Opera Japonica/Archives/Letters from Paris 2002

Frank Cadenhead's Letters from Paris 2002

January

Les Divertissements de Versailles, with (left to right) Olivier Lallouette, Rinat Shaham, Sophie Daneman and conductor William Christie

One of the most anticipated opera events of the season was the appearance of Natalie Dessay in the Opéra de Lyon's production of Donizetti's Lucie de Lammermoor. This opera, in a French version created by the composer in 1837, also starred Roberto Alagna as Edgard and was to be taped for broadcast on the French/German television channel, Arte. When the production was broadcast, on January 22, audiences were surprised by the substitution of Italian soprano Patrizia Ciofi in the title role.

Miss Dessay has been experiencing vocal troubles which forced her to cancel most of her appearances last Fall, including appearances as Zerbinetta in the Metropolitan Opera's Ariadne auf Naxos. Her appearance in her hometown of Lyon in the French version of Donizetti's opera in early January was eagerly awaited. It was this new production that was to be recorded for television and is also scheduled for repeat performances in Paris in June.

Late in December, an Opéra de Lyon press release announced that due to a 'health problem', Natalie Dessay would only sing the half of the six scheduled performances and that Italian soprano Patrizia Ciofi would be singing the others. The January 7 opening night was well received and Dessay was favorably reviewed in the press. The critic for the Le Monde said she missed only the 'supplement of ease, the abandonment without limit' but allowed that the Mad Scene was 'staggering'.

Patrizia Ciofi as Lucie and Roberto Alagna as Edgard in Lucie de Lammermoor, the French version of Donizett's opera, at Lyon

Photo: Gerard Amsellem

However, on January 22, when the credits rolled during the overture, the name of Patrizia Ciofi was listed in the role of Lucie. The only announcement during the performance was a note, scrolled across the scene during the course of the opera, that 'for technical reasons' Natalie Dessay could not appear. The shock turned to pleasure for many as this young, not widely known soprano gave a performance of uncommon brilliance and assurance. It was a 'debut' which will no doubt become a storied one. Most recently she appeared in Paris at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées as Susanna in La Nozze di Figaro conducted by René Jacobs where she received much critical praise. She is scheduled to appear as Sofie in the new production of Der Rosenkavalier at the Opéra de Paris in March and later as Gilda in Rigoletto at Covent Garden in London.

Best-selling tenor Roberto Alagna was impressive as Edgard. Theis role fit his voice and his ease of delivery, creamy voice and acting skills made this one of his most successful outings. The baritone Ludovic Tézier used his smallish voice to great effect and was an impressive Henry. The somber production, by Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser, worked very well and the drama was uncommonly effective. Evelino Pido, the excellent young Italian maestro, led a taut, exciting performance.

No explanation was given as to what 'technical problem' prevented Natalie Dessay from being the Lucie. We can assume that she is still unsatisfied with her voice. There was no word on future cancellations. She has appearances scheduled in April with the Orchestre de Paris and in June with this same opera production, this time at the Châtelet Theater in Paris. A short excerpt was shown of her singing a few minutes of the Mad Scene on a French television show a few days later. Whether this performance will ever be issued on video or DVD is anyone's guess.

Roberto Alagna as Edgard in the Lyon Lucie de Lammermoor

Photo: Gerard Amsellem

A musical celebration of Louis XIV's favorite composer, Jean-Baptiste Lully, graced the stage of the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. Called Les Divertissements de Versailles, it was meant to give an impression of a gala musical evening at the court of the Sun King. Devised by conductor William Christie and performed by his orchestra and chorus, Les Arts Florissants, it is a selection of key scenes from Lully's lyric works. Semi-staged, with costumes and dancers, by the Peniche Opera's Mireille Larroche, it was an impressive display of Lully's enduring musical value.

At first glance, it appeared to be similar to the type of program done a few decades ago with the assumption that the audience is just beginning to make the acquaintance of the composer. But more than a few people in the sophisticated first night audience were asking whether this was necessary: with the strong assemblage of talent on stage, why not just perform a complete opera?

Maybe Christie is a victim of his own success. Last year, celebrating his 20th year as the founder and conductor of Les Arts Florissants, he was appropriately honored for leading the French music scene in the rediscovery of their Baroque musical heritage. His single-handed rescue of Marc-Antoine Charpentier from the musical dustbin and his acclaimed productions and widely sold recordings of Lully, Desmarest and Rameau, among others, have made him among the best known interpreters of this period. He has inspired a generation of musicians and singers while historically informed performance have become commonplace and even mainstream in France. Now, hardly a week goes by in Paris without a Baroque original instrument performance of high quality on some stage or other.

Christie remains focused on the original mission and continues to patiently build audiences for the French Baroque masters. For this particular evening, he assembled an impressive array of vocal talent. The popular soprano Sophie Daneman sang arias of several heroines from operas like Le Mariage forcé, Atys and L'Amour médecin. A newcomer, the Israeli soprano Rinat Shaham, made a strong impression with her arias from Armide. There was forceful, if a bit rough-edged, singing from baritone Olivier Lallouette, who showed, in his two arias from the title role of Roland, that Lully wrote some powerful, almost Verdian, roles for the baritone voice. Paul Agnew contributed nicely with a clear and focused tenor and the other predominately French vocalists sang with a precise diction and purity of tone so necessary for the music and the texts (by Molière and Quinault). Maestro Christie kept the orchestra textures clear and the music lively and the Choir of Les Arts Florrisants sang with spirit. The costumes, borrowed from the Opéra de Paris and the Centre of Baroque Music at Versailles, added to the ambiance.

In April and May, this program will circulate to several cities in France as well as London, Salamanca, Vienna and Leipzig. The program notes also promise a recording of 'Great Scenes' of Lully which will be available in association with the Spring tour and is likely containing much of the same music as in these Paris appearances. For those music lovers not yet familiar with Lully there could be no better introduction.

More than forty years after his début at the Opéra de Paris, José Van Dam was back singing the title role in six performances of Jules Massenet's twilight masterpiece, Don Quichotte at the Opéra-Bastille. His performance will linger long in the public memory. When José Van Dam does retire there will certainly be many serious lovers of fine singing that will morn the loss of his exceptional artistry and elegant voice on the world's stages. One of the last links to an almost lost grand tradition of French singing, his creamy baritone and faultless diction has no equal. His opening night portrayal of the besotted, love-struck old knight is a lesson in meaningful and detailed acting.

Other parts of the operatic casting were less successful. Van Dam was partnered with a handsomely sung Sancho Panza of Alain Vernhes. While not having the easy comic talent of Jean-Philippe Lafont of last year, his vocal talent was best shown in Act IV as he pleads for understanding for his abused master in the aria 'Ca, vous commettez tous un acte épouvantable'.Even odder casting was Béatrice Uria-Monzon as Dulcinée. Possessing a powerful, steely mezzo she was unconvincing as a coquette and even less so when the music called for tenderness. The secondary roles were all appropriately sung and the choir, despite some tardy entrances, sang with vigor.

The orchestra sounded thin and wan under Stéphane Denève's baton and the melodic gifts of Massenet were not as much in evidence as they were last year under the regular conductor, James Conlon. Back again was the colorful, carnival atmosphere of Gilbert Deflo's handsome production, first seen last season. Returning also from last season is the Spanish dance troupe Company Antonio Márquez.

Lovers of French opera were saddened to hear of the death of one of the great French tenors of Twentieth Century, Alain Vanzo. He died January 27 in a hospital near his home in the Paris suburb of Gournay-sur-Marne. He was 73 years old. Born in Monaco in 1928, he began singing at the Opéra de Paris in 1954 and in 1957 won fame for his interpretation of Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor. Recognized as one of the major tenors in France, he sang Edgardo again in Paris with Joan Sutherland in 1960. His career took him to several important international stages, including the San Francisco Opera and the Metropolitan Opera in New York where he sang Faust.

A specialist in the French repertory, in 1985 he enjoyed a major triumph in the title role of Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable at the Palais Garnier in Paris. He sang the principal tenor roles in recordings of Lakmé byLeo Delibes with Joan Sutherland, Thomas's Mignon with Marilyn Horne and Fauré's Pénélope with Jessye Norman. He composed the operetta Pêcheur d'étoiles (1972) and the opera Les Chouans (1982). Virtually the only French tenor of international standing in the post-war era, Vanzo was famed for his clear lyric tenor and intelligent musicianship.

February

Rameau's Platée at the Palais Garnier: (left to right) Franck Leguerinel as Momus, Mireille Delunsch as La Folie, Paul Agnew as Platée, Laurent Naouri as Citheron and Vincent Le Texier as Jupiter

The special night at the opera in February was the performance of Rameau's Platée at the Opéra at the Palais Garnier. This was a reprise of the mega-hit of the 1999 season and it had lost none of its punch or its flavor of genius - described by Le Monde as a 'veritable revelation musically and dramatically'. The same team as before, headed by Marc Minkowski and his Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble, the stage designer Laurent Pelly and the choreographer Laura Scozzi, recreated their offbeat, goofy and totally engaging production.

This production captures the spirit of the original masterpiece for a contemporary audience. Rameau was trying something entirely new and cheeky - taking the opera seria figures from the Greek legends and making them characters is an opera buffa. This he did with wit, humor and joyful use of the language. Alliteration, puns and double meanings abound and the almost exclusively French cast was careful to make itself understood to an often-chortling audience. This composition, by a young composer for a young king, is one of the great operas in the baroque repertory and an innovative composition for the lyric stage.

In this production, the curtain opens and the audience sees steeply raked rows of empty theater seats which fills the stage. As the overture continues prim usherettes with flashlights begin to seat couples. The pace accelerates until the usherettes start, for no reason, moving and re-seating patrons. By the time of the finale of the overture this shuffling has reached a level of insanity that would make Max Sennett dizzy. The second act finds this theater split in two and in disuse and, in the third act, the theater is in moss-covered fragments.

Almost everyone is in 1960-style suit and tie, except for the outrageous drag-queen costumes for the women and their impersonators. The singers were of the first rank of the younger generation of French singers and sang uniformly with strength and assurance. Outstanding in the role of La Folie was the very talented Mireille Delunsch. Dressed in a gown made of musical-score pages, her third act aria was a tour de force of coloratura singing, captivating the audience. Tenor Paul Agnew was the campy Platée and Yann Beuron was a dashing Mercure. The night I attended there were several cameras in the hall. The French television channel FR3 is recording several Opéra de Paris productions. There has been no announcement so far as to when they might be shown.

Platee at the Opera Garnier. Franck Leguerinel as Momus and Paul Agnew as Platee

At the Bastille in February was the 'definitive version' of the opera Medea of Rolf Liebermann. The composer had a long association with the Opéra, and was a well-respected General Director from 1973 to 1980. He died on 2 January 1999. A distinguished composer, when not busy with opera management, his opera was given a dramatic staging by a long time associate, Jorge Lavelli. Written with strong rhythms and ample percussion, it contains echoes of other dominant 20th Century composers. However critics were divided on the question whether his opera would be revived often in the future.

Young American soprano Jeanne-Michele Charbonnet triumphed in the title role. Critics and public alike praised Baritone Petri Lindroos and countertenor Lawrence Zazzo for their portrayal of the lovers, Jason and Creon. The on-stage explicit embraces of these two made this perhaps the first opera to have an overt homosexual theme, and attracted even more than the usual amount of attention. The Opéra's Music Director James Conlon was kept out of the pit by a hernia operation and in his place was conductor Daniel Klajner.

At the invitation of Jean-Pierre Brossmann, Director of the Théâtre du Châtelet, the Glyndebourne Festival shipped over two successful productions each for four performances. First off, on January 29, was the superb production of Handel's Rodelinda from the 1998 season, followed the next night with Deborah Warner's acclaimed production of Fidelio with Simon Rattle in the pit, which first appeared at the Festival in May of last year.

Rodelinda was one of those perfect nights at the theater that only come around a few times a year. William Christie, the France-based early music specialist, was on top form conducting the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the grace and worth of the music shown in all its glory. With an extraordinarily fine stage design and direction by his long-time associate, Jean-Marie Villégier, one wondered if this opera had ever been more perfectly staged.

Restrained but glamorous stage images and costumes, styled after the early days of black and white Hollywood films, were combined with taut and carefully controlled stage action. Under Villégier's detailed direction, the performance had a dramatic tension and viability confounding all normal expectations of Baroque opera. The singing was of exceptional quality also. As the fair Rodelinda, Anna Caterina Antonacci had the necessary fire and spirit for her imposing role. She was paired with the German counter-tenor star Andreas Scholl who dominated the stage with his lovely voice and commanding theatrical sense. American tenor Kurt Streit made a strong impression in the role of Grimoaldo, as did Jean Rigby as Eduige. The high level of singing, acting and music making made this performance one to stay long in the memory of the lucky audience.

There were also high expectations for the performances of Beethoven's Fidelio under Sir Simon Rattle. With a dramatically charged and compelling production by director super-star Deborah Warner, another sure-fire hit seemed in the offing. But not all of the necessary elements for a universally acclaimed production were in place for the performances at Châtelet. Although Rattle has been conducting this orchestra for years, his feeling for 'historical informed performance' may still be questioned. His megawatt musical delivery and his push-pull of orchestral dynamics stretched this group beyond their limits and muffed notes, always an issue with baroque-style instruments, were more frequent than usual.

The vocal talent was also uneven. Tenor Kim Begley, as Florestan, was solid and imposing, but German soprano Anne Schwanewilms as Leonora, although strong of voice, made little impression in the way of interpretation or legato singing. Less impressive still was the Rocco of Reinhard Hagen and the Pizzaro of baritone Steven Page, who barked his role rather than sang it. However Toby Spence was a fine Jaquino and Lisa Milne was a sympathetic Marzelline.

The evening gained stature by the involving and thoughtful production by Warner. Moved to recent times, the first act set reminded the audience that the opera was set in a prison. A maze of chain-link fencing suggested either a Soviet-era Gulag camp or Guantanamo Bay. The performers, receiving careful dramatic guidance, give new life to the drama and the libretto took on new and engaging importance. This, however, sometimes came at a price. In the final scene, after the arrival of the governor, the prisoners and their loved ones were united in joyful celebration with much hugging, back slapping and catching up. While this may be good drama, it meant that the chorus members were not always attentive of the conductor with resulting imprecise attacks and general tentative singing in this most stirring and monumental finale in all opera.

Despite these major quibbles, there is no doubt that Rattle is one of the great conductors now on the musical scene. His intelligent performances always uncover new depths in the music. This Fidelio has much new detail and electricity. Warner's fresh examination of this often indifferently staged work should also be welcomed by opera lovers. So there was much to admire in this imperfect effort.

Did he do it for love or for money? There is evidence that Hector Berlioz made the 1841 French version of Carl Maria von Weber's 1821 Die Freischütz so that he could have the revision copyrighted under France's fledgling intellectual property laws. This meant Berlioz would be paid and he indeed earned more from this edition than from his own compositions. His main contribution to the revision was the writing of recitatives to replace the then out-of-fashion spoken dialogue as well as some minor musical adjustments to accommodate differences in language. But Berlioz also had a good ear and was one of his century's most perceptive writers on music. His recitatives are positive additions to the opera. Composed with the style and melodies of the opera in mind, they add to the dramatic effect and the flow of the story. He was aware that the opera was considered one of the great masterpieces of the lyric stage and that it influenced the course of operatic history. Meyerbeer, later Wagner, and even Debussy were heavily influenced and acknowledged their debt. This opera is a cornerstone of the early German Romantic period and is full of original, engaging music but even today is seldom heard outside German opera houses.

As part of the season-long celebration of the music of Berlioz, leading up to the bicentennial of his birth in 2003, the Orchestre de Paris has programmed a wide range of works. The uncommonly passionate and committed performance of Die Freischütz by the orchestra, just back from a successful tour in the United States, the powerhouse chorus under Arthur Oldham's leadership, and a collection of gifted singers, made this evening one of the highlights of the Paris season.

The women carried away the honors with sublime performances by Michaela Kaune as Agathe and Annick Massis as Annette. Kaune's rendition of the famous Act II aria, 'leise, leise' (but this evening 'doucement, doucement') was as perfect a bit of singing as I have heard anywhere. Possessing a clear and supple voice, she adds the nuance and meaning to her singing to put her in the top rank of today's singers. French soprano Massis has gone from triumph to triumph recently and the duets between the two were a treasure of the art of singing.

The men also provided a strong showing. Leading off was a splendid and assured Gaspard (Caspar) sung with melting beauty by José Van Dam. When he is not in the extremes of his range, there is still no better baritone singing today. French Baritone Marc Barrard sang a forceful and detailed Kilian/Otokar and Jean-Philippe Courtis contributed handsomely in the role of Kouno. The role of Max was sung by German tenor Endrik Wottrich who was flown in with only 48 hours to learn the Berlioz recitatives (replacing Clifton Forbis, who had the flu). He has recorded this role with Harnoncourt but I found his voice lacking in warmth and ease.

At the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées there was an uneven concert performance of the seldom-performed Wagner opera Rienzi. With veteran tenor Thomas Moser in the title role and soprano Nancy Gustavson in the role of Irene, the vocal duties were impressively handled. Claus-Peter Flor conducted the Orchestre National de France, replacing the announced Jeffery Tate, and the orchestra lacked cohesion and precision.

La vie parisienne is on an extended run at the Opéra-Comique. This was a ham-fisted and badly presented production by Jerome Savary and his music-hall buddies of this delicious, bubbly farce by Offenbach. As heavy and as unappealing as a block of lard, it featured poor playing in the pit, weak singers on stage and stage action that would cause Benny Hill to blush. One worries for the future of this historic theater. Deborah Voigt was featured in an all-Strauss (Richard) at the Bastille with Gustav Kuhn conducting the Orchestra of the Opera de Paris. There were also recitals in Feburary by Andreas Scholl and Susan Graham.

March

Macbeth at the Bastille: Marco Berti as Macduff (left) and Vsevolod Grivnov as Malcolm (Act IV)

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

On the last Wednesday of the month, at the end of the run of Verdi's Macbeth, the Director of the Opéra de Paris, Hugues Gall, announced that both stars, Deborah Voight and Leo Nucci, had been awarded the 'Chevalier de Ordre des Arts et Letters'. This award, given to artists who have contributed significantly to the culture of France, was only the latest evidence of the wide public praise of their triumphant performance.

In the title role, baritone Leo Nucci, a veteran of the opera stage and the recording studio, sang with his well-known insight and passion. He showed no signs of slowing down; indeed he sang with a noticeable roundness of tone and freshness of voice. Voight, one of the top sopranos on the stage today, was in impressive vocal estate for her role as Lady Macbeth and the challenging mad scene was delivered with awe-inspiring virtuosity. Her skill as a great Verdian has yet to compare with her clear mastery of the great roles of Richard Strauss, but it would be hard to imagine a better performance of this role anywhere today.

Also impressive was the very fine Macduff of the young Italian tenor, Marco Berti. He has developed a powerful, well-shaped and expressive voice and his last act aria literally stopped the show. Vsevlod Grivnov was a sturdy Malcolm and Claudia Pallini contributed much in her small role as the maidservant. James Conlon conducted with his usual insight and musical force. The higher artistic level when he is in the house can clearly be felt.

Der Rosenkavalier at the Bastille: Angelika Kirschlager as Octavian

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

March also saw Conlon conduct a fresh, restudied and involved Der Rosekavalier with a trio of superb women to fill the night with magic. Conlon divested the work of much of the 'schlag' usually found and the work emerged well laundered and gleaming. In the introduction to Act II, for example, most are accustomed to a very hurried account. Conlon took this at about half the normal speed and it was revelatory: plenty of bite but also details you never knew were there. It was a delicate texture, like a Mendelssohn overture, in his hands.

Soile Isokoski was the Marschallin and her performance received a good deal of critical and audience applause. She was vocally brilliant and commanding in this role and and missed only fine details of portrayal to make her one of the great interpreters of this role. Superlatives are also in order for the masterful Sophie of Patrizia Ciofi. As the last minute replacement for Natalie Dessay in the Lyon Opera's Lucie de Lammermoor, she achieved international renown. Her arching phrases in the Act II aria and duet were delivered with unmatched beauty. You could feel the audience holding their collective breath.

Angelika Kirchschlager played a rambunctious Octavian, 17 going on 14. It was a finely detailed account and wonderfully sung. Her only fault is that her legs are rather too pretty to be a boy's. Conlon took the last act trio at a slower than normal pace but the singers, all young and healthy, had no problem with the longer vocal lines. An example of the vocal art at its highest, most elegiac level. Franz Hawlata was a very fine Ochs and contributed lots of intelligent and carefully managed boorishness. The only thing lacking was the profound low note than ends Act II. Tito Beltran gave his best impersonation of an over-emoting, bleating tenor and Peter Sidhom was an authoritative Faninal.

The excellent production by Herbert Wernicke, first seen at Salzburg, features mirrored panels which reflects the audience as the curtain opens but rotate slightly later to reflect the wall décor of the various rooms of the story. First performed at the Opéra in 1997, it is a dramatic and imposing backdrop for some of the most extraordinary singing of this season.

Der Rosenkavalier at the Bastille: Act I with Soile Isokoski as the Marschallin and Angelika Kirschlager as Octavian

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

The third of six operas to be offered at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées was Cimarosa's Il matrimonio secreto and it was as well crafted and sensibly produced as the others seen so far. Young Christophe Rousset and his 'historically informed' band, Les Talens Lyriques, gave the old work a new reading.

A trio of women are also central to this opera and we were fortunate to have three of the most able in this repertory. The Fidalma was the well-known mezzo Bernarda Fink who sang with unalloyed beauty and skill. Playing Elisetta was the vibrantly voiced Anna Maria Panzarella. Both have a reputation in recordings and performance of early opera. The role of Carolina here was sang with remarkable aplomb by Laura Giordano. Born in Palermo only in 1979, she missed a bit of the precision and refinement of her older colleagues but she has a gorgeous, bright soprano and should be seen soon on world stages. The most delightful moments were when these three were on the stage together.

The men mostly came from the post-baroque, Rossini-oriented, school of singing who know how to sing coloratura with care and pleasure. The count was Lorenzo Regazzo who had a particularly fine grasp of the role and a superior baritone instrument. The Geronimo, Bruno Pratico, lacked the requisite vocal heft for this role but performed with spirit. American tenor Jeffrey Francis sang with grace and musicality.

Pine was the wood of choice for the décor and the stage looked like the inside of a very large sauna. However, the tasteful period costumes and minimal stage decoration emphasized the action that was simple, busy and served the story.

Cimarosa's Il matrimonio secreto at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées: Lorenzo Regazzo as The Count and Anna Maria Panzarella as Elisetta

Photo: Alvaro Yanez

This theater has announced its operas for next season. Among them are a work entitled Opera Seria by Florian Gassman. Also featured are the Cunning Little Vixen and La Cenerentola starring Vivica Genaux as Angelina. This all can be reviewed at the website www.TheatreChampsElysees.fr.

Is it the time for a re-evaluation of the operas of Carl Maria von Weber? There was an unplanned mini-festival of two of his masterpieces in Paris within the past month. I wrote here about Weber's Die Freischütz (version française by Berlioz) given by the Orchestre de Paris at the Salle Pleyel in February. Now, at Châtelet, John Eliot Gardiner has enlisted his Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and the Monteverdi Choir for three semi-staged and engaging performances of Weber's final masterpiece, Oberon.

This opera was performed in 'version originale' which, being originally a Covent Garden commission, is in English. Those who are familiar with the well-known overture to this opera will already know many of the principal musical themes of this work. I find myself swept along by the extraordinary music, hearing very few weak spots and wondering why Weber is so seldom seen in the repertory of major opera houses outside of Germany.

Always an issue with opera and contemporary audiences, the plot of Oberon has its share of silliness. It seems the Caliph of Baghdad's daughter, Reiza, falls in love with a man she has only dreamt about. A knight called Sir Huon of Bordeaux happens to be that man. This libretto is packed with the fairy king Oberon, Puck, Charlemagne, a magic horn, pirates, harem escapes and shipwrecks. Help is provided by a narration delivered by the gifted actor, Roger Allam. Written by Allam, with the help of the conductor - known to be a wit himself - it replaces about an hour of singspiel talk with clever dialogue that moves the story along and pokes gentle fun at the plot. It seemed just the right approach.

Also impressive were the two lovers, Sir Huon sung by the American Tenor Charles Workman and Reiza, sung by the Swedish soprano Hillevi Martinpelto. Workman's chiseled features made him ideal as the handsome, clueless and slightly pompous hero and his clear and bright tenor served the music well. Martinpeltoo sang her demanding role with force and impressive skill. Her extended aria 'Ocean, thou Mighty Monster' was a thrilling achievement. Steve Davislim, with his lighter tenor, was a satisfying Oberon as was the Sherasmin of William Dazeley and the Fatima of Marina Comparato. Francis Bourne was a featureless Puck.

Rounding out an unusually interesting month, the Orchestre National de France presented a neglected opera on March 28, the latest in an annual series. Last year it was Faure's opera Pénélopé. This year Georges Bizet's almost forgotten opera, Ivan IV, was given a concert performance and broadcast live on France Musiques. Sounding like something ripped from this year 's headlines, it is the story of Czar Ivan IV (sometimes referred to by uncharitable elements as 'the Terrible') and an assassination plot against him by oppressed Moslem extremists in the Caucasus. The operatic complication here is that the tenor assigned to do the deed arrives to find his long-lost sister has just married the monster.

Conducted by the skilled Michael Schönwandt, director of the opera in Copenhagen, it was accompanied by a gifted cast of singers who made a strong case for the value of the music. Soprano Inva Mula was the young girl who wins the fearsome Czar's heart. Her powerful dramatic soprano was equally matched by the Australian tenor Julian Gavin as her brother, Igor. French baritone Ludovic Tézier was the sturdy Czar and bass Paul Gay struggled a bit with the heaviness of the role of Temrouk. The Young Bulgarian, sung by the talented soprano Henriette Bonde-Hansen, has some of the most appealing music in the work.

The last act remained only partially complete after the composer's untimely death and the opera received its first performance only in 1947. Rarely performed since then, this edition has an ending to Act V composed by the English composer and conductor Howard Williams. A work of powerful expression, this is Bizet's only grand opera. With an impressive finale to finish each act, it often forces the singers to struggle to be heard against a massed chorus and orchestra. But the composer's keen dramatic sense infuses a relatively static plot with fresh melody and strong ensembles. It in no way deserves its present neglect.

Finally, rounding out an unusually interesting month, there was a performance of 'Le Noces de Figaro' at the intimate Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne. This was a revival of Pierre Jourdan's 1997 staging of Le nozze di Figaro with a new French text by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt. It appeared to be a seamless adaptation and sounded agreeably new and novel in French. Heading the cast was a notable portrayal of Figaro by the young French baritone Till Fechner. Mylène Mornet was a sprightly Suzanne and Paul Medioni was a notable Dr. Bartholo.

April

Arabella at the at the Châtelet: Karita Matilla in the title role and Thomas Hampson as Mandryka

Photo: Marie-Noel Robert

The cast assembled for the performances of Arabella at Théâtre du Châtelet represents a milestone in the growing importance of the operas of Richard Strauss in the world repertory system. This opera, Strauss's final collaboration with Hugo von Hofmannsthal, has a recent history of being the vehicle for a (usually aging) diva to take her star turn, singing one of Strauss' most delicious roles for the soprano voice. The fever-pitch level of anticipation of this production was certainly because the two other major roles in the opera were, contrary to tradition, also given to singers of the first rank.

Sharing the spotlight with the soprano superstar Karita Matilla in the title role was the equally-acclaimed baritone Thomas Hampson. Playing Arabella's sister was the pretty, talented cover girl of this month's Gramophone magazine, Barbara Bonney. This concentration of internationally famous voices, still in their youthful prime (Matilla and Hampson are both doing the roles for the first time), would be rare on any stage in any city. Adding to the mix the conducting of renowned Strauss interpreter Christoph von Dohnányi and the honored and innovative stage director Peter Mussbach, and it had all the ingredients of a performance that would be talked about for years to come.

Unavailable for the opening night performance due to a cold, Mattila sang the second performance with a handkerchief tucked in her sleeve for occasional discrete nose blows and dabbing. However there was no indication that her voice was in any way impaired, and she sang with a warm, power and easy grace. Her glorious projection and detailed portrayal put her clearly at the top rank of great Straussian interpreters. One waits with impatience her future Strauss heroines. Mossback took advantage of her youth and interpretive skills. Mattila's Arabella was a young girl trembling on the brink of adult commitments and duties. Her love scenes had vitality, sensuality and a passion seldom experienced in this role.

Karita Matilla as Arabella and Barbara Bonney as Zdenka at the Châtelet

Photo: Marie-Noel Robert

Thomas Hampson, one of today's reigning baritones, is known for his warm, round-toned voice and acting skills. It was a revelation to see Mandryka being done by such a splendid talent, confirming his belief that this is one of the great baritone roles in the opera repertory. His Act II aria was a multi-layered plea for an end to his loneliness and was delivered with extraordinary richness and power. The two duets, sung with overarching beauty by the lovers, were a highlight of the production.

Peter Mussbach, and his set designer Erich Wonder and costume designer Andrea Schmidt-Futterer, created a production that took place entirely in the lobby of an ultra-modern hotel. Clean lines and a sweeping, curvilinear staircase dominate the lobby (probably influenced by the hotel work of top designer Philippe Starck). All the action was placed in a single set, not a problem in my view, and Mussbach made innovative use of the multi-level space. Costumes were colorful, handsome and filled with skinny, terribly fashionable young people in the Ball scene, making as much contrast as possible with the somber Biedermeier fashion that one usually finds used in this opera. The three suitors that lost Arabella to Mandryka were appropriately foppish in their velvet coats and long hair.

The Matteo in this production, Hugh Smith, sang more freely in the second performance than at opening night. He was also reported to be recovering from a cold. However he seems to be forcing his strong tenor a bit too much in this role. Anyone who has seen Donald Gramm's masterful performance as the father of the bride, Count Waldner, might not be entirely convinced by the performance of baritone Günter Missenhardt - others may find it well-realized and spirited. Olga Trifonova, with orange hair in the coloratura role of Milli, sounded less shrill on the second night of the run and Cornelia Kallisch's strong voice impressed as Adelaide, the mother.

The Philharmonia Orchestra from London was in the pit under the baton of Christoph von Dohnányi. His lean but muscular conducting splendidly illuminated many telling details in this remarkable work. This opera, a coproduction with the Royal Opera, will be seen at Covent Garden in the upcoming season and is also being recorded during in Paris for eventual release on CD and DVD.

Karita Matilla as Arabella and Thomas Hampson as Mandryka at the Châtelet

Photo: Marie-Noel Robert

At the Bastille, the production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia might be known by some wags as 'Il Barbiere di Kabul'. Coline Serreau, the designer of this new production, has taken this opportunity to make her views known about the treatment of women in Moslem countries. In the program, her notes remind the reader that Seville was part of the Islamic Empire for 400 years or so, and that the Catholic Church continued the long-standing practice of the suppression of women. Shifting the location to some unspecified Arab locale does not actually do violence to the story, and serves to highlight the eventual triumph of love and freedom over confined conformity.

Serreau, whose first opera staging was last year's controversial Die Fledermaus, is not offering a polemic tract this time. An accomplished actor and filmmaker, she knows that this opera, with the revolutionary and irrepressible fun of the Beaumarchais play and the cork-popping effervescence of a 24-year-old Rossini, is the right vehicle to make her point with humor.

The curtain rises - not on a town square - but a desert with an Arab fortress wall to one side. The Count arrives to serenade his love outfitted very much like Douglas Fairbanks in 'The Thief of Baghdad'. For Rosina's brief 'appearance' in this scene, you see nothing but a veil. The second scene is a splendid Arabic interior, complete with a fountain in the middle. The American mezzo Joyce DiDonato, making her debut with the Opéra, appeared again covered from head to toe; only showing her face when she knows she is alone. Baritone Carlos Chausson, the Doctor Bartolo, appeared in a beard and costume closely approximating that of a Taliban official but paced about á la Groucho Marx.

When Miss DiDonato sang her 'Una voce poco fa' she began behind a decorative grillwork in front of the stage. Later she burst through this barrier, and sang her final coloratura fireworks with evident self-affirming girl power. It was an impressive debut. She has power and vocal accuracy to spare. A confident and assured actor, she was an audience favorite.

The Bartolo of Carlos Chausson was perhaps the most musically satisfying performance. His bravura delivery and musical intelligence makes him an ideal Rossini baritone. His rendition of the devilishly difficult aria 'A un dottor della mia sorte' was a lesson in how to sing Rossini with accuracy and style. Tenor Roberto Saccà, the Count Almaviva, was also making his debut but apparently forgot to warm up his voice before making his entrance. His first act aria began with ugly sounds and he sounded rough until he rediscovered his voice about half way through. From then on he sang agreeably, if not memorably.

The comic side of Kristinn Sigmundsson is not often to be seen. He normally sings roles like the Grand Inquisitor, Klingsor and Méphistophélès but his giant frame wrapped around the role of Basilio like a glove. Serreau used him effectively and at one point had him lifting a complaining Bartolo off the ground and shaking him like a rag doll. With his awesome bass voice, it is unlikely that one will ever hear 'La calunnia' more forcefully declaimed.

In the title role, baritone Dalibor Jenis made a good impression and handled all of his complicated stage activity with seeming ease. His 'Largo al factotum' was smoothly dispatched and well received and his talented guitar playing during the Count's serenade was only one indication of his many-sided talents. Jeannette Fischer, singing the role of Berta, sang (and danced) with gusto.

The sets, by Jean-Marc Stehlé and Antoine Fontaine, were imposing by any measure and received the accolade, rare in Paris, of applause by the audience. Else Pavanel dressed her brigade of police like a fanciful and colorful Taliban army and otherwise provided eye pleasing costumes all around. The experienced Italian conductor Bruno Campanella, in charge in the pit, kept the musical pulse firm and on target. Serreau knows how to use her mostly young cast to get a laugh without being silly and it was the right theatrical touch for this delicious masterpiece. With singing that ranged from good to great, it made for appealing evening.

Il Barbiere de Siviglia at the Bastille in Paris: from left to right, Roberto Sacca as Count Almaviva, Carlos Chausson as Bartolo and Joyce DiDonato as Rosina

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

While in rehearsal, a few opera insiders had heard reports of wobbly wheels on the Idomeneo. So some in the audience were not surprised when the wheels fell off this new production of Mozart's early opera at the Palais Garnier. A musically limp and unattractive production, it was greeted with a good number of boos among the tepid applause of the first night audience on April 8.

The decision of the General Director of the Paris Opera, Hugues Gall, to entrust the stage direction of this production to the Music Director of the Lyon Opera, Ivan Fischer, also the conductor, was an early surprise. Only a few conductors have had the hubris to take on stage direction functions while conducting, the examples of Herbert von Karajan and John Eliot Gardiner come to mind. In a recent magazine interview, Fischer admitted that he had never done such a thing before and, more puzzling, indicated that he wanted to treat this opera in the style of dramatic 'grand opera', presumably meaning in the manner of Meyerbeer.

Paris opera-goers, used to the crisp, historically informed performances of William Christie, René Jacobs, Marc Minkowski and others might have sensed trouble hearing the overture played with a slack and uninspired feel. When the curtain opened, the situation did not improve, revealing dismal sets and odd costumes that spanned the range from medieval armor-plate to nun's habits to gypsy garb - a production without evidence of some unifying artistic idea.

Idomeneo at the Bastille

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

Unfortunately, a good number of very talented American singers had been engaged to sing in this wounded venture and only superstar mezzo Susan Graham managed to made a significant impression. Singing the trouser role of Idemante, she was the only one to sing in a poised and confident Mozartian style and shown gloriously in her role. The gifted soprano Christine Goerke was a raging Elettra (presumably at Fischer's direction) but sang her role more in the style of Strauss's Elektra than Mozart. Her last act aria had all the vocal fireworks and heaven-storming passion to please American audiences but probably seemed over-cooked to French audiences, used to singers specializing in the more balanced classical and baroque styles. Soprano Mary Mills, who enjoyed success last year at Bastille as the spoiled Infantin in Zemlinsky's Der Zwerg, was closer to this ideal but also, presumably at the conductor's direction, sang with outsized effort. Tenor Michael Myer's Arbace showed no Mozart sensibility or interpretive feel. Donald Litaker, the High Priest, made much of his small role but when the singer of this role is the best of the three tenors, it is an indication of a long night.

The title role was entrusted to the Romanian tenor Marius Brenciu who was making his first (and perhaps last) appearance on the Paris Opera stages. Singing with a tired, pinched voice straining to be heard, he cracked several times and simply glossed over all the demanding coloratura in his aria 'Fuor del mar'. Hired presumably because he has won first prize at practically every vocal competition in sight recently, his performance is perhaps more an indictment of the competition system itself and the dozing judges.

Marius Brenciu as Idomeneo and Mary Mills as Ilia

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

With stage sets that provoked giggles from the audience, vague conducting, ballet sequences that provoked guffaws and hoots, singers seemingly on their own theatrically and costumes that could have been pulled at random from a backstage trunk, it seems that the Opéra's director, Hugues Gall, has presided over another minor debacle. This reminds some of his decision to stage the unfortunate Attila earlier this season with another first-time director, Jeanne Moreau.

It seems odd that this opera, with a treasure of masterful operatic music but with a libretto lacking dramatic tension, should be played first for the drama, thus leaving the music ignored and ill-attended. Only in the ensembles, where Mozart obliged the actors to stand still and sing to a common purpose, could you see the sparks of what might have been.

May

Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer at at the Opéra-Bastille: left to right in foreground, Barbara Bornemann as Mary, Franz-Josef Selig as Daland, Kim Begley as Erik and Susan Anthony as Senta.

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

Der fliegende Holländer, a reprise at the Opéra-Bastille, could have been in trouble. This was the next opera in line following the lamentable Idomeneo at the Palais Garnier, described as a 'shipwreck' by the magazine Diapason. When the experienced Wagnerian conductor, Jiri Kout, withdrew not long before the rehearsals began, some prayed for calm seas. It was the pluck and talent of young conductor Daniel Klajner that saved the day. Musical Director in the opera of Würzburg, he received favorable notices when called at the last minute to fill in for James Conlon for Rolf Liebermann's opera Medea, in February at the Bastille. Conducting with assurance and confident musicality, he impressed more than many better-known names that have appeared on this podium in the past. The orchestra responded to his firm beat with eager playing, including the not-always-so-committed brass.

The decisive musical leadership was a help to the cast of young singers, some of whom were making Paris Opéra debuts. Most impressive was that of Albert Dohmen in the title role. His strong, golden bass-baritone voice and his ability to etch his musical lines with detail and colour made his aria 'Die Frist is um' a tour de force. American soprano Susan Anthony, a splendid Senta, sailed through the music of this demanding role with ease. Tenor Kim Begley seemed to struggle giving a smooth reading of the role of Erik but Franz-Josef Selig was appropriately gruff as Daland. The Willy Decker production, first seen in 2000 at the Bastille, had minimal stage business and the simple, monumental sets suitably framed this early example of Wagner's dramatic genius.

Der fliegende Holländer at at the Opéra-Bastille: : Susan Anthony as Senta

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

The American soprano Renée Fleming held court at the Théâtre du Châtelet for two concert performances of Il Pirata, on 13 and 16 May. The Bellini, a warm-up for the staged series this fall at the Metropolitan Opera, featured Marcello Giordani as Gualtiero and the impressive Russian baritone Albert Schagidullin as Ernesto.

Holding the audience in thrall, Fleming sang the bel canto vocal gymnastics with grace, beauty and virtuosity, delivering pianissimo high notes with unearthly ease. Among the general tumult at the end there were a very few boos. Whether these was from purists who resent her taking a role so closely associated with Callas, or whether it was for Giordani, an otherwise excellent tenor, who seemed to be struggling with a role that even the great Gigli avoided, was impossible to determine. The Italian Evelino Pido provided fine Bellinian energy and lyric clarity conducting the Orchestre National de France. This return to the bel canto repertory by Miss Fleming, after a decade or so of absence, is certain to be one of the best anticipated events of the New York season. There are rumors that negotiations are under way to issue this performance on CD.

The concert performance of Massenet's 'sacred legend', La Vierge (The Virgin Mary) was to have been a rare opportunity to hear soprano legend Montserrat Caballé. The Théâtre in Compiegne sent along the doctor's note for Miss Caballé along with the announcement of the cast change. The concert went ahead with French soprano Françoise Pollet in the title role with Miquel Ortega conducting the Orchestra National d'Ile de France. Although a cantata about the life of the mother of Jesus, it was, much like Verdi's Requiem, more resembling theater music than church music. Veteran soprano Pollet sang with impressive control and attention to the meaning of the text.

On 23 May, Renée Fleming joined with her old friend, conductor Christoph Eschenbach, in an evening at the Théâtre du Châtelet. With the Orchestre de Paris, she sang works from Mozart to Strauss, repertory for which she is well known. Eschenbach, Musical Director of the Orchestre de Paris, was on the podium for some of her important early successes in Houston, Texas a decade ago and their mutual admiration was apparent from the start.

Appearing in a stunning black Issey Miyake gown, she followed the orchestra's playing of the overture to Don Giovanni with another delicious work by Mozart, a soprano aria with rondo 'Ch'io mi scordi di te?' K. 505. Arranged by Mozart for orchestra and piano as a farewell present for Nancy Storace, the first Susanna, Eschenbach conducted this musical gem - seldom heard in the concert hall but one of Mozart's most inspired accomplishments - from the piano. Fleming sang with a clarity of the musical line and true Mozartian style.

Before the intermission, Eschenbach took the podium to conduct the overture to La forza del destino of Verdi and Fleming then returned to sing the 'Willow Song' from the same composer's Otello. It was here that she made perhaps her most significant impression. With her creamy legato, sturdy voice support, and astonishing ability to float a lovely pianissimo phrase, it is easy to see why she is considered by many to be without peer on the opera stage today. The final ascending notes of the concluding 'Ave Maria' of this segment were sculpted with an almost unearthly beauty and grace.

The final work on the program was the enchanting final scene from the opera Capriccio. Fleming, now in a gray Miyake, expressed the reflections of the countess who cannot decide between her two lovers, one a composer and the other a librettist. This scene, an overarching meditation on the relation between music and drama in opera, would be a test of any great soprano's interpretative talent. It could be that this dialogue touches on issues that the have yet to be fully explored in Miss Fleming's still-evolving career. Some critics have suggested that she relies too much on her free flowing golden tones and the perfectly controlled singing instrument with which she is blessed, instead of probing more deeply into the underlying drama.

But if there were any doubts that evening, they were banished and forgotten with Miss Fleming's single encore, 'Depuis le jour' from Gustave Charpentier's Louise. As she took her final bows and left the flower-strewn stage, there were probably even a few jaded critics who would have, in a different age, vied with the younger fans for a chance to pull her carriage down the boulevards of Paris.

June

Rusalka at the Bastille: Franz Hawlata as The Spirit of the Lake and Renee Fleming as Rusalka

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

It was a surprise to hear that the new production of Dvorak's most popular opera, Rusalka, was having its first performances in Paris - over 100 years after the debut in Prague. The Opéra de Paris, making amends for this oversight, had super-star soprano Renée Fleming singing the title role at the Bastille, a sturdy cadre of singers to support her and a sublime production by Robert Carsen.

Miss Fleming has sung this role all over the world. Her recent recording, with Sir Charles Mackerras, was critically acclaimed and is a best seller. She sang the famous aria from the opera, the 'Song to the Moon' when she won her first Metropolitan Opera competition at the beginning of her career. The role of the water nymph Rusalka suits her velvet voice and delicious phrasing. Fleming seemed hesitant on the opening night, June 19, at the Bastille but she warmed up during the opera and sang gloriously at the end. Unfortunately, the 'Song of the Moon' is in the first act and her efforts to add a measure of passion to this aria were unconvincing.

Sergei Larin was the Prince and confirmed his status as one of the best tenors on stage today. He acted with authority and sung with rich, ringing tones. As the Foreign Princess, Eva Urbanova made a strong impression with her powerful, slightly edgy voice and dominant stage presence. German bass baritone Franz Hawlata, recently heard at the Bastille as Ochs and Wozzeck, delivered a strong Water Goblin. As the sorceress, Jezibaba, mezzo Larissa Diadkova sang with strength, reinforcing the positive impression she made starring in Khovanshchina at the Bastille earlier this year. A fine team made up the duo of the Forest Guard and the Kitchen Boy. Michel Sénéchal, in his mid-70s was splendid with the 27-year-old rising French star, mezzo Karine Deshayes.

Carsen's sets and stage action served the opera grandly, at the same world-class level as his other triumphs. His first act set featured a king-sized bed center stage and half way up the wall, seemingly above water, symbolizing the nymph's desire to experience human feelings. In the second act, the bedroom was duplicated, one side as the reflected image of the other. When Rusalka lost the Prince's affections to the Foreign Princess, they changed places and Rusalka was left looking at the new couple through the seeming mirror that divided the room. With its purity and masterful stage lighting effects, this Carsen production will certainly be the most memorable of this season's new productions.

Renée Fleming as Rusalka at the Bastille

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

This year the Opéra National de Lyon was invited for Châtelet's annual celebration of regional opera companies in. They took up residence in the theater in June. The company has a good reputation for presenting innovative seasons and two interesting production from their current season exemplified the risk-taking, provocative programming to be seen during the year in Lyon.

The unblushingly theatrical and entertaining production of Ariadne auf Naxos, by Günter Krämer, was well cast and made for an enjoyable night at the opera. The Prologue took place in and around the orchestra on stage as the composer, sung by the marvellous mezzo-soprano Katharine Goeldner, prepared to entertain his high-class client. Her voice was remarkable well modulated and the delivery displayed a natural feel for Strauss. Everyone was in street clothes and the composer made last minute changes to the score while Ivan Fischer, Music Director of the Lyon Opera, was conducting.

Fischer himself did little here to rescue his reputation, following a disastrous Idomeneo at the Paris Opera in April. His conducting did not reveal the full wit and charm of this wonderful score. Filling the shoes of such predecessors in Lyon like Kent Nagano and John Eliot Gardiner has been difficult for him.

German soprano Christine Brewer sang the title role with splendid skill and impact. Tenor Jon Villars, as Bacchus, was indisposed and the substitute, whose name I did not catch, was struggling with the difficulties of the part all night. Others in the cast, all regulars at the Lyon opera, showed the vocal strengths of the company.

The second part of the Lyon Opera's residence in Paris was a recently restored French version of Donizetti's Lucie de Lammermoor originally prepared by the composer himself. This was intended as a vehicle for Lyon's home-town opera star, Natalie Dessay. Coming down with a voice problem in the middle of last year she began canceling all appearances. Most expected that she would be returning to the stage with this production in Lyon in January but she only managed to appear in three of the six performances. The others were taken by young Italian soprano Patrizia Ciofi who also appeared with Roberto Alagna in the January Europe-wide telecast of this production from Lyon.

Again hopes were high that the June Paris performances of this Lyon production would mark the grand return of this splendid coloratura soprano. In May, however, her management announced that all appearances until the end of this year will be canceled. Again Patrizia Ciofi took the role of the tragic heroine and these Paris appearances only adds to her growing reputation as one of the outstanding sopranos singing today.

For these performances the renowned tenor Marcello Alvarez was singing Edgar. At the first rank of the current crop of tenors, he was not, in this role, as convincing a belcantist as was Alagna in January's run. Baritone Ludovic Tézier repeated his success as Henri. Conductor Evelino Pido kept things sparkling and lively in the pit.

There was a sad run of performances of Falstaff starting June 11 at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. This was a production that debuted last year at the Aix-en-Provence Festival created by the great stage designer, Herbert Wernicke, who tragically passed away in April at the age of only 56. Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen was scheduled to conduct at Aix but took ill a few days before rehearsals began. He was announced to appear for these performances as well but decided not to take up the offer. Baritone Willard White was the richly sung Falstaff both at Aix and in Paris but Wernicke's theatrical direction, present at Aix, was sorely missed in the Paris run. The rest of the second range cast offered no surprises.

Two other operas returned to the Opéra stages in June with different casts. The 'Moorish' Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Bastille this time featured the very promising young French mezzo Sophie Koch as Rosina - certainly a singer to watch. Bruce Ford, as Almaviva, reminded us of his affinities for the music of Rossini. The colorful, popular Benno Besson production of Die Zauberflöte returned to the Palais Garnier with the luxury casting of the master baritone Kurt Moll as Sarastro. Paul Groves was a sturdy Tamino and Barbara Bonney, in another rare stage appearance, was an engaging Pamina. Armin Jordan led a surprisingly lively accompaniment in the pit.

At the Théâtre de Poissy, in an out-of-the-way suburb of Paris, some really amazing things sometimes happen. Most recently, on June 12, Marc Minkowski conducted the Musiciens du Louvre in a concert performance of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. It was a performance by which many others will be measured. Minkowski uses the version with tenor and had the excellent Richard Croft as Orfeo. With Mireille Delunsch as Euridice it was casting that other houses can usually only dream about. The theater is known for having the finest acoustics in the Paris area and performances are often recorded here, as this one was for Archiv.

Next month we will report on French summer festivals, highlighting Peter Eötvös' new opera, Le balcon, and a new production of Eugene Onegin at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. Romeo et Juillette and Die Zauberflöte are the featured works at Orange. La donna del lago and an almost forgotten opera of Offenbach, Les Fees du Rhin are being performed in Montpellier.

July

Peter Eötvös's Le Balcon at Aix-en-Provence: Hilary Summers as Irma, Allison Cook as Chantal, and Csaba Airizer as l'Évèque

Photo: Elizabeth Carecchio

The 54th Festival of Aix-en-Provence commanded much of the attention of the musical public in France this month. A much-anticipated world premiere of Peter Eötvös's second opera Le Balcon, with the composer conducting, was followed by a new production of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin.

Le Balcon at Aix-en-Provence: Hilary Summers as Irma and Morenike Fadayomi as Carmen

Photo: Elizabeth Carecchio

The success of his first opera, Three Sisters, which has been recorded and staged in Paris, Lyon and Berlin, has put Eötvös's new work at the top of most critics' must-see list. Jean Genet's Theater of the Absurd masterpiece, 'The Balcony' was the basis of the libretto and the composer's acerbic wit and jazzy, knotty music worked well with Genet's barbed prose. A particular impression was made by the firm and flowing contralto of Hilary Summers in the principal role of Irma, the Madame of a house of ill repute. Also notable was her sometimes rival, Morenike Fadayomi, as Carmen. The innovative staging of Stanislas Nordey and the synergy between the weird universe constructed by Jean Genet and the angular, innovative and ultimately moving music made my enthusiasm for this work grow as the evening wore on. It has clearly a greater dramatic pulse than his Three Sisters, and it assures his place as one of the most interesting composers writing opera today. His next opera, a treatment of Tony Kuschner's play, 'Angels in America', is scheduled at Aix in a few seasons time.

Le Balcon at Aix-en-Provence: Morenike Fadayomi as Carmen, Hilary Summers as Irma, and Jérôme Varnier as Arthur

Photo: Elizabeth Carecchio

The second new production was a handsome and skilful staging of Eugene Onegin. The producer and stage director, Irina Brook, told the story with simplicity, directness and a sure theatrical hand reminiscent of her famous father, Sir Peter Brook. Dressed in costume designer Noëlle Ginefri's contemporary linens with references to the 19th Century, the young singers were as good as any you are likely to hear these days. Olga Guryakova was the irresistible and engaging teenage Tatiana, jumping on her bed with joy in the Letter Scene and singing with soaring phrases and delicate pianissimos. Baritone Peter Mattei was sonorous and commanding in the title role and tenor Daniil Shtoda sang an earnest and clear-voiced Lensky. The chorus is from the young talent selected to participate in the festival as part of the 'Academie Européene de Musique'. These aspiring performers sing the chorus parts and, here, with the extensive coaching they receive as well as the rehearsal time they have, danced as well as they sang in the famous Waltz Scene. These forces and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, brilliantly led by Daniel Harding, made for an unforgettable evening of theater.

Eugene Onegin at Aix-en-Provence: Andréas Jäggi as Triquet and Olga Kuryakova as Tatiana (above) and Peter Mattei as Onegin and Daniil Shtoda as Lensky (below)

Photo: Elizabeth Carecchio

It is necessary to also mention young maestro Harding's second effort at Aix. He conducted a sizzling reprise of Peter Brook's production of Don Giovanni. This white-hot romp through the score could not be more in contrast with the Salzburg Don conducted with all the sober pompousness Nicholas Harnoncourt could muster. I cannot help but think that Mozart's own conducting might have been closer to Harding's brisk, insouciant style. Peter Mattei was again impressive as the Don and the excellent Swiss baritone, Gilles Cachemaille was his faithful servant. Two fine singers, sopranos Mireille Delunsch as a lovely Donna Anna and Alexandra Deshortes as an equally lovely Donna Elvira gave unusually compelling performances.

The Académie members were charged with the task of presenting an opera all by themselves. The Cunning Little Vixen (Prihody Lisky Bystrousky) of Janacek in the Théâtre du Jeu de Paume, was a lively and critically well received effort which will be circulating in Europe, including a stop in Paris, in the coming year. Another famed production with Acadamie members from a previous year also stopped by for return visit. William Christie was again at the helm of Les Arts Florrisant for Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria in a production that has been celebrated around the world.

A bit of a bump in the road at Aix was the removal of Jean-Marie Messier as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Festival. This was done at a meeting on July 5, only one day after his widely reported removal as the chief of struggling Vivendi Universal. A generous supporter of Aix, he remains a director.

The festival Les Choregies d'Orange, which is presented every year (since 1860) in the ancient Roman amphitheater in this lovely southern city, featured two opera productions this year. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte opened the festival with an all-star cast, as usual at this festival. Soile Isokoski was the Pamina and Réne Pape a magnificent Sarastro. The scheduled conductor, Myung-Whun Chung withdrew just before rehearsals started but the management found an excellent last-minute substitute: Christopher Hogwood. Conducting the Orchestre National de Radio France, his crisp-as-toast conducting made this orchestra sound like one of his original instrument bands and he charged the entire evening with a fervor and a high-level of musicianship not usually experienced in these casual, out-of-doors settings.

French television viewers who tuned in on Tuesday, July 30 to watch a live performance of Romeo et Juliette from Orange found themselves watching a different drama being played out on stage alongside the Shakespearean one. Instead of the Tuesday night performance, viewers were shown a tape of the opening night performance on Saturday night. In that performance, while running offstage after Act III, Scene One, superstar tenor Roberto Alagna could be seen to badly sprain his ankle, and he had to finish the performance in obvious pain, nearly immobile. Sharing the starring roles with his wife, Angela Gheorghiu, the most celebrated of operatic couples were compelled to improvise the staging of the final two acts, but in spite of all delivered a passionate and triumphant performance.

The Festival, presenting the second and final opera of the summer in the acoustically excellent 8,600 seat Roman amphitheater, had selected this opera to be broadcast on national television because of the star power of its acclaimed, and reputedly difficult and demanding, couple. But there was no lack of commitment on this occasion and the two stars, in top form, gave a performance that will remain long in the memory (and likely on video and DVD). Gheorghiu was a commanding, strongly sung Juliette and her voice soared along with the delicious melodies of Gounod. Her always on-target singing and strong control of the vocal line, while missing some of the fragility of the teenage heroine, was a memorable lyric achievement.

But the real laurels go to the suffering Romeo who sang with such unrestrained passion and accuracy that it could be the performance of a lifetime. His affinity with the French language - his language of birth - and his effortless, golden tones reminded this listener of other legendary interpreters of this repertory like Alfredo Kraus. Sensing that this was an 'occasion' he poured out his feelings and sang with a superb vocal artistry that sometimes eludes him on stage. The audience clearly appreciated his artistic commitment and urgently felt performance, and cheered lustily when he was carried on to take his bows at the end.

It should not be forgotten that there were others on stage that night. Acclaimed baritone Réne Pape was the ultimate in luxury casting as Frère Laurent and the excellent Alain Vernhes was a sumptuously-voiced Capulet. The secondary roles, including the fine Anna Steiger as Gertrude, were uniformly well sung. Michel Plasson conducted his Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse and the chorus of the Opera of Nice with excellent style and sensitivity to the musical treasures in the score. The colorful costumes and the production, by Nicholas Joël, were equal to the other world class productions from Orange and, in sum, it was theater, and opera, at its best.

August

This report will be short because, as is typical in France, everyone is on vacation in August and the major French festivals have all ended. I just wanted to write a few words about two interesting productions at the very end of the July. Part of the Festival of Radio France in Montpellier, they are worthy of note and missed being included in the last letter.

The first was a brilliantly sung, if somewhat controversial, production of Handel's Rinaldo which featured a powerful cast headed up by emerging opera superstar, Vivica Genaux [also see interview]. The production team, was booed at the final curtain of the radio broadcast. There was reportedly less hostility for the two earlier performances and the production was received with more equanimity with the audiences at the Innsbruck Festival in August.

What was clearly heard was the praise by the audience (and, subsequently, the press) for the performance by Alaskan mezzo Genaux in the title role. Displaying a silvery, agile and expressive voice, she sang with freedom the dense coloratura of the role. It was indeed exciting to be witness to such an assured, bravado performance. Like many of the operas done in the recent past, this opera, here conducted by early music specialist René Jacobs, will be issued on CD within the year and would certainly be highly recommended based on the live performance I was able to hear.

The second broadcast of the festival was a delightful resurrection of a 'lost' work of Jacques Offenbach, Die Rheinnixen, (Les Feés du Rhin, in French). It was heralded as a major event of the year and fully lived up to its publicity. This is a work Offenbach prepared for the Court Opera in Vienna. It stayed in storage until the diligent folks of the Montpellier festival, who have made a specialty of finding under or never-performed works, dusted it off and gave it a strongly cast concert performance. This performance of Die Rheinnixen was labeled a 'world premiere'. It is an irresistible, delicious piece by a fully mature composer. His ear for mimicry of Wagner and all of the German romantic school plus his always-engaging melody making will make the subsequent recording much sought-after.

Leading this work, scored for large orchestra, was talented conductor Friedmann Layer and the cast included a superbly blustering Dalibor Jenis as Conrad and vocally high-stepping soprano Regina Schörg as Armgard. Mezzo Nora Gubisch played her mother, Hedwige, with clear relish. The Chorus and National Orchestra of Montpellier were always on target and all performers were clearly enjoying the evening. It would not be hard to imagine this work becoming one of the more often performed of Offenbach's opuses. Even he realized its qualities and reused two melodies that became the famous barcarolle and the drinking song from his final work, Tales of Hoffman.

September

Neil Shicoff as the hero of Les Contes d'Hoffmann at the Bastille

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

All Paris was talking about the scandal of the 'first night' at the Opéra de Paris, September 16, when an act of sabotage interrupted the first performance of Handel's Giulio Cesare at the Palais Garner. Technically it was not the first opera performance of the season (see below) but it was the most anticipated and important; critics, high officials and celebrities were prominent in the hall. A hidden tape player was set playing music and the performance had to be halted for 30 minutes until the source was located and the machine disabled.

It was only about 20 minutes into the First Act of the Handel opus when I and others in the audience began to hear sounds coming from a source high in the theatre. Conductor Marc Minkowski continued for some minutes until shouts from the audience ("It's the phantom!" "Refund!" and "Can't someone stop that damned noise!") halted the performance. Minkowski left the stage and then came back into the hall and asked the audience for silence so the source could be located. An impromptu intermission was called and the hall was cleared and searched. Press reports indicate that a tape player was set on automatic and hidden in the upper eaves behind the stucco decoration. It was clearly an 'inside job' and suspicions fell on the backstage staff that have a long history of labor strife with the Opéra management.

The performance resumed without further interruptions and it was a splendid night for the voice. American counter-tenor David Daniels, in the title role, was certainly the star. He has the ability to sing with focused force and musical insight - a rare combination for a counter-tenor. With his lovely timbre and graceful vocal style in the baroque repertory, it is no wonder his albums are best sellers. He inhabited the role with such naturalness; it was easy to imagine him as Rome's greatest warrior.

Giulio Cesare at the Palais Garner: Danielle De Niese as Cleopatra and David Daniels in the title role

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

Sharing the stage with him was the extraordinary young Australian soprano, Danielle de Niese as Cleopatra. Her purity of vocal line and ease with the demands of this coloratura role made her debut at the Paris Opera a success with both audience and critics. Contralto Stephanie Blythe confirmed her status as one of the more important singers on the opera stage today with a commanding portrayal of the role of Cornelia. No less effective was counter-tenor Bejun Mehta as Tolomeo and the already well known mezzo, Sarah Connolly, was the evenings' masterful Sesto. The 1987 production by Nicholas Hyntner seemed less aimless than when I first saw it in 1997 and clearly benefited from the cast of young, theatrically engaged singers. Marc Minkowski and his 'historically informed' band, the Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble, were in the pit to give an added measure of Handelian glow to the opera.

The actual 'first night' in Paris was on September 7, at the Bastille, when the Opéra took from storage their thirty-year-old production of Le nozze di Figaro. This production, by the legendary stage director Georgio Strehler, has proved to be nearly eternal and is likely to be around for another 30 years. Sold out signs were a feature of this production with its handsome stage pictures. It was well cast this year with Bo Skovus as Count Almaviva and Ildebrando d'Archangelo as Figaro. Susanna was sung by Isabel Bayrakdarian with the Countess portrayed by Brigitte Hahn.

Les Contes d'Hoffmann : (left to right) Bryn Terfel, Neil Shicoff, Susanne Mentzer and Béatrice Uria-Monzon as Dapertutto, Hoffmann, Nicklausse and Giulietta

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

Another anticipated September opening was at the Bastille. A reprise of Robert Carsen's witty and engaging production, from March 2000, of Les contes d'Hoffmann, this had Neil Shicoff in the title role. Opening September 17, it was solidly cast - with the Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel masterful in the four 'dark' roles. The laurels of the night were clearly his; with his slicked-back hair and imposing height he dominated the stage whenever he was on it. None of the distracting mannerisms noted by critics in past performances were in evidence. He has awesome vocal gifts and an extraordinary ability to inhabit his various roles.

Pleasures, both vocal and scenic, abounded in this production. There was a stunning rendition of 'Les oiseaux dans la charmille' by the Olympia of the evening, Désirée Rancatore, prompting some comparisons with past performances by Natalie Dessay in this same production. With her astonishing coloratura and voice size I was rather reminded of Beverly Sills in this role. Soprano Ruth Ann Swenson was a mellifluous, sensual Antonia and the role of Giulietta was well sung by Béatrice Uria-Monzon. Mezzo Susanne Mentzer was convincing in the dual roles of The Muse/Nicklausse, as was Nora Gubisch as 'la Voix'. Another example of the luxurious casting was the grand French baritone Alain Vernhes as Luther/Crespil. Ageless tenor Michel Sénéchal added his special verve and spark to the four roles of Andrès, Cochenille, Frantz and Pitichinaccio. Jesus Lopez-Cobos kept the musical forces in order on stage and in the pit. Stage Director Robert Carsen also assisted in this revival and the dramatic detail and theatrical sense he gave to all the characters was an important element of the evening's unqualified success.

Shicoff, whose writers' garb made him look a bit like Woody Allen, was celebrating 20 years of singing this role with the Paris Opera. His interpretation has certainly not weakened over the years and his clear, ringing tenor is still the perfect match for this role. He shows no sign of tiring or slowing down. His mastery of this role was complementary with that of the other fine singers of this run, all of whom made the music seem deceptively easy and natural to perform.

A final note was the appearance of the young French soprano Alexia Cousin in concert with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under conductor Myung-Whun Chung at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées on September 27. It was a case of too much too soon for this gifted talent who had chosen arias from Tannhaüser and Der fliegende Holländer but was obviously taxed by their demands. She is singing Liu at the Bastille in November and this is likely to be a better role for her at this stage of her vocal development. Wagner can perhaps wait a few years.

October

Boris Godunov at the Bastille: Ekaterina Morosova as Xenia, Anke Vondung as Fyodor, Julian Konstantinov as Boris Godunov, and the chorus of the Paris National Opera

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

Intimations of a rich season were in the air this month. The first new production of the Paris Opéra season, an impressive Francesca Zambello production of Boris Godunov, a smart Cunning Little Vixen of Janácek at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, and Jessye Norman at the Châtelet suggested a 2002-03 season likely to equal the excellent one just past.

'Triumph' is a word often overused by music writers. Editors love it - it usually appears in the headline - and readers like its visceral appeal. Can a 57 year old semi-retired soprano icon, tripped up by a misconceived production in last year's season opener at the same venue, return and recover her acclaim - alone on stage, singing a program of devilish artistic challenge? If her name is Jessye Norman, the answer is yes and 'triumph' is appropriately applied.

Jessye Norman in La voix humaine at the Châtelet

Photo: M N Robert.

Although totalling little more than one hour of music, her program of Schönberg's Erwartung and Francis Poulenc's La voix humaine, opening the Châtelet Theater season on 5 October for three performances, spans a daunting musical and interpretative range. Moving comfortably in the two languages she painted a moving portrait of the two women, emotionally in extremis. In the opening Erwartung her intense portrayal of a deranged woman searching the woods for her lost husband was gripping in its impact. In the Poulenc, Miss Norman moved between sensuality and panic as she speaks for the last time with her lover, reminding us again of her infrequently seen but genuine gifts as a singing actress. Some of the silk is missing from her voice but the power, accuracy and sumptuous sense of phrasing is still on full display.

Perhaps the delicate nature of the woman on the telephone, which the composer had in mind for La voix humaine, is not Miss Norman's style. The original recording of this work with Denise Duval, and the new recording with Dame Felicity Lott, adheres to this idea, but Miss Norman's desolation is big-boned and passionate and, I believe, works as well as the original conception.

The stage direction, by André Heller, was clarity itself and could not have been a greater contrast to the Robert Wilson production of Die Winterreise last year, whose abstractions left Norman interpretatively limp. The Erwartung set, created by the noted contemporary Italian artist Mimmo Paladino, was peopled with ghostlike images effectively spotlighted to correspond with the musical moment. Heller's La voix set was simply a table, telephone, divan and two walls of gray-blue that gradually turn to red as doom approaches. David Robertson and the Orchestre National de Lyon were Miss Norman's able partners in the pit.

Jessye Norman in Erwartung at the Châtelet

Photo: M N Robert

The Principal Conductor of the Opéra, James Conlon, in the Bastille pit for the first time this season for the new production of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov was received by the audience like a returning Caesar. The first question usually asked about Boris is who is singing the Czar but the conductor, who has to bring coherence to this sprawling music drama, can be more important. One of the characteristics of the greatest conductors of the last century was their belief that any score they handled became a sublime masterpiece. Both Toscanini and Fürtwängler had the gift of believing in each page, each bar, and each note of what they were conducting, even Dukas or Respighi, and charging each note with meaning. Conlon has much the same gift and his conducting of any opera is inevitably a fresh and revealing take on the work. Like an eager music student, he wants to show you the magic he finds in the score, "Look at these dotted rhythms! See how the line flows here at this tempo!"

In the Third Act of Boris Godunov, the first scene is a dialogue between Marina and her wily Jesuit priest. It is often cut and, if not, usually hurried through to get to the next scene with the great love duet. But what intensity and craft Conlon brought to this music! The priest Rangoni, sung with much feeling by bass Valeri Alexeev, delivered his oily melody with such persuasion that it was like hearing it for the first time. Conlon, who spends more of his time in an opera pit than anyone of his generation, except possibly James Levine, is a gifted conductor who knows the secret of uniting theater and music to create a thrilling whole.

Earlier in the evening, director Francesca Zambello, along with her set and costume designer, Wolfgang Gusmann, were both awarded the title of 'Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres', a high French honor. The first new production of the season, it was dynamically staged and visually impressive. Panels moved back and forth to reveal interiors wallpapered with images of Russian icons and exteriors with grand staircases filled with people of various ranks whose stage movements were carefully choreographed with careful theatrical emphasis. The moving panels made the scene changes instantaneous and the drama never flagged. The costumes, by Gussmann, were color coded to clearly distinguish the nobles, priests, etc., from the great unwashed. The last act was filled with motion and frenzied activity. It was excessive and perhaps the single lapse of judgment in otherwise fine theater. The lighting, as with all Zambello productions, was effectively gauged and played no small part of the total effect.

Bris Godunov at the Bastille: Robert Brubaker as Dimitri, Valeri Alexeev as Rangoni, Olga Borodina as Marina, Vsevolod Grivnov as the idiot, and the chorus of the Paris National Opera

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

Vocally it was an embarrassment of riches, populated for the most part with Russian-trained singers of outstanding talent in the many principal roles. Leading all was mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina's toweringly impressive Marina. In her sixth month of pregnancy, she sang with such assurance and feeling it is unlikely that this role has ever been better done, on stage or in recording. Singing Boris, young Bulgarian baritone Julian Konstantinov made an important Paris Opéra debut. Secure in all vocal ranges, his gifts as a singer and actor served him well. He seemed to be treading carefully on opening night but the broadcast performance, later in the run, found him more confident, with a richer interpretation.

The bass-baritones were all on the gold standard. Any one of them could have been masterful in the title role. The Pimen, veteran Vladimir Matorin, is in fact singing Boris next month with the Lyon Opera and I am eager to hear him. His distinctive, bronzed voice illuminated the role of the old monk as never before. The Varlaam, Vladimir Ognovenko, and the previously mentioned Ragoni of Valeri Alexeev were masterpieces of interpretation. The tenors also impressed. American Robert Brubaker has been seen in steadily higher-visibility roles in Paris with good reason. His False Dimitri showed new abilities in assuming romantic lead roles. Singing with ardent power, his duet with Borodina will be etched in the audience's memory long after the event. As the idiot, Vsevolod Grivnov sent his beautiful music soaring to new heights. Well cast in the secondary roles, with a powerful, disciplined chorus, and conducted with brio, this was certain to be a highlight of the season.

Rosemary Joshua as the Cunning Little Vixen at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees

Photo: Alvaro Yanez

The rediscovery of Janácek's The Cunning Little Vixen (Prihody Lisky Bystrousky) followed many years after the 1924 premiere in Brno, Czechoslovakia. The story of the 1956 revival at Berlin's Komische Oper is a legendary example of how an imaginative staging of a challenging story can restore to prominence one of the greatest lyric masterworks of the 20th century. Janácek's vision of animals, insects and people interacting on stage needs an inventive hand to stage the work and another in the pit to bring the enchanting score to life.

Almost all of the necessary elements were present for this opening work of the 2002-03 Théâtre des Champs-Elysées opera season. André Engel, in charge of staging the clever Rake's Progress in the same theater last season was back again with his story set this time in a railroad track cutting through the wilderness - a classic symbol of man's intrusion in nature. Singing with clear diction and an ardent, intelligent musicality, Welsh soprano, Rosemary Joshua was the perky fox with a complete command of the role. Baritone Yuri Batukov was excellent playing the world-weary gamekeeper, but one example of the high level of the entire cast for this ensemble opera. The small opera season at this theater has built a reputation in recent years for adventurous programming and solid casting of which this was but one example. Jonathan Darlington's baton was perhaps the only slight problem. His dynamic, hard-edged conducting style for last years' Rake's Progress in the same theater was highly regarded, but worked less well for this opera, which needs a certain poetry and musical tenderness.

The Cunning Little Vixen: (left to right) Rosemary Joshua as the vixen, Sophie Haudebourg as Chocolka, and Susan Miller as the rooster, with chorus members as the hens

Photo: Alvaro Yanez

The first act of the rarely performed Meyerbeer opera, Dinorah, ou le Pardon de Ploërmel (Dinorah, or the Festival of Ploërmel), seen on October 13, was not inviting. Pierre Jourdan, the director of the Compiegne Theater, had assembled a cast that seemed to be having difficulty with Meyerbeer's music. The tenor had a raw, unpleasant sound and the music sounded formulaic. It had the makings of a long evening. However, things began to jell in the second act, with the famous 'Shadow Song' which the Dinorah of the evening, Isabelle Philippe, sang very prettily.

This story of frustrated love in Brittany featured dancing sheep, magic goats, wedding scenes, traditional Breton costumes and an evil sorcerer. Pierre Jourdan, in his most ambitious production to date, filled the stage with craggy rocks, waterfalls and lots of romantic fog, and all his efforts proved finally irresistible. The heroine had major help from her husband-to-be-after-much-effort, the baritone Armand Arapian as Hoël, and solid efforts in the secondary roles. Olivier Opdebeeck conducted an orchestra of young musicians from Failoni in Hungary. As usual, this enterprising theater will be recording the production. The DVD will be available early next year.

Dinorah at the Theatre Imperial de Compiegne: Isabelle Philippe as Dinorah with the Little Magic Goat

Photo: Georges Mansart

Frank Cadenhead also contributes a portrait of William Christie, early opera specialist and founder of Les Arts Florissants, now one of the most prominent musicians in France.

November

Martinu's Julietta at the Palais Garnier: Act Two, in the forest

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

In case you haven't been paying attention, there is a revival of interest in the operas of Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu. The entry of Julietta into the Paris Opera repertory follows recent productions in England, including Covent Garden and the Wexford Festival, Germany, the Czech Republic and this same opera in July at the Bregenz Festival. Even baroque master Christopher Hogwood has turned his attention to recording his works.

While performances of Martinu operas are still scarce when compared to his countryman Janacek, it was well that intendant Hugues Gall found his work a place in the Paris Opera season. The composer's 17 years in Paris were among his most productive and it was during this time he finished his compositional studies (with Roussel), married his French wife, and finished this opus, along with the bulk of his output.

Julietta shows the full effects of the dynamic, post-Debussy, jazz-influenced musical life he found in Paris. Based on a surrealist play by Georges Neveux (Juliette, ou La clé des songes) which takes place entirely in a dream, it was first performed in Prague in 1938. An masterpiece with an abundance of appealing music and a sure theatrical sense, it was a welcome addition to the Opéra repertory, successfully realized.

Imaginatively organized around images of an accordion featured in the story, director Richard Jones, working with the stage and costume designer Antony McDonald, created one of the most striking and original productions in recent memory. Their splashy, handsome staging of Der Zwerg and L'enfant et les sortilèges last season was well received and this establishes them a design team of the first rank. Its staging at the more intimate Palais Garnier might have helped but a large cast of gifted young artists contributed mightily to the success.

Julietta at the Palais Garnier: Alexia Cousin as the heroine

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

First among these was the soprano Alexia Cousin, who many see as potentially the finest dramatic soprano to emerge from France since Regine Crespin. Her brilliantly clear and attractive voice was clearly on display in her debut role at the Paris Opera. American tenor William Burden was an engaging protagonist, Michel, who meets an odd array of characters in his fantasies, including the powerful baritone Alain Vernhes as the man in the window and Laurent Naouri as a hawker of souvenirs. Young soprano Gaële Le Roi and mezzo Karine Deshayes as a 'second man' and the 'little Arab' respectively, gave evidence of a young generation of stars in training. Veteran French sopranos Martine Mahé as the fishmonger and Michéle Lagrange as the bird seller also suggest that an older generation of excellent singers have been neglected by the most important opera stage in France.

The production of Simon Boccanegra at the Bastille on November 14 had all indications of being a 'filler' in the Paris Opera season. A revival of an unimaginative production by Nicholas Brieger from 1994, it featured in the title role the often-heard, serviceable, but not very exciting baritone, Juan Pons, in the title role. It also suggested the difficulty the major opera houses have had in finding voices to properly sing the major works of Giuseppe Verdi in recent years.

Pons, as Boccanegra, marked time and husbanded his now-limited resources to get through this challenging role. He managed without unpleasantness, but there was very little of the drama that Verdi intended for this tragic hero. Veteran Italian bass Ferruccio Furlanetto generated a few more sparks in his role of Fiesco. Another disappointing appearance was that of the La Scala star soprano Barbara Frittoli. She sang the role of Amelia with healthy but unvaried vocal force and her sole attempt at interpretative emotion was to sing behind the beat, which she did frequently. When this writer last saw her in Paris it was a concert conducted by Riccardo Muti and this annoying habit was not then in evidence. The two magnificent father-daughter scenes in this opera, normally a Verdian high-point, were emotionally flat.

Simon Boccanegra at the Bastille: Juan Pons in the title role, with Barbara Frittoli as Amelia Grimaldi and Vincenzo La Scola as Gabriele Adorno (above) Barbara Frittoli and Vincenzo La Scola (below)

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

It was tenor Vincenzo La Scola who made the most impressive appearance. Not usually regarded at the top of the tenorial ranking, his Gabriele was sung with intelligence and dramatic engagement. He so stood out from the other monochromatic performers it seemed as if he was from another world. The two other roles, the Paolo of Vassili Gerello and the Pietro of Nicholas Testé, were well sung. But the team assembled by the Paris Opera for the revival of this dark masterpiece, effectively revised with the assistance of Arrigo Bioto in the new version of 1881, left it with no noticeable dramatic pulse and it remained lifeless until the end.

The villain of the evening could have been the uninspired conducting of Pinchas Steinberg or it could have been the restaging by Alejandro Stadler which gave the singers little to do but to walk on, sing and walk off. The production featured mostly unattractive sets, a little pageantry and the only noticeable 'crowd scene' was to witness the improbable last act wedding ceremony which takes place in the hours after a bloody rebellion has been ruthlessly smashed, minutes before the Doge dies. This idea - having the young lovers appear as a wedding cake couple, complete with bouquet toss - is not found in the libretto but must have been part of the director's original stage plan. It was an odd, jarring image in the opera's powerful final scene.

The Francesca Zambello production of Turandot in the repertory at the Bastille was not seen and should be reported on next month, as will be the new Robert Wilson production of Die Frau ohne Schatten and the opening opera of the Russian season at Théâtre du Châtelet, Rimsky-Korsakov's The Golden Cockerel (Zolotoy petushok).

December

La Cenerentola at the Palais Garnier: Joyce DiDonato as Angelina, Alessandro Corbelli as Dandini,Lorenzo Regazzo as Alidoro, Juan Diego Florez as Don Ramiro and Simone Alaimo as Don Magnifico

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau / Apo Athanasiadis

The new Die Frau ohne Schatten, which opened on December 9, was the fifth production for the Opéra de Paris by the former 'enfant terrible' stage designer, Robert Wilson. His first, a luminous treatment of Debussy's Le Martyre de Saint-Sébastien, which I saw in 1988, was profoundly impressive. Of late, however, one may ask if this artist's inspirational cupboard is now bare. His cardboard cutout images of houses, black floors and color field backdrops (usually blue) and 'slo-mo' Kabuki movements are, after 20 years of viewing, becoming a cliché. The visual impact of his formerly striking stage images is growing wan.

Die Frau ohne Schatten: Susan Anthony as the Empress

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

Paris Opera Intendant, Hughes Gall made the decision that oddly linked the 'master of cool' with the turbulent, blood and thunder music of Richard Strauss' sprawling masterpiece. The theme of biological sterility is here transmogrified into of emotional sterility and the contrast between the heart-on-the-sleeve music of Strauss and the frigid, minimalist stage images was jarring. Many production details were not clear and overall it did not add to our understanding of this work. A black, bowling-sized, ball was passed around by the female cast. I assumed this represented an ovum, which was probably also the significance of a large red ball which slowly descended down a black column (fallopian tube?) toward the sleeping Barak in Act II. It reminded me so much of the New Year's Eve Times Square ball that I had to resist the urge to do a countdown.

Gall is also responsible for the selection of singers when James Conlon, the principal conductor, is not in the pit. Given the challenges of casting for this opera, Gall had only a one-in-five success rate: the radiant Susan Anthony as the Empress. An impressive Senta in last year's Der fliegende Holländer, she sang with power and real feeling, her clear, silvery soprano easily soaring above the overflowing orchestra pit.

Die Frau ohne Schatten: Jean-Philippe Lafont as Barak, and Jochen Schmeckenbecher, Scott Wilde and Doug Jones as his three brothers

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

Veteran American tenor Thomas Moser, with a voice now somewhat dry and uninflected, was struggling all night with the tessitura demands of his role of Emperor. Californian soprano Luana DeVol has developed an unpleasant wobble and often a shrill bark when singing above the staff. At this late stage in his career, baritone Jean-Philippe Lafont should be singing lighter fare rather than attempting all the huffing and puffing that was needed for Barak. A fine singing actor (he has had roles in films), his thespian talents were wasted in this production which emphasized posturing rather than acting. Jane Henschel, announced for the Nurse, did not sing and mimed her movements due to an indisposition. The singing was done by contralto Reinhild Runkel who was singing from a music stand stage left. It was an uneven delivery from a singer, whose Nurse, in the notable 1992 Die Frau recording with Solti, was more grounded and presumably better rehearsed. Since much of the glory of this work is found in the duets between the Empress and the Nurse, this was still another reason for the low voltage of this performance. There was good work from the comprimarios including the three brothers, Jochen Schmeckenbecher, Scott Wilde and Doug Jones. Johannes Chum was an impressive Apparition of a Youth and Elizabeth Lawrence was moving as a spectral Voice from Above.

Karl Böhm and Christoph von Dohnanyi were the last two conductors of Die Frau ohne Schatten at the Paris Opera. This time Ulf Schirmer was given the baton and managed a reading that never rose above ordinary. It sounded like a 'read-through' and the tutti passages were muddy.

The Golden Cockerel at the Théâtre du Châtelet: Olga Trifonova as the Queen of Chemakha and Albert Schagidullin as King Dodon

Photo: M-N Robert

The 'Russian Season' at the Théâtre du Châtelet, already under way with the Mariinsky Theater ballet, offered the first opera, The Golden Cockerel (Zolotoy petushok), for seven performances throughout the month. It is a real puzzle why it took this theater 18 years to bring back such a brilliant, magical production. Based on the fairy tale by Pushkin, this last opera of Rimsky-Korsakov contains some of his most stirring and - as a result of the well-known orchestra suite - some of his most familiar music. This handsome production was an inspired commission. The theater management asked the famed Kabuki master, Ennosuke III, to undertake a staging of this work. Having never before been asked to stage an opera, Ennosuke Ichikawa, as he is also known, began studying the recordings, the text and began viewing other staged operas. Finding easy convergence between Kabuki and operatic forms, he created enchanting stage pictures and luxuriant, colorful costumes and the story unfolded with elegance.

Rimsky-Korsakov may have anticipated trouble with the Imperial Russian censors over the plot, the story of a befuddled, ineffectual Tsar who is pecked to death by an avenging rooster, and it was never staged in his lifetime. Having given up thoughts of opera in his late years, he began this work after having witnessed the brutal repression following the revolution of 1905. The staging here was recreated from the original by Isao Takashima using the original sumptuous decor by Setsu Asakura and sparkling costumes of Tomio Mohri. One of the most impressive productions in memory, I was pleased to see cameras in the hall to record this for a likely video release.

The Mariinsky Theater orchestra and its conductor, Valery Gergiev, are still at home in the midst of a Ring Cycle (their first) and due to arrive for a residence at Châtelet in January and February. In the pit for this performance was the Orchestre de Paris under the fine California-born conductor, Kent Nagano. On stage was the chorus of the Mariinsky and a superior cast of stars from St Petersburg, headed by the excellent baritone Albert Schagidullin in the role of King Dodon. Well known at the Châtelet, he has sung with both Cecilia Bartoli and Renée Fleming in the past two seasons. Russian soprano Olga Trifonova performed her demanding role, the Queen of Chemakha, with its high tessitura and coloratura runs, with seeming ease and accuracy. Barry Banks, an English tenor, gave a phenomenal performance in the role of the Astrologue. His third act aria goes up to E and he reached that with little effort and without resorting to falsetto. Kent Nagano conducted a finely shaded performance of this masterful score, and only allowed the orchestra to flex its considerable muscle when it was appropriate.

Turandot at the Bastille: Vladimir Galuzin as Calaf and Andrea Gruber as the princess

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

There were two other operas from previous seasons playing during December at the Opéra. At the Bastille, there was a revival of the 1997 Zambello production of Puccini's Turandot. Repeating their critically acclaimed role as the Princess and Calaf at the Metropolitan Opera, Andrea Gruber and Vladimir Galuzin scaled the vocal heights and demonstrated again why they are the current leading couple in these roles. Luxury casting was also apparent with soprano Soile Isokoski as a radiant and engaging Liu. Mark Elder kept thing hot and steamy in the orchestra pit. The run, not surprisingly, was sold out.

Turandot: Julian Konstantinov as Timur, Soile Isokoski as Liu, and Vladimir Galuzin as Calaf

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

Another hard to get ticket was the La Cenerentola of Rossini at the Palais Garnier with the remarkable young tenor Juan Diego Florez as Don Ramiro. The leading bel canto tenor of his day, his appearance was his first in Paris in a lead role and was an unqualified success. He was warmly received, as was Joyce DiDonato as Angelina, who has seemed to be the coloratura mezzo of choice at the Paris Opera during the last few years. A Jerôme Savary production from 1996, we were spared the usual gaucheries that accompany this director's work and it bounced along with a merry spirit. A fine supporting cast, including Jeannette Fisher as Clorinda and Anna Steiger as Tisbe and the taut conducting of Carlo Rizzi, made this agreeable holiday fare.

La Cenerentola at the Palais Garnier: Anna Steiger as Tisbe, Alessandro Corbelli as Dandini, Simone Alaimo as Don Magnifico, and Jeannette Fischer as Clorinda

Photo: Eric Mahoudeau / Apo Athanasiadis

On 18 December, a gala concert celebrated the 20th birthday of the Musiciens du Louvre under their founder, conductor Marc Minkowski. Known as 'Minko' to his many fans, he has built this group into an internationally recognized 'historically informed' band. The many recordings of Rameau, Lully, Handel and other baroque masters have won them a large audience around the world. For this all-Rameau evening, lasting almost four hours, a great number of famed singers, many featured in his now large discography, assisted in the program at the Châtelet. In this program of superior singing it was not easy to label any particular one a highlight. Some that rest in memory were the 'Tristes appréts' from Castor & Pollux sung by mezzo Magdalena Kozená, 'Vents furieux' from La Princesse de Navarre by Joyce DiDonato, and 'Quelle plainte en ces lieux m'appelle?' from Hippolyte & Aricie by Anne Sofie von Otter. Also contributing to a night of the highest musical appeal were John Mark Ainsley, Laurent Naouri, François Le Roux, Nathalie Stutzmann, and others. It ended with bravado flourish with Mireille Delunsch singing her now signature aria of 'La Folie' from Platée followed by the Chorus of the Musiciens du Louvre in the rousing finale 'Hymen, Hymen'. This concert was broadcast live by France Musiques.

The Orchestra National de France paid tribute to very early Puccini with concert performances at the Radio France auditorium of his first two operas, Le villi and Edgar. The latter starred the legendary soprano Julia Varady, ably assisted by mezzo Mary Ann McCormick, tenor Carl Tanner and baritone Dalibor Jenis. Varady, even at this late stage, can still contribute much to a performance. Her limpid, skilful phrasing was a lesson to her younger colleagues on stage.

Another effort by Radio France resulted in an unexpected but passionate performance of Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer, also broadcast live on France Musiques. A concert version of Schreker's Die Gezeichneten was originally Scheduled but this was changed when a last-minute tenor substitute could not be found. The splendid young German baritone Albert Dohmen, already cast, repeated the title role heard last year at the Bastille. His portrayal has now even more power and refinement and was a towering achievement. Also very impressive was veteran Hans Sotin as Daland. Showing no signs of slowing down, his vocal contributions were rock-solid. He is still a consummate bass-baritone with a ringing top and strength in all registers. The Senta was the powerful Australian soprano Elizabeth Whitehouse. We will certainly be hearing more about her in the future. Making another vital contribution was the Chorus of Radio France. Since their permanent director, Norbert Balatsch, is the long time director of the chorus at Bayreuth, his skilful preparation for this concert should have been no surprise.

Finally, this busy December included a visit to the Opéra National de Lyon to see the grand Russian bass-baritone Vladimir Matorin sing the title role in their production of Boris Godunov. He sang a remarkable Pimen during the recent run at the Paris Opera. His powerful, golden-hued voice, so typical of the Bolshoi Opera bassos, was indeed a stirring, carefully-etched portrayal of the doomed Tsar, much more interesting than Paris's younger, more generic Boris. The grim, uninspired sets, by Philipp Himmelmann, were part of a co-production with the Opera at Mannheim, Germany.

See other letters in the Archives.