audience.

William Joyner as Eisenstein and Adina Nitescu as Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus at the Bastille (Opéra de Paris)

Photo: Opéra de Paris

Opening night of Bastille's Don Giovanni was in sharp contrast to Die Fledermaus. The revival of the 1999 production, designed by Dominique Pitoiset, was not meant to be glamorous and the single, stark set looked more like a construction site, brightened only by the occasional candle. The singing here was of a different order, with some excellent young singers and two well-known veterans of the opera stage.

Gerald Finley, a virile and mellifluously voiced Don, gave a performance of nuance, alternating between seductive charm and swarmy sensuality. A fine singing actor, it would be hard to imagine a more thrilling portrayal of this engaging dissoluto. Gordon Gietz made a good impression as Don Ottavio, with his big, warm and secure vocal technique. The young bass, Philip Ens, as the commendatore, has a powerful instrument - enough to terrorize the most jaded libertine. The Donna Anna, Luba Orgonasova, who I first heard last year in Britten's War Requiem, made her Paris Opera debut and sang with a wealth of beauty and control. Veteran Carol Vaness delivered an impassioned and strong performance as Donna Elvira.

The list of credits for José Van Dam, here singing Leporello, takes up four columns in the program and has been heavily abridged. When you hear this legendary singing actor do the famous Catalog Aria, you know that you are witnessing something that will never be equaled and will be a happy memory for life. Now 61 and performing only infrequently, his voice is still in excellent shape and he remains one of the great operatic baritones. Van Dam and Finley worked together with such care and obvious pleasure, that the complex relationship between these two was never so well expressed. Ivor Bolton, an early music specialist, was at the helm of the orchestra, and kept things clear and full of well-regulated passion. In short, it was an evening of wonderful music making.

At the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées early operas were on prominent display. From the 12 to the 20 of January, there were two performances each of a trio of Monteverdi operas, L'Orfeo, Il ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria and L'Incoronazione di Poppea. With the early music specialist Jean-Claude Malgoire and his band in the pit, it was a production designed by the baritone Nicholas Rivenq, who also sang the title roles of Orfeo and Ulisse! At age 18, Rivenq was one of many young French singers whose life was changed by an encounter with William Christie and his group, Les Arts Florissants. Now in their 21st year of promoting early music in France and discovering important new treasures, the widely traveled group has shared their love of early music with the world.

In the same theater, on 23 January, Christie was back with two old favorites; Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Actéon and the Dido and Aeneas of Purcell, both of which he has recorded, the Dido twice. Since this was a benefit concert, with the proceeds going to an AIDS charity, the famed fashion designer, Christian Lacroix, outfitted the entire troupe of singers and everyone, especially the quartet of women, looked absolutely fabulous. Special mention goes to Stephanie d'Oustrac who sang both the roles of Junon and Dido with touching tenderness. In the Dido, the Belinda, Sophie Daneman, showed a fine vocal touch and the Aeneas was well sung by that over-achieving baritone, Nicholas Rivenq. Another fine participant was the counter-tenor, Michael Puissant, another one of the current crop of counter-tenors who have clear, strong voices and can act.

His campy portrayal added much humor to the Purcell opus. This was a semi-staged performance and the high instruments were at stage left and the low instruments, the basso-continuo and Mr. Christie at the harpsichord, were at stage right. This left space center-stage and Vincent Boussard, the 'mise en espace,' provided restrained stage action that accented the music effectively.

Important performances of Haydn operas are scarce. At the Théâtre du Châtelet, on 25 and 27 January, the superstar mezzo Cecilia Bartoli sang the dual roles of Euridice and the Sibyl in Orfeo ed Euridice ossia L'Anima del filosofo (the spirit of philosophy), to great acclaim. She sang the famous third act aria 'Al tuo seno fortunato' with such vocal fireworks, it was some of the best and most dramatic singing in my memory. Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music played this fine music with uncommon commitment and verve. This was performed here in Paris, in Amsterdam and in Birmingham in concert version. It apparently will be staged by the Royal Opera in the Fall. Opinion is divided as to whether it works as opera, but such fine music and great choral moments should not be hidden from view. Bartoli and Hogwood have recorded this work recently on Decca.

The gala reopening of the newly refurbished Salle Gaveau was another operatic mega-event. After being closed for seven months and undergoing a refurbishment costing 23 million Francs, it was opened with great ceremony, on January 8, with French superstar tenor Roberto Alagna singing opera arias with the Concerts Lamoureux orchestra, conducted by Anton Guadagno. This small hall, seating just over 1000, was built in 1907 and over the years has had sound absorbing carpet and other things added that affected the acoustics, reputed to be the best in Paris. All these were cleared away, new air conditioning added, and the opening night audience could clearly smell the fresh paint. Critical opinion is that the renewal was a success, both acoustically and esthetically. Alagna sang a mix of arias, some rarities like 'Rachael quand du Seigneur' from La Juive and an aria from Leoncavallo's La Bohème along with more common ones like the Flower Song from Carmen. It was this aria that caused the critic from Le Figaro to lament that such fine French pronunciation has not be heard since Georges Thill.

Last but certainly not least, on the last day of January, at Châtelet again, the soprano Barbara Bonney gave a wide-ranging display of her vocal artistry. The first half included Schumann's 'Dichterliebe' which is rarely heard sung by a female voice. She found much that was fresh in this masterpiece. Nordic music was featured after the intermission, with songs of Sibelius, Stenhammar, Greig, Alfvén and Sjöberg.

A costume for the forthcoming La scala di seta at the Opéra-Comique by Massimo Poli

February promises an equally adventurous exploration of rare opera performance. At the Opéra-Comique there are a series of short operas written by Rossini between the ages of 19 and 21 for the small opera theater of San Moisé in Venice, ending with La scala di seta on 10 February. At the Opéra de Paris, there is a revival of last year's production of Pique Dame and a new production of Parsifal with Domingo and Hampson. At Châtelet, there is a co-production with the Vienna and Dresden State Operas of the Strauss comic opera, Die schweigsame Frau, conducted by Christoph von Dohnanyi and featuring Natalie Dessay and Dietrich Henschel.

February

Pique Dame, with Karita Mattila as Lisa and with Sergei Larin as Hermann, at the Bastille

Photo: Opéra de Paris

France was fortunate to have an incredible abundance of great opera singing in February. Two of the great legends of opera appeared in title roles here: Plácido Domingo in Parsifal at the Opéra de Paris and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa as Samuel Barber's Vanessa at the Opéra de Monte Carlo. These two, reaching the end of stellar careers and still in excellent voice, are these days not often found on the world's opera stages and any opportunity to hear them is a rare privilege.

Kiri Te Kanawa's vivid acting and strong musical presence made this revival of the 1958 Barber opera a significant artistic event. The opera itself, with a dark libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti from a story by Isak Dinesen, contains a great deal of fine, neo-Romantic music and has been Barber's most enduring work for the stage. As Vanessa's niece, Erika, the mezzo Lucy Schaufer was effective and David Maxwell Anderson was in fine voice as the handsome tenor whose arrival upsets the calm of the house. The old Baroness, played by Rosalind Elias, was the historical link to the original premiere; she sang the role of Erika in the original production (in a cast that featured Regina Resnik and Nicolai Gedda). Paul Brown's luxuriously conventional sets and Lawrence Foster's fine conducting of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo only added to the wealth of beauty in this production.

Plácido Domingo in the title role of Parsifal at the Bastille

Photo: Opéra de Paris

Certainly the most significant opera event in Paris this month was the very fine Parsifal at the Bastille. Starring the grand tenor, Plácido Domingo in the title role, with Thomas Hampson in his first ever Amfortas, and with a strong supporting cast, it was the high point of the Opéra de Paris season so far. This was a revival of a 1997 production with sets and costumes also by Paul Brown, and with the staging by Graham Vick. Here Brown gave us a minimal design but, with major voices in all the roles, the singing carried the day. Domingo sang with fervor, displayed committed acting, and shows no sign of slowing down at this stage in his career. His energy gave a needed drive to this opera, which can sometimes go slack with the slow and stately dramatic movement. Also effective dramatically was the famed American baritone, Thomas Hampson, whose portrayal of the tortured Amfortas was powerfully sung and impressively acted. His rich, well-sculpted voice and impeccable German diction suggests that this type of repertory might occupy more and more of his future time.

Another important role, Kundry, was sung with almost demonic intensity by Swiss mezzo-soprano Julia Juon. She made a major impact as the Countess Geschwitz in last season's Lulu at Bastille, and her strong, steely voice, lithe body and fine acting sense made her an ideal Kundry. While not the most seductive Kundry around, the ability of her voice to easily rise above the thickest orchestration puts her in the first rank of Wagnerian mezzos. Also worthy of special mention was the forceful and emphatic performance of Paul Richard Fink as Klingsor. The bass Jan-Hendrik Rootering was a sturdy Gurnemanz. Under the Opéra's Musical Director, James Conlon, the orchestra and chorus performed with power and accuracy and the brass earned particular notice.

Tchaikovsky's opera Pique Dame was revived from last season with Karita Mattila again as Lisa and with Sergei Larin as the possessed Hermann. Here again, great voices triumphed over indifferent or wrongheaded scenic design. Mattila, fresh from a triumphant Leonore in Fidelio at the Metropolitan Opera, had even greater emotional range and vocal bloom than last year. Acting with her usual skill and commitment, her performance more than amply justifies her ranking among the top sopranos on the opera stage today. Tenor Sergei Larin, singing the ill-fated Hermann, showed off a fine, natural lyric tenor that can fill the house without apparent effort. His voice is different that the high-octane delivery of last season's Vladimir Galouzine, who is more of a dramatic tenor. It was pure of tone and more sensitive to the words and delivery, reminding me of Nicolai Gedda's fine roles in the Russian repertory.

I am happy to report on the much-improved condition of Marina Domaschenko. She was last seen earlier this season in Die Fledermaus as Orlofsky attached to an IV drip and bald from chemotherapy and singing like she should have been in intensive care. As Pauline, she's fully recovered now, with a full head of hair and a strong, round mezzo voice. Her first act duet with Mattila was an unalloyed pleasure.

Some of the other cast members were the same as last year. I did miss, however, the noble, haunting work of Helga Dernesch as the old Countess last season. Specially noted would be the fine work of Dalibor Jenis as Prince Eletski, with much richer tones than last year's Kennlyside. The Count Tomski was the fine baritone, Nikolai Putilin, with Leonid Bornstein as Tchekalinski and Maxime Mikhailov in the role of Sourine. Conductor Vladimir Jurovski saw to it that Tchaikovsky's music with played with the appropriate romantic vigor.

A word about the 1999 production, designed by Lev Dodin. In this designer's concept, we are asked to place the entire action in a room in a mental hospital where Hermann is committed. The story is told as a long flashback, inspired more by Pushkin's short story in which Hermann goes mad, than by Tchaikovsky's version in which the protagonist commits suicide. This 'works' as a concept, but begs the question of what the composer had in mind. While preparing for this opera, I read of Tchaikovsky's trip in Florence where he worked almost constantly on this opera and there was a steady flow of letters back and forth between him and his brother, Modest, who was writing the libretto. He worked hard to get the drama right, to add a love story to the Soshin work, and to move the work back to the 18th Century so that he could insert some of that charming Mozartian music that he so loved. It is indeed surprising that anyone could think of major surgery on this operatic masterpiece and, disregarding the carefully composed and nuanced scenes, confine the entire work to the straightjacket of a hospital room. The first act boys choir can't march around and play soldier (as in the libretto). They are stripped of their action and deliver their song as a ghostly chorus against the institutional wall. Lisa doesn't jump into the canal because there is, of course, no canal in a hospital. The highly charged card-playing scene in the last act is played on the only flat surface on stage, the patient's bed. Certainly it is extraordinary hubris for any stage director to 'rearrange' a masterwork like this to fit his new concept. It is a regrettable but not uncommon experience in opera in recent years.

Die schweigsame Frau at the Théâtre du Châtelet: Natalie Dessay as Aminta and Sten Byriel as Sir Morosus

Photo: MN Robert

A far happier place is found on stage at the Théâtre du Châtelet on February 24. It was opening night of a production of Richard Strauss's comic opera Die schweigsame Frau. This time the director, Marco Arturo Marelli, had no difficulty finding comic inspiration in the music and the words of the fine libretto by no less than Stefan Zweig, in his first, and only, collaboration with the composer. This opera, completed in 1935, and at its premiere conducted by a young Karl Böhm, was well received but given only three performances before being withdrawn. Zwieg, being Jewish, brought the authorities down on Strauss and the opera was not performed again until after the war. Zweig managed to avoid arrest and, finally, a refugee in Brazil, committed suicide in 1942 - one more of the incalculable losses of that awful period.

Strauss imagined he could not continue writing operas after his long-time collaborator, Hugo von Hoffmannsthal, died in 1929. But, after seeing Zweig's treatment of Ben Johnson's play, Epicoene or The Silent Woman he was immediately enthusiastic and began an exchange of letters. The result is a witty and charming opera filled with bustling, bubbly and engaging music. Here the center of attention and the engine for the drama is a Barber, like in the Beaumarchais plays. As played by the talented baritone, Dietrich Henschel, he works for a rich ship's captain, Sir Morosus, who, injured in service, cannot abide noise and is encouraged by the Barber to find a silent wife.

It is Henschel's acting that is the key to the success of this production. His excellent baritone, demonstrated in last season's masterful Doktor Faust, and several other important works, is combined here with a splendid comic theatricality. His lanky frame and intelligent vocal talent resembles remarkably the great Norman Treigel, and his campy, hyperactive Barber was a joy to watch. The renowned French soprano, Natalie Dessay, was perfect for the mostly coloratura role of shy Aminta who turns into a shrew when married. She is a comic actor with a very agile and lovely soprano voice in a challenging role. Juan Jose Lopera plays Henry, the son of Sir Morosus, his light; pleasant tenor was often lost among the orchestra's tumult. Bass-Baritone Sten Byriel was a sturdy Sir Morosus. The other young, talented and energetic cast members are all to be commended for their comic timing. They seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as the audience. Conductor Christoph von Dohnányi had the luxury of his own orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra of London, in the pit and the music making was of the highest caliber.

March will be an interesting month with a world premiere at Opéra Bastille of an opera, based on Kafka, by Philippe Manoury and also a tardy celebration of Verdi with a Don Carlo featuring René Pape, Sergei Larin, Carlos Alvarez and Olga Borodina. Late in March, at Châtelet, there will be a concert version of Otello with Karita Mattila and José Cura in the major roles.

March

K. . . at the Bastille

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

France made a tardy arrival on the world's opera stage with its commemoration of the centenary of the death of Giuseppe Verdi. While most other European venues were mounting major productions one or two months ago, it was only this month the French started their tribute to the master of Busseto with some well-cast performances in Paris and Monte Carlo. There were also a few old favorites in theaters around Paris and some bold experiments for the lyric stage.

Certainly the most eagerly anticipated Verdi opera was the casting of two of the brightest young stars of opera, José Cura and Karita Mattila, in a semi-staged production of Otello at the Théàtre du Châtelet. It might likely be historic as well as it could have been the last time soprano Mattila sings this role. She has said in recent interviews that she doesn't like the role and will likely never repeat it. This is hard to understand from the perspective of the audience because her Desdemona is an significant artistic triumph, with a beauty of voice and insight that will certainly make it an historic interpretation. She is at the top of her form and showed simultaneous sensuality and tragic vulnerability in this role. Her 'Willow Song' was a moment of gold.

Argentine tenor José Cura shows a robust tenor and good acting style but, paired with Mattila, gives indication that he has some way to go before he can be said to be an important Otello. Missing are the conflicting passions that are inherent in this role; he just grew more and more bellicose. In the famous love duet, his rather routine 'E tu m'amavi' was answered by Mattila with sensitive shaping of the phrase which brings alive the exquisite beauty. His opportunity to show his interpretive skill, in the aria 'Dio, me potevi scagliar,' was almost completely covered by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and conductor Myung-Whun Chung. The maestro, free from the confines of the pit, had a large orchestra, and conducted with more zeal than refinement. Anthony Michaels-Moore, while lacking the heft of a truly great Iago, has mastered the role and was convincingly evil throughout. He will play the role of Ford in the John Elliot Gardiner Falstaff in the same theater next month. A special mention also should go to the handsome young Cassio, Cesare Catani, who sang ardently.

René Pape, Marina Mescheriakova and Carlos Alvarez as Philip II, Elisabetta and Rodrigo

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

The Opéra Bastille managed a very impressive cast for the wonderfully sung Don Carlo. Opening March 16 and running through early April, it was a dusted-off production from 1998 by Graham Vick in the four act Italian version. Châtelet had a wonderful production of the French version in 1996 which is available on DVD (with Alagna, Hampson, Mattila, Meier, and van Dam) and which also includes the beautiful Fontainebleau scene - music I always miss in the four act version. Tenor Sergei Larin was impressive and often passionate in the title role and Marina Mescheriakova showed the ability to float fine piano phrases but had trouble fully connecting with the role of Elisabetta.

Olga Borodina was a marvel as Eboli. She took a little 'luftpause' before the coloratura run in her First Act aria, as if to say 'Listen to this, all you would-be divas, and despair!' It was a tour-de-force performance and the kind of vulgar flaunting of talent that we all love and is now so often missing from the opera stage. Carlos Alvarez, in the role of Rodrigo, was superb and is surely now classed among the great Verdi baritones. The grand bass, René Pape, fresh from his success playing another king in the Metropolitan's Tristan und Isolde, was in perfect form for his Philip II. One cannot imagine a better vocal performance.

The staging of Graham Vick was almost Zen-like in its restraint, with grays and browns framing the action and respectful distances maintained between lovers and friends - there was even a wall between the king and the Inquisitor. The exception was the splendid array of costumes, by Tobias Hoheisel, and colorful stage pictures during the 'auto-da-fe' scene. Otherwise, the stage action mostly ran contrary to the natural dramatic flow of this masterpiece. Music Director James Conlon conducted the Opéra orchestra and chorus with force and precision.

A third tribute to Verdi was an Il Trovatore at the Salle Garnier in Monte Carlo which featured Roberto Alagna in the title role. The Leonore, Dimitra Theodossiou, made a good impression and Leo Nucci was sturdy as the Count di Luna. An indifferent production and staging was overcome by the fine conducting of Pinchas Steinberg who was the energy for the entire production.

Left to right, Alfonso Antoniozzi (Bartolo) Charles Workman (Il Conte d'Almaviva) Laura Polverelli (Rosina) Pietro Spagnoli (Figaro) and Giovanni Furlanetto (Don Basilio) in Il Barbiere at the Théàtre des Champs-Elysées

Photo: Alvaro Yanez

At the Théàtre des Champs-Elysées, there was a young, mostly Italian, cast for six cheerful performances of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, a co-production with theaters in Ferrara and Parma. It was my first chance at seeing the rising young American tenor, Charles Workman, who received critical praise recently in roles at Opéra Bastille. There was strain and tightness in an otherwise big and agreeable instrument, testimony to the near-cancellation of earlier performances due to a cold. He was otherwise fully involved in the busy stage action. At one point he jumps on a table with wheels, which moved, and he lost neither his balance nor his musical line. Also well acted and well sung was the Figaro of Pietro Spagnoli, whose sense of theater and comic timing added to the impact of his rich baritone voice. Laura Polverelli, who has a large, well-focused but dark mezzo voice, seemed miscast as Rosina. The stage direction had her either rude or petulant and it was hard to see why (except for the rather generous décolleté) the Count was so interested. The Bartolo of Alfonso Antoniozzi was more than adequate and at times distinguished. Less can be said for the Basilio of Giovanni Furlanetto whose vocal problems were not well disguised. Claire Larcher made good work of her one aria as Berta and was accomplished in the many pratfalls she was assigned in this role. The fine Italian maestro, Evelino Pido, with the Orchestre National de France in the pit, kept everyone skipping along crisply.

A special treat this month was to finally see an opera, in the Parisian suburb of Maisons-Alfort, that has been circulating in France for the past few months. This opera, La Finta Cameriera of Gaetano Latilla, was created in Naples in 1737 and last performed in Paris in 1752. Performed by Antonio Florio and the soloist and orchestra of La Cappella della Pietà dei Turchini, this charming farce, loaded with inventive, inspired music, was well sung by Roberta Invernizzi in the title role. She has an expressive voice and impressive tessitura and was well complimented by the fine Filindo of Francesca Russo-Ermolli. A reviewer noted that this production has been recorded so we should not have to wait another 250 years to hear it again.

A new opera, by 48-year-old Philippe Manoury, was debuted at the Opéra Bastille. Based on a novel of Franz Kafka, the opera, entitled K..., extensively uses electroacoustic music, coordinated with an orchestra in the pit, conducted by the new music specialist, Dennis Russell Davies. The 12 scenes, 110 minutes in all, are played without interruption and without set pieces like trios, ensembles, etc. Following the action of Kafka's The Trial, it tracks the lead character, Joseph K, as he is accused of we-know-not-what. German baritone Andreas Scheibner is in the title role and is present during almost the entire opera. His performance as the anonymous victim is strong and does much to keep this opera from lapsing into musical vagueness. Indeed, one critic carped that the composer 'did not create an opera, he created an atmosphere.' Another performance that impressed was the role of the strange painter, Titorelli, played with skill by the veteran character tenor, Kenneth Riegel.

Marie Goyette and Yumiko Tanaka in Hashirigaki by Heiner Goebbels at the Theatre Nanterre

Two other Paris events, while not strictly opera, were remarkable and innovative events for the lyric stage. The first, by much-discussed young German composer Heiner Goebbels, is called Hashirigaki and was a mind-bending mixture of musical styles. Performed at the Theatre Nanterre, Goebbels combined large chunks of traditional Japanese music with his own, vaguely repetitious and sometimes jazzy music and added a significant measure of music by The Beach Boys, all played with dance movements, theater, and mime. The performance features three actors/dancers (they only sing the Beach Boys songs, and are not professional singers). Yumiko Tanaka plays traditional Japanese music and sometimes Goebbels, on her collection of various instruments. Marie Goyette plays a hand-pumped portable organ and Charlotte Engelkes plays a theramin - an electronic instrument from the 1940s which makes sounds when you pass your hands near it. And when they all are not playing or singing, they are reciting (in English) large sections of Gertrude Stein's early work, 'The Making of Americans.' The composer has also staged this imaginative and beautiful theater work and designed sets and lighting. It was, to say the least, an interesting evening.

The innovative, risk-taking American stage director, Peter Sellars, has taken on the perhaps redundant task of adding dramatic elements to the Cantatas of J. S. Bach. Fortunately he had the assistance of one of the most talented and intelligent mezzo-sopranos on stage today, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. She sang the Cantatas BWV 82 and 199. It was semi-staged by Sellars and Hunt was moving in Cantata BWV 199, Ich habe genug, as a hospital patient in green gown and thick socks, with IV tubes, working with dancer Michael Schumacher, who, as in the John Adams El Ninõ in December, was again a hovering angel. Even without the stage business, her aria, 'Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen' will be long in the memory of those in the sold out Cité de la Musique theater.

The Théàtre du Châtelet has announced its 2001-2002 season and it contains some interesting events for those Paris-bound next season. It starts off in September with Jessye Norman in a Robert Wilson staging of Schubert's Winterreise. A revival of the Peter Eötvös opera Three Sisters and a new production of L'Amour de loin of Saariaho in a Peter Sellars production will precede a holiday revival of La Belle Helénè, the big hit last season, again with the conductor Marc Minkowski and the designer Laurent Pelly. Sir Simon Rattle will do a Fidelio, and Handel's Rodelinda will be conducted by William Christie. The Oberon of Weber will be conducted by John Eliot Gardiner and Renée Fleming will do just two performances of Bellini's Il Pirata in May.

The Opéra de Paris has the coming season's details on their website www.opera-de-paris.fr. Opening the season will be Rigoletto with Sartori, Nucci and Swenson followed by a new production of Attila with Samuel Ramey. A Billy Budd will feature Bo Skovhus and the great José Van Dam will sing a Don Quichotte. Some others of note are La bohème performances which feature the Alagna-Gheorghiu duo and the French tenor will also be teamed in Carmen with Denyce Graves. Renée Fleming will be doing a several performances of Rusalka to end the season at Bastille. At the Palais Garnier, there are five operas including a double-bill of Zemlinsky's Der Zwerg with L'Enfant et les sortilèges of Ravel, Platée of Rameau with the Minkowski/Pelly team, a new production of Idomeno, and a repeat of this season's lovely Die Zauberflöte.

April

Ben Heppner as Peter Grimes at the Bastille

The imposing figure of the grand tenor, Ben Heppner, dominated the opera scene in Paris in April. His masterful performance of the title role in the Benjamin Britten opera, Peter Grimes, won remarkable praise from the public and critics. Great singing was also featured in a splendid Falstaff at the Théàtre du Châtelet and two important young American singers made their French debuts in a lovely work by the rarely performed composer, Johann Adolf Hasse.

On April 2 the Opera de Paris, Bastille was buzzing with excitement about the debut on the Paris opera stage of Ben Heppner. While not one of his usual Heldentenor role, he has performed Grimes in many great opera houses. I was not surprised by his wealth of vocal riches but what impressed here was the extraordinary sensitivity he brought to the role of this troubled fisherman. His nuanced, passionate portrayal places him alongside his fellow Canadian, John Vickers, at the top rank of interpreters of this role. His last act aria 'Steady, There you are! Nearly home!' was chilling in its intensity.

A fine supporting cast was assembled and notable was a superb Ellen sung by Susan Chilcott and a bumptious, powerfully-sung Auntie of Stephanie Blythe. Veteran Alan Opie was perfect as Captain Balstrode and Della Jones was the disapproving Mrs. Sedley to great effect. The Opéra's Musical Director, James Conlon, directed with hot-blooded passion and the sea interludes were particularly impressive.

The stage director and designer of this production was the ubiquitous Graham Vick and he had a story to tell which was far different than that imagined by the librettist. Almost certainly a reference to the anti-paedophile riots in Portsmouth (England) last year, he has moved the action to the present day and the opening coroner's hearing takes place in a schoolroom with institutional furniture and children's art on the walls. Outside a mob is assembled with banners and signs (one said, improbably, 'go home'). The next scene has fishermen delivering their catch to a giant square truck and the inn becomes a tawdry glass-walled bar with pinball machines. At the end of the opera, when the mob assembles to begin their search for Grimes, pouring out of the back of a lorry which was the site of their disco dancing, they engaged in a veritable orgy before setting off on their hunt. This behavior is apparently for the benefit of those few in the audience who might have missed the hypocrisy of this action. One wonders why Grimes wants to win the acceptance of this vulgar, trailer-trash community. Layering another story and a different meaning on top of a libretto of an established masterpiece like Peter Grimes is all too common on the world's opera stages today but does little to clarify the drama or illuminate the genius at the core of the work.

Ben Heppner as Peter Grimes at the Bastille

The Opéra de Paris scheduled two other operas this month. At the Bastille opening the 13th was a reprise of the highly acclaimed Robert Carsen production of Les contes d'Hoffman with the veteran James Morris in the dual role of Lindorf and Coppelius. The Korean soprano Sumi Jo was the beautiful and vocally agile Olympia and was warmly received. Cristiana Gallardo-Domas was the Antonia with Giulietta played by Jeanne Piland. Tenor Marcus Haddock was Hoffman and Dr. Miracle/Dapertutto was firmly sung by Alan Held, but this evening the honors go to the ladies for insuring the success of this old favorite.

Over at the Palais Garnier, a team with a long record of successful opera production stumbled badly with Handel's Ariodante. Marc Minkowski has achieved almost mythical status, while still in his 30's, as having the golden touch in conducting opera. Somehow his Midas touch failed him this time and the production, with acclaimed stage designer Jorge Lavelli was scoured by the critics and public alike. A gimmick-filled stage and pointless and even silly ballet never coalesced and everyone, including the cast and conductor, seemed to be wandering lost in the chaos. Even the great mezzo, Anne Sofie von Otter, in the title role, could not find her motivation. Patricia Petibon managed to distinguish herself vocally as the lady-in-waiting, Dalinda, as did Laura Claycomb in the role of Ginevra.

John Elliot Gardiner was at the Théàtre du Châtelet with his orchestra, the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and the Monteverdi Choir for a historically informed performance of Verdi's Falstaff. This is the second part of the centennial celebration, the first being last month's Otello and ending in May with the Concertgebouw Orchestra and Riccardo Chailly doing the Requiem. With the orchestra on stage with the cast above in the rear and in front, it was an energetic production, perhaps a tribute the old Max Sennett films, with a lot of dashing about. Placed somewhere in mid 19th Century England, rather than in the Elizabethan era, Falstaff, here the excellent comic actor and baritone Jean-Phillippe Lafond, goes off for his rendezvous in top hat and tails, looking very much like a cartoon in Punch Magazine. Fenton, sung with appealing grace by Juan Diego Flórez, was dressed like a Cambridge student on a weekend break.

Gardiner has rethought the opera in its entirety and the first thing noticed was the absolute clarity of texture and wealth of orchestral detail not heretofore obvious. Playing the music on original instruments quite naturally reduces the overall volume of the orchestra and, as a consequence, the singers could concentrate more on the ensemble work and producing more clear and precise vocal lines. This refinement, coupled with the unfamiliar sounds made by many of the original instruments, was particularly effective in the last act, which was of unearthly beauty and grace and magical in its impact. The singing of Rebecca Evans, as Nannetta, in her last act aria, was of uncommon beauty and the floated high notes were enchanting. Also impressing was Swedish soprano Hillevi Martinpelto as Alice Ford as well as Anthony Michaels-Moore as her aggrieved husband. Most of the principals were the same as in the recent recording of this opera and have been traveling with this production since 1998 so the level of performance and ensemble work was impeccable. Even with all the sensitivity and grace, there was plenty of fun to be had in this delightful evening and the audience acclamation caused the final fugue to be repeated in the performance I attended.

At the Théàtre des Champs-Elyseés, René Jacobs stopped by with his Concerto Köln to perform a concert version of a little heard masterpiece, this time by Johann Adolf Hasse. Marc'Antonio e Cleopatra, a serenata in two acts, was the occasion for the debut of two rising young operatic stars from America. Soprano Isabel Bayakdarian sang the role originally composed for the famous castrata Farinelli, and demonstrated a secure feel for this style of music. She threw herself into this music, singing with passion, and tossed off the many coloratura runs with abandon. The Marc'Antonio was sung by Vivica Genaux, whose rich, warm chest tones and vocal agility was a perfect complement to her partner. The final duet, 'Bella etade avventurosa' is masterful, profound music and was brilliantly performed. It was an important success for these two fine singers and not the least for Jabobs and his band which played with passion and commitment and are now certainly among the most acclaimed of early music groups.

The performance mentioned here last month of Latilla's La Finta Cameriera has been recorded and issued on a CD by the French firm Opus 111. Numbered OPS 30-275/276, it has the same cast and is a delightful introduction to Neapolitan Baroque opera. Another baroque opera recording issued late last year, Reinhard Keiser's Croesus, has broken all sales records for that genre of opera in France and is, I hope, an encouragement to conductor René Jacobs to continue his fine work in mining the archives of opera for hidden treasures.

The third important lyric stage in Paris, the Théàtre des Champs-Elysées, announced its 2001-2002 season and, with this, claims an important role as a significant forum for early opera. Those readers planning a Paris visit are advised to watch for these events, as well as for those of the Opéra de Paris and Châtelet. They are continuing their cycle of Mozart operas conducted by René Jacobs with Le nozze di Figaro in a new production by Jean-Louis Martinoty in October 2001. The following month there is a Rake's Progress staged by André Engle. In March of 2002 Christophe Rousset will conduct Cimarosa's Il Matrimonio Segreto and in June conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen will repeat his Falstaff from the festival of Aix-en-Provence with Willard White in the title role.

There is also an impressive array of operas in concert that include an Ariadne auf Naxos with the Vienna Philharmonic and several important lyric works by Handel with the fine young interpreter, Emmanuelle Haïm at the podium. Wagner's Rienzi, conducted by Jeffrey Tate is followed later in the season with a concert version of Bizet's early opera, Ivan IV, with tenor Sergei Larin. Antonio Florio and his Cappella de Turchini, the same that gave us the Latilla opera mentioned above, will continue his exploration of the Neapolitan baroque with works by Piccinni and Jommelli in May of 2002.

At this theater in September, Cecilia Bartoli will sing a program of Italian arias from works with libretti by Métastase, and will return again in December with I Delfici for a program of arias from Gluck and Vivaldi. Between these, Natalie Dessay will sing a program in homage to her famed predecessor, the great diva Caterina Gabrielli (1730-1796) that will feature arias by Mozart, Gluck, Hasse, Traetta, and Myslivecek. The following year features recitals by David Daniels, Angelika Kirchschlager, Susan Graham, Barbara Hendricks, Dawn Upshaw and Eva Marton. The website for this theater, www.theatrechampselysees.fr, is under construction now but should list the details of their season in a month to two. You can also request their season announcement by writing to the theater at 15, av. Montaigne, 75008 Paris, France.

May

The first staged production in France of Erich Korngold's Die tote Stadt, presented by the Opéra national du Rhin of Strasbourg at the Châtelet

The month started with an event to enliven the spirit and recharge the spiritual batteries. The very amazing Grace Bumbry gave an enchanting lieder recital at the Théàtre du Châtelet on May 3. Billed as homage to the legendary soprano Lotte Lehmann, it had songs by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Liszt Strauss and Berlioz. Historians of legendary divas will of course know that she was for some years a student of Lehmann and credits her with overcoming her youthful introspection and awakening her latent talent to become one of the century's great operatic stars. My first encounter with her was in her famous, and then controversial, role of Venus in Tannhäuser at the Bayreuth Festival. Some members of the Bayreuth old guard objected to a black singer in the hallowed festival theater. Their protests were forgotten in the riot of praise and international acclaim that followed. I was a young soldier in Germany who managed to get a ticket in 1963 to the Weiland Wagner staging. Struck by the power and beauty of her voice and her ability to shape a phrase, I became a life-long fan.

Her first songs, a group of lieder by Schubert, were approached carefully. As she reached the animated 'Rastlose Liebe' (Restless Love) she began to be sing more freely and the next one, 'Du bist die Ruh' (Repose you are) was sung with such tender passion, the entire audience held its breath. The subsequent Brahms cycle was executed with style and grace. After the intermission, the two French songs of Franz Liszt were a real surprise. 'Oh! quand je dors' (Oh, when I sleep) was delivered with all the expressive beauty of a great singing actress and was a real jewel of the evening. From Berlioz' La Damnation de Faust, the aria 'D'amour, l'ardente flamme' (From Love, the Passionate Flame) was delivered with consummate skill and makes one wonder why she is not still performing regularly on the world's stages. Three songs each from Schumann and Richard Strauss completed the evening, along with encores of two Spanish songs, two spirituals and the Seguidilla from Carmen. Sensitively accompanied by pianist Helmut Deutsch, the recital was a triumph for Miss Bumbry. The entire evening was recorded, with three cameras, by RM Associates. I am told they have been making DVDs of these Châtelet recitals to be sold in the Japanese market. When it is issued, lovers of great singing should make this part of their collection.

Jia Lin Zhang and Peter Savidge as the lovers in Héloïse et Abélard by Ahmed Essyad at the Châtelet

Photo: M. N. Robert/Châtelet

The first part of a newly inaugurated mini-festival was presented at the Théàtre du Châtelet in May. This new 'Festival des régions' is meant to spotlight the regional lyric theaters in France. This month it was the Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg, next year it will be the Opéra de Lyon. The Strasbourg forces brought to Châtelet a new opera that had its first performance last October, and the first staged production in France of Erich Korngold's monumental opus Die tote Stadt. Both were impressive achievements and served notice that the regional stages are gaining in importance, both nationally and internationally.

The new opera, having its first Paris performances, was Héloïse et Abélard from the veteran French composer Ahmed Essyad. Born in 1938, he has already composed several operas, three of which have been recorded. Born and raised in Morocco, he completed his initial music training at the conservatory in Rabat. In Paris he studied with Max Deutsch, a disciple of Arnold Schoenberg, which makes him a third generation graduate of the Second Viennese School. It says that he incorporates Arab-Berber musical styles into his compositions. These were not much in evidence in this opera and its serial musical form, from the Berg, Webern, Schoenberg axis, sounded tired and dated. Although well crafted and serious in intent, the declamatory style characteristic of this era of composition, even during the love scene, was unrelenting and ultimately tedious. The libretto, by a writer of cult-figure status in France, Bernard Noël, was probably more interesting than the music and was followed with care by some in the audience.

The story is well known. Abélard was one of the great scholars of the Middle Ages who happened to fall in love with a bright and lovely student he was hired to tutor. The uncle, her guardian, was goaded by rivals of Abélard to exact an awful revenge: castration. The continued devotion of the couple and their subsequent marriage made their story a famous legend even while they were still living. Abélard was sung with passionate dignity by the fine baritone Peter Savidge. The impressive Chinese soprano, Jia Lin Zhang, played the young Héloïse. Her Third Act aria 'J'ai connu le sexe de l'homme' was an emotional highpoint of this opera. A surprising find was in the role of Fulbert, the avenging uncle, played to the hilt by counter-tenor Johnny Maldonado. Verdi would have cast a baritone in this part and the composer was obviously playing against type in scoring this for a high voice. Maldonado had no problems with this and sang his role with force and convincing passion. The others in the cast were of equal quality and the stage direction, simple and well balanced, contributed to the high standards of production. The Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, under Pascal Rophé, played admirably and could not be faulted. The lack of fresh musical ideas, however, weighted down the project.

Korngold's magnum opus, Die tote Stadt, was kept from soaring by the concepts of its stage director. There is nothing lacking in the masterful score and the compelling music drama. With first performances on 4 December 1920 in two cities, Hamburg and Cologne (the latter conducted by Otto Klemperer), this opera was an immediate sensation and was produced in many major cities. Later, with the war years, Korngold's late-Romantic music fell out of fashion, except of course in Hollywood where he had a long and successful career composing scores for many of the great films of the 1930s and 40s. The recent production of this opera in New York by the Metropolitan Opera and several recent recordings of his music attest to the increased attention his music is receiving.

In an effort to show that other cities in France can also compete with the director-driven, daffy production so often seen at the Opéra Bastille, the stage director, Inga Levant, loaded up this production with campy excess and moved it to a vulgarized pseudo-Hollywood landscape. Throwing good taste to the winds, one character is a tacky Elton John impersonator. Later, for no apparent reason, an enormous bell was hoisted down, and she had the already very sexy soprano, Angela Denoke, stand over a subway grate where the air lifted her skirt, a'la Marilyn. In the story the grieving protagonist, after losing his wife, is seduced by a look-alike temptress. Levant's temptress, inspired more by Benny Hill comedies than the libretto, plays to the galleries in a vulgar parody of the story. Certainly the great soprano Maria Jeritza, who originated the role of Marietta, did not have to resort to sleaze to seduce anyone. When the two were alone on stage, the real musical sparks begin to fly. Denoke, a gifted soprano, has already attracted a good deal of attention in Strauss roles and her innate sensuality, both physical and vocal, made her an ideal Marietta. The Wagnerian tenor Torsten Kerl was also impressive, especially in the opera's later acts and also when he was not required to be a part of the stage business. In his final act aria, 'O freund, ich werde sie nicht wiedersehen' (O friend, I shall never see her again), he shone brilliantly. The fine baritone Stephan Genz was too briefly on stage as Perrot Fritz and the other cast members were also strong. Jan Latham-Koenig kept the musical pot bubbling in the pit.

Virginie Pochon and Rolando Villazon in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette at Lyon

Photo: G. Amsellem

A short two-hour train ride to Lyon was also scheduled, mostly to see the must-discussed young Mexican tenor, Rolando Villazón, sing in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette. Villazón, who has sang often in French houses, was recently 'discovered' by New York critics when he sang in a nationally televised La Bohème from the New York City Opera. He sings with a fine, warmly handsome tenor voice &endash; a timbre that reminds me of Caruso &enda and reaches the high notes in his role with casual ease. Very likely to surpass some current superstars like Cura and Vargas, he is not someone you would pass up the opportunity to hear. What I was not prepared for was the fine production of the Opéra de Lyon and the high level of singing throughout. The Juliette, Virginie Pochon, was superb, with a strong, vibrant soprano. Her First Act waltz 'Je veux vivre' was tossed with virtuoso pinaché and her youth and passion, matching that of her Roméo, made them an engaging pair of lovers. The fine stage direction of Claudia Stavisky focused the story, appropriately, on the young lovers and the staging of the Act IV 'morning after' scene, Villazón shirtless, is charged with erotic ardor. Deserving special mention was the fine Stefano of Karine Deshayes. She made much of her one aria and should be moving into the major roles soon. As an indication of the depth of talent in this city, the bass-baritone Paul Gay sung the short role of the Duc. He was recently featured in a program on European television, hosted by Montserrat Caballé, as one of the 'stars of tomorrow'. The conductor for this opera, Christian Badea, kept things on a clean, Apollonian course and, on this day, Lyon was a sob and sentiment-free zone. Gounod survived and profited.

Rolando Villazon as Roméo and Philippe Georges.as Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette at Lyon

Photo: G. Amsellem

At the end of the month, at the Opéra Comique, were a series of 8 performances of Vivaldi's little performed Catone in Utica. Its rarity is primarily because the music for the First Act has been, mostly, lost. A recording has been made of the Second and Third Acts by Claudio Scimone some years ago, but the French musicologist Jean-Claude Malgoire was not content to let this fine piece languish on the shelf. He has reconstructed a First Act from the libretto, which still exists in archives in Bologne, which was written by that 18th Century giant of the stage, Pietro Metastase. Adding sinfonias and arias from other works &endash; a common practice among composers of that era &endash; Malgoire completed the work for presentation in Tourcoing in May of 1998. It is this production that is now being seen in Paris. The story is about the famed stoic and senator, Cato, and his conflict with Julius Caesar and his armies, arriving at the port of Utica where Cato was governor. It is clear that Verdi was not the first Italian composer to take up the cause of liberty against tyranny. For this, Malgoire was joined by his band, La Grande Ecurie et la Chambre du Roy and a fine cast. Outstanding among them was the extraordinary Polish sopranist Jacek Lazczkowski as Caesar. Possessing a light, clear soprano, his glorious silver threads of vocal line were haunting in their beauty. Simon Edwards was solid and contributed much as Cato and the talented soprano Manuela Kriscak was an imposing Marzia. Another fine French counter-tenor, Philippe Jaroussky, was an imposing Arbace. The sets and direction were colorful and uncomplicated and left the singers, correctly in this case, at the center of the work. Compliments to Malgoire and the splendid cast for a rare and memorable musical experience.

June

Edmund Audran's La Mascotte at the Opéra-Comique

Photo: Etoiles ZAZ

The Opéra de Paris is flexing its considerable muscles in June with the final two productions of its 2000-2001 season. The last is on June 27, opening night of a new Manon with Renée Fleming and Marcello Giordiani. La Damnation de Faust, which opened on the Fifth of June, was a production that, until now, has only been seen at the Saito Kinen festival in Japan in 1999. It apparently was well received then and, in its first appearance in Paris, is an unqualified success for the director Robert Lapage and another triumph for the conductor Seiji Ozawa.

Not an opera in the traditional sense - Berlioz finally chose to call it a 'dramatic legend' - it makes great demands on the orchestra and conductor, who are at the center of the action. These challenges were met magnificently by an orchestra and chorus that reached new heights of eloquence. Already enjoying new respect under the leadership of Music Director James Conlon, it played like a virtuoso instrument for Ozawa. It was a performance of blazing brilliance, with tight tempos and stirring energy.

It also creates demands on the production team because of the long stretches of music interrupting the drama. In the 1960's, at the Palais Garnier, the Opéra had Maurice Bejart stage this work, with ballet as an integral part of action. Here they employed the very creative Canadian stage designer Robert Lapage. With designer Carl Fillion, he used the full forces of the team at the Bastille to create stunning visual images that were carefully calibrated to fit with the action and music. Treating the proscenium like a 16/9 format television screen, he divided it into grids to provide repeated images of often stunning impact. Employing dancers, climbing acrobats, extras and filmed images to fill the squares, the scenes fit well with the music and were, except for some merely decorative moments, a significant artistic achievement, as well as fine theater. The size and complexity of this production, with its incumbent costs, might discourage companies less blessed with resources, both financial and technical.

Giuseppe Sabbatini, Jennifer Larmore, and José van Dam as Faust, Marguerite, and Méphistophélès in La Damnation de Faust at the Bastille

Photo Eric Mahoudeau

Projecting images on screens in opera is not a new idea. I remember Frank Cosairo doing this in a production of A Village Romeo and Juliet at New York City Opera in the late 1970's. But the technology has developed since then. The video artists Bill Viola and Nam June Paik have made video images into high art and an important part of many contemporary art collections in major museums. The projected images are no longer washed out but crystalline and are capable of multiplication and manipulation. Here each grid has its own retractable screen so images can be projected on some grids, or in the case of the Part Three aria of Marguerite, a single image can occupy the vast Bastille stage. When Jennifer Larmore sings 'D'amour, l'ardente flamme' the image behind her is of a giant fence of branches, filling the whole stage, gradually being consumed by outsized flames.

Larmore's singing was a bit of a disappointment. Obviously very talented, she sang very well but missed a level of interpretation that would make her a great Marguerite, much like a candidate in a voice competition: a finalist but not a prize winner. Last month at Théàtre du Châtelet, Grace Bumbry sang the same famous aria. It was a lesson to all young singers on how to make this aria the imposing musical statement that it is. José Van Dam was his usual impeccable self and sang Mephistophélés with grand menace. On the night I attended, the tenor Giuseppi Sabbatini was indisposed and Keith Lewis sang Faust. Apparently reached while on vacation in Paris, Lewis was a classic last-minute replacement. Unfortunately, on this trip Mr. Lewis forgot to pack his top. In an otherwise credible performance, when he went high, the sounds were lamentable. The American baritone Clayton Brainerd sang a sturdy Brander.

La Damnation de Faust at the Bastille

Photo Eric Mahoudeau

The production shared honors with the conductor this evening. The association of the stage images with the music was innovative in opera production and contributed much to an astonishing operatic event. During the musical interlude 'La course a l'Abime," for example, where Faust and Mephistophélés are described in the text as galloping on black horses, Lapage uses eight repeated images of running horses by the early photographer Muybridge. As these horses gallop, in cadence with the music, shadow figures of Faust and the devil, suspended on wires, mime the riding in each frame.

This new approach of combining the visual with the musical could be a part of the future of opera. Last December, at the world premiere of El Niño by John Adams at Paris' Théàtre du Châtelet, the audience saw singers with some stage action, and all coordinated with a film by Peter Sellars bringing the nativity story into contemporary East Los Angeles. Whether or not this is the course of opera production in the Twenty-first Century, this production, done with such skill and creative energy by Robert Lapage and his team, was one of most impressive theatrical experiences in my memory.

The skipping young girl just off the stagecoach and ready for the world was indeed our Manon, soprano Renée Fleming (I had to check with my opera glasses…yes it was). This eagerly-awaited final production of the Opéra de Paris season was a rare opportunity to catch one of the reigning queens of the opera stage in a role in which she has already achieved much critical acclaim. This production, first seen at the Bastille in June 1997, also stars tenor Marcelo Alvarez, and was designed and staged by Gilbert Deflo.

Marcelo Avarez as des Grieux and Renée Fleming as Manon Lescaut in Massenet's Manon at the Bastille

Photo Eric Mahoudeau

Starting slowly, Fleming seemed a bit distant and not totally involved during the first two acts. The acting was good but the delivery with without a great deal of nuance and passion. Were her critics correct? Is there more style than substance to her career? In the Third Act, bejeweled and dressed in red, this diva began to sing like the opera magazine cover girl she is. She seemed to sense the pending triumph after a virtuoso delivery of the famous gavotte 'Obéissons quand leur voix appelle', and the rest of the performance was spot on and splendid. It was an outstanding achievement for this fine soprano at the top of her form.

The Argentine tenor Marcelo Alvarez, as Chevalier des Grieux, was world-class and utterly engaging and the two made an attractive pair of lovers. His Act II aria, 'En furmant les yeux' was delivered with quiet intensity, and with such impeccable style, it was magic at the opera. He has fine range and good timbre. He sang with an appealing warmth and passion and also scored a significant triumph. His French was adequate and there was the text projected above the stage if anyone had questions.

I herewith nominate, as the first inductee into any future operatic Hall of Fame, tenor Michel Sénéchal. His performance of Guillot was an absolute perfect jewel and, last year he celebrated 50 years on stage! Commanding a full and pleasing voice even at this stage in his life, he also knows how to inhabit a role and bring it to life like few others. The other roles were also impressively sung. Jean-Luc Chiagnard was a fine Lescaut and Franck Ferrari was a blustery Bretigny. Baritone veteran Alain Vernhes sang, with particular strength and beauty, the role of Des Grieux pére. Worthy of mention too is the trio of women, Jaël Azzaretti as Poussette, Isabelle Cals as Javotte and Delphine Haidan as Rosette. In smaller houses around the world they would have lead roles and all three were terrific.

The production, by Gilbert Deflo, was handsome and consisted of massive, dark curvilinear shapes serving to carve up the soccer-stadium size stage into manageable bits. This, and the lighting, by Joël Hourbeigt, which highlighted the tables chairs and beds that were the focus of the action, made for a simple and effective staging of this work. The minimal décor and splendid costumes, by William Orlandi, were of the period and appealing. Well known Spanish conductor Jesus Lopez-Cobos, while not exactly a 'routiniere', did not find much magic in the score but did fine some nice detail and good balance.

Marcelo Avarez and Renée Fleming as the lovers in Manon at the Bastille

Photo Eric Mahoudeau

1913 was some year to be in Paris! Although the Great War was looming, it was the spectacular opening season of the art deco Théàtre des Champs-Elysées. A terrific bill of fare was on display to establish it immediately as the place to be in the Paris musical scene. In addition to a then-rare Western Europe performance of Boris Godunov (with Chalapin, of course) they had the Ballets Russe with Nijinski dancing the orgasmic Afternoon of a Faun, Debussy's final ballet Jeux was debuted, along with the riotous Rite of Spring of Stravinski. Not the least of the offerings was the Paris premiere of the new opera of Gabriel Fauré, Pénélope. The composer, already 50 years old, was at the height of his powers and this was a much-anticipated event.

Eighty-eight years later, a rare performance of this masterpiece can be heard in the same theater. With Claude Schnitzler, of the Opéra de Rennes and Liepzig, on the podium directing the Orchestra National de France, the Chorus of Radio France, and with the fine soprano Isabelle Vernet in the title role, it was a performance that suggests that a critical reexamination of this opera is appropriate. This concert was broadcast on France Musique and on many other stations throughout Europe on the evening of the 16 June.

I have to admit to a special regard for the music of Fauré and it is often his chamber music that I chose in those soft, late-afternoon hours when the sun is low and golden. Apparently for the French too the prospect of a full-scale opera by this master of chamber music seemed odd. There were empty seats at the beginning of the evening and these increased during the performance. As the reviewer for Le Monde pointed out, getting Parisians to an opera by Fauré is like asking them to buy tickets to a Stabat Mater of Chopin. But the patient listener will find the same master at work in this opus, with all of his skills of orchestration and his easy ability to write beautiful melodies clearly in evidence. His music, so tender but still with an underlying edge of intensity, places him at the front rank of the late-Romantic composers and this opera, loaded with splendid musical moments, only confirms that position.

The gentleness and reflective nature of his musical soul always reminds me of his contemporary, Frederick Delius who has also written fine operas that are today not often performed. But the frequency of performance of A Village Romeo and Juliet is far ahead of the Fauré opera. Perhaps the reason is Fauré's libretto, taken from The Odyssey of Homer by a young, inexperienced and ultimately untalented René Fauchois. Fauré's letters to Fauchois about the text are a catalogue of complaints that will be repeated by critics of this work. Most likely the fault lies in the ultimate source of this plot. With all deference to our blind poet, the characters are mostly archetypes and perform symbolic roles in the tradition of ancient theater. This Greco-Roman theatrical style, widely used by the Baroque composers, is not to the taste of modern audiences, used to the more realistic theater traditions of the last two centuries. The Delius opera is more widely performed because it has a more modern feel. The love duets and a heated emotional climate produce compelling opera moments. That is missing in Pénélope.

In order to bring Handel operas back to the stage, for example, directors have had to devise creative production strategies to make these antique plots palatable to contemporary operagoers. These same new theatrical techniques to perhaps be applied to this fine opera to bring it back, at least occasionally, to the world's opera stages. The music is too important to be left on the shelf.

The orchestra and vocalists worked hard to make a case for this opera. Isabelle Vernet, in the title role, is apparently having a period of difficulty with her voice, at least on the evening in question. It lacked the control and lyric ease heard in past performances. The supporting roles, fourteen in all, were sung ably and often engagingly. The conductor, Claude Schnitzler, a last minute substitute for the indisposed Pinchas Steinberg, having conducted this work in Lausanne last year, was able to fill in and make a significant musical impression.

Isabelle Vernet as Bettina and Marc Barrard as Pippo in La Mascotte at the Opéra-Comique

Photo: Etoiles ZAZ

Isabelle Vernet is also featured in Jérôme Savary's staging of the almost-forgotten comic opera, La Mascotte by Edmund Audran (1842-1901) at the Opéra-Comique. Opening on June 28, this delightful romp through Belle Epoque popular musical forms was staged with a deliberate effort to recreate how it must have looked originally and the sets were, to say the least, traditional &endash; complete with painted backdrops.

Those familiar with Savary's work, however, will not be surprised by the corps of pom-pom girls, the chorus of rugby players, and the broad comedy used in this production. Soprano Isabelle Vernet plays the mascot of the area who falls in love with a shepherd, here the baritone Marc Barrard. She brings good fortune to the principality - but only if she can remain a virgin. Complications arise upon the arrival of the old Prince Laurent XVII and his over-sexed daughter, Fiametta. It all ends well, however, with the two lovers being married, and anticipating that the powers of the mascot will be rediscovered with the children. The veteran of the boards, Jacques Seyres, was an engaging Laurent XVII. His long career, starting at the Comédie Francaise in 1955, means that, by now, his role is more spoken than sung but he had such style and charm. Vernet still has problems with her voice but her role as the plucky, turkey-tending mascot relied more on her comic talents than anything else, and this she has in abundance. As her lover, Pippo, Marc Barrard probably recorded the best of the vocal performances of the evening. But this opera, or perhaps, operetta, does not depend on the voice. Since the level of singing was not much better than your average dinner theater, there is something else here that perhaps your reporter, not being a native of France, was missing. For me much of the music was like you might hear on a carousel, but some of the songs from this work have entered the popular culture and you could tell that the audience was clearly having a good time. The orchestra in the pit was Ensemble Orchestral de Paris under the enthusiastic direction of Jérôme Pillement. This production has been, or will be seen, in Nice, Marseille, Toulouse and Saint-Etienne. I was a block or two away and you could still hear the company repeating some popular choruses and the audience continuing to cheer.

A historical note: this opera was a huge hit at its 1880 Paris appearance and was soon enjoying success in London, Berlin and New York. By the end of the century, it has over 2000 performances in Paris alone. By comparison Manon (1884), Massenet's biggest success, had to wait until 1950 to reach the same number at the Opéra-Comique.

July

Aida at the Théàtre antique d'Orange

Photo Grand Angle - Orange

With very little going on in the way of major lyric events in Paris in July and August, most Parisians are, for the good part of the Summer, on vacation and this often includes the South of France. The three major French summer festivals, in Orange, Aix-en-Provence and Montpellier, reflect this Southern migration and their expanded activities this year indicate an increased attention to opera during the warm months.

Those that were tardy in leaving the capital could enjoy an early July opera at the Festival of Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris. The events take place on a stage at the huge Basilica of Saint-Denis, which was the former spiritual seat of the kings of France. The opera I caught was Verdi's Giovanna d'Arco starring Dennis O'Neill as the French king and Denia Mazzola as his spiritual - and military - savior. It was a high-energy, passionate performance, swept along behind Marco Guidarini's forceful conducting of the Orchestra National de France and Choir of Radio France. The imposing resonance of the enormous space often added, but sometimes subtracted, from the overall performance. Speaking of enormous spaces, the last event in the festival was an Aïda performed on 14 July in the vastness of the Stade de France. The press and most of the opera-loving public largely ignored this megalomaniac effort, also conducted by Guidarini.

With France suffering with the wettest July in recent history, the night of July 10 was fortunately clear, if cool, and without the Mistral winds that often whip at the clothing of the artists.