April

It was not a particularly involving month for opera in Paris. Staggered Easter holidays make schedules lighter than usual. It was an opportunity to hear another Eugene Onegin at the Paris Opéra's Bastille theater only weeks after the Châtelet performances by the Mariinsky forces.

The many fans of the popular baritone Simon Keenlyside were disappointed to learn he would not be appearing as the conflicted poet Onegin. A fall at Covent Garden a few months ago left a fragile arm and doctors advised against staged productions of opera. His replacement, the veteran Vladimir Chernov, was effective in the role but struck no sparks. One who did was the young soprano, Olga Guryakova, who sang Tatyana with seamless perfection and confirmed the strong impression that she gave in last summer's Aix-en-Provence Festival in the same role. Good performances were also given by the young Polish tenor, Piotr Beczala, as Lensky and the very expressive Marina Domachenko as Olga. The timeless tenor Michel Sénéchal gave his famed, polished-diamond performance of Monsieur Triquet. Vladimir Jurowski, who has recently been named Musical Director of the Glyndebourne Festival, conducted with splendid color and pulse.

Gösta Winbergh was announced in the title role of this season's Parsifal in season brochures and his tragic and premature death in March of last year left a hole in the ranks of Wagnerian tenors. The young American, Clifton Forbis, was pressed into service and headed a very strong cast for this revival of Graham Vick's 1996 staging of Wagner's Easter epic at the Bastille. Baritone Albert Dohmen, confirmed again his status as one of the great Wagnerian singers of our time with a masterful Amfortas. His widely praised Dutchman of last season will be repeated in December of this year, also at the Bastille. The remarkable baritone Willard White, with his bounteous voice, was one of the great Klingsors of recent memory. Katarina Dalayman's Kundry was delivered with force and assurance. The Opéra's Principal Conductor, James Conlon, was not up to par for these performances. The audiences here have come to expect world-class performances from this gifted conductor and some were surprised that his Wagner seemed a bit off balance.

Many in Paris were looking forward to the Théâtre du Châtelet's concert version of Szymanowski's King Roger, which could have been, on paper, one of the more important events of the season. This opera appeared on many opera-lover's radar with the fine EMI recording by Simon Rattle, starring Thomas Hampson in the title role.

Maybe these performances were star-crossed from the start. One after the other, the interesting singers scheduled began dropping out. First to go was the exciting young Russian soprano Olga Trifonova replaced by Tatiana Pozarska. The excellent German tenor Thorsten Kerl was next, replaced by Ryszard Minkiewicz who repeated his problematic appearance in the EMI recording. Finally Thomas Hampson became 'indisposed' and the Châtelet had to borrow Wojtek Drabowicz who happened to be busy in Bordeaux.

The good news was that all of the singers fortuitously happened to be Polish and the enunciation of the text was as sure as it would have been in the Teatr Wielkl in Warsaw. However, apart from Drabowicz, who has appeared at Glyndebourne and other important houses and has recorded the role of the King, it was not an important night for the voice. The tenor Ryszard Minkiewicz, in the important role of the Shepherd, had trouble all night above the stave - and the composer took him there frequently! Soprano Tatiana Pozarska, as the tempted Roxana, was wearing an impressive, white, off-the-shoulder gown. Sadly, her shoulder was the only thing about her that seemed soft and sexy and the relentless bite of her voice became tiring.

The talented young Finn, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, was in the pit conducting Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Choir of Radio France. They made impressive sounds all night that often, with the complicity of the composer, covered the straining voices on stage.

© Frank Cadenhead, 5 May 2003

May

Report awaited from Frank Cadenhead.

June

Verdi's Les vêpres siciliennes at the Bastille: Act V finale Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

Verdi's Les vêpres siciliennes (The Sicilian Vespers) is one of the many great operas who first saw the light of day at the Paris Opéra. In his next to last season as general director, Hugues Gall intended this new production, along with that of Rossini's Guillaume Tell given in March, to showcase the importance of the Opéra in musical history. Ultimately let down by superficial productions and singers who could not honor the original French, they emerged as only pale shadows of what many had eagerly anticipated when the season was first announced.

The new Vêpres siciliennes production, designed by Andrei Serban at the Bastille, was staged with aggressive banality. The set was a giant whitewashed brick wall with a huge tear in the middle which served as the stage décor for the entire evening. Mounted on tracks, the only change from act to act was the size of the hole in the middle. For example Act III, indicated in the libretto as a 'study of the governor's palace', the tear was so thin some of the wider cast members had to turn sideways to make their entrances. For the wedding scene in Act V, the wall appeared only on either edge of the stage. Theatrically, there was not a single move that did not seem false and contrived.

The young American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky was an impressive Hélène as was the Italian tenor Marcello Giordani as Henri. Both had brisling top notes and sang with brilliant force. But neither could be said to have a feel for Verdi's melodic line and neither demonstrated command of French sounds. I would not be the first to suggest that Anthony Michaels-Moore is not an ideal Verdi baritone - this is almost a critical commonplace. His thinnish tone is wide of the Verdian mark. But for Verdi baritones, it's a sellers market and he easily finds work in the major houses. But I have seen him as a fine Fenton and a truly scary Iago but in those earlier productions he was free to combine his incisive musical skill with his theatrical talent. Here, given Serban's posing pageant, he was left to just stand and deliver. His challenging third act aria, with its exposed legato lines, had his voice showing its seams.

Les vêpres siciliennes: Sondra Radvanovsky as Hélène and Marcello Giordani as Henri Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

By contrast the young Romanian, Vitalij Kowaljow, a last-minute replacement for Samuel Ramey, mounted the Verdian bicycle and rode it with a natural grace and style. It was a truly impressive Paris debut for this young man whose difficult name will soon be a familiar sound in opera circles. The other minor roles were strongly delivered and the French singers, at least, did justice to their mother tongue.

The Opera's chief conductor, James Conlon, gave proof, if any more is needed, of his impressive talent and his understanding of the Master of Busseto. He made a decision to cut some of the extensive ballet music Verdi wrote for the Paris audiences. I was disappointed to learn of this but, after seeing the embarrassingly silly ballet movements for what remained, credited to Laurence Fanon, I was thankful for the cuts. Musical values clearly saved an evening that could have been a shipwreck.

I saw the second performance. The third performance found Giordani out sick and the fourth Radvanovsky had to be hurriedly replaced by Nelly Miricioiu who sang from the edges while Radvanovsky mimed the role. This was the performance that was being recorded for broadcast on July 5. The fifth performance was canceled by a strike of the Opéra support staff in sympathy with a labor action opposing the government's attempts to reform the program for temporary workers in the performing arts. It is a strike that is wreaking havoc at the end of the Opera season and the summer festivals throughout France.

Le nozze di Figaro at the Bastille: Act II, with (left to right) Brigitte Hahn as the Countess, Gerald Finley as Figaro, Patrizia Ciofi as Susanna, Della Jones as Marcellina, Dmitri Hvorostovsky as the Count, David Cangelosi as Don Basilio, and Reinhard Dorn as Bartolo Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

Earlier in the month, on June 10, I was able to see - for the first time - the Paris Opéra's famed production of the Mozart masterpiece, Le nozze de Figaro, at the Bastille. This production is now a legend. Frequently revived for enthusiastic audiences, it is now celebrating its 30th birthday. It is a moody, majestic production with an appealing visual style; one of the late Giorgio Strehler's finest achievements in the theater. This revival finds it particularly well cast, with Russian star baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky as the smoothly sung Count and the excellent Gerald Finley as an almost perfect Figaro.

The women were equally assured and polished. The perky Patrizia Ciofi was an appealing Susanna, Joyce DiDonato was a fresh Cherubino and Brigitte Hahn was a clear, if somewhat lightweight Countess. This production has been conducted by in the past by Sir Georg Solti, Sir Charles Mackerras, and Christoph von Dohnanyi. Young French conductor Stéphane Denève is not at this level but kept things reasonably on track in the pit. Humbert Camerlo, who had worked with Strehler, was in charge of keeping this production gem sparkling and deserves special mention for keeping this masterpiece before the public.

© Frank Cadenhead, 2 July 2003 

July

This report will be, sadly, the shortest I have ever written. A conflict between the government and the temporary workers in the performing arts, called 'intermittents', has lead to the cancellation in July of almost all of the major summer lyric festivals in France.

The reform program for the special unemployment insurance program was announced at the end of June. The program will limit the benefits available to the 'intermittents' by making them work the same hours for a shorter unemployment period. This discussion has been underway since the beginning of the year and the ballooning deficit in the program needed to be addressed by the social partners in the discussions. However two major unions, which represent a majority of these temporary workers in the performing arts, failed to sign the agreement. No one, I think, could have foreseen the consequences of what happened in the next 30 days. Angry strikes erupted all over the festival scene around France where these temporary workers perform critical backstage functions.

In Paris, strikes in sympathy with the movement canceled the last of the performances of Le nozze di Figaro at the Opéra Bastille and at the Opéra National de Lyon, only one of six scheduled performances of Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame was performed. The festivals in early July were devastated. At Aix-en-Provence, major new productions of La traviata, Berg’s Wozzeck and Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail were all canceled after protests shut down the festival, which struggled through the first few days. The great theater festival at Avignon, renowned throughout the world, was the next victim, closing a few days later.

Later in the month, I had planned to attend the Radio France/Montpellier Festival that is one of the most artistically lively venues in the world. Roberto Alagna was to make his debut the title role in Alfano’s Cyrano de Bergerac and Mirella Freni was to sing the title role in Tchaikovsky’s The Maid of Orleans, for example. These festivals were to occupy a major place in the broadcasts of France Musiques and several of these events were also scheduled for Europe-wide television. After a few days of struggle, the managers of Radio France gave up and canceled their entire festival.

The only festival to escape the ax was the Choregies d’Orange Festival. This festival, held in an acoustically perfect Roman amphitheater, had scheduled two operas by Verdi. The opera in July was Otello with the Russian tenor Vladimir Galouzine in the title role. The second of two performances was to be televised. I was able to see the first act and the love duet before a thunderstorm cut the electricity at my summer house. Galouzine is a known talent in this role but what little I saw of the Desdemona, Tamar Iveri, made it clear that she is a major singer likely to be seen more often on the world’s stages. Evelino Pido conducted the Orchestre National de France and a combined chorus from the Capitole de Toulouse and the Grand Théâtre de Tours.

© Frank Cadenhead, 7 August 2003 

August

The original production of La traviata in Orange in 1999 Photo : Grand Angle Orange

It was like one of those old car alarms designed to damage eardrums. It went off during Violetta's first aria but both soprano Inva Mula and conductor Pinchas Steinberg soldiered on through the din. Practically the only world-class opera event to be held in France during August, Verdi's La traviata at the Festival of Les Chorégies d'Orange, was the victim of the sabotage by some of the protesting 'temporary workers' in the performing arts.

After a period the alarm stopped. But with the arrival of tenor Rolando Villazon, the duet between Violetta and Alfredo was again blasted by the high pitched sound. It was clearly being operated by remote control and when it seemed to go on and on, the audience began to yell insults and finally boo the spectral noise. Both stars finally could do nothing but stand and wait for the clamor to die down. The performance continued and the noise began again during Mula's aria 'E' strano' and persisted on and off through the famous cabaletta 'Sempre libera' making a wreck of the final moments of this first act. An unscheduled delay of 15 minutes between Acts I and II allowed staff to locate the siren - a device placed in a tree at the very top of the amphitheater.

La traviata: Inva Mula as Violetta Photo : Grand Angle Orange

Inva Mula, of Albanian origin, made a major impact in the role of Violetta: confident, passionate, and utterly convincing. She trusted the extraordinary acoustics of the 2000-year-old amphitheater and gave the audience a nuanced Violetta of real emotional impact. Her Act II scene with baritone Carlo Guelfi, Germont père, was particularly affecting.

Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon is becoming an indispensable lead in the great opera houses. He lacks the raw power to bellow the big arias but his superior musical intelligence and graceful Verdian vocal line is a consistent pleasure. Baritone veteran Carlo Guelfi, as Georgio Germont, has lost strength in his lower range but he is still one of the most skilled Verdi baritones singing today. The secondary roles, mostly talented French vocalists, were also soundly cast, with a uniform high quality.

The restaging of the 1999 production designed by Robert Fortune was an effective rendering of this timeless drama, with handsome stage pictures and crowds of disciplined chorus and extras moving on and off the large stage with dispatch. His projected decor on the large back wall of the amphitheater was particularly impressive.

La traviata: Inva Mula as Violetta and Rolando Villazon as Alfredo Photo : Grand Angle Orange

Pinchas Steinberg was conducting the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, based in Geneva. He kept the orchestra under a tight leash and demonstrated a real Verdian style without exaggerating the musical line. His admirable calm during the turmoil of Act I and was the glue that held the production together.

At the final curtain, the audience was rapturous, particularly with the attractive young leads. When all were on stage for final bows, about a score of technical workers ran onstage to join hands with the others taking bows and the mood immediately turned ugly. Mr Fortune took a microphone and attempted to speak. Boos rocked the old theater stones for at least 10 minutes, despite pleading motions from Villazon and conductor Steinberg, whose gestures usually receive more respect. Finally there was a quiet space and Fortune began speaking on behalf of the 150 or so temporary workers who work for the festival and had agreed not to strike. He suggested that the noise device was likely the work of 'outsiders' and that the audience should not hold the workers on stage responsible. They had agreed to work and were indispensable to the opera production. After he spoke there was a careful round of applause for those temporary workers on stage.

© Frank Cadenhead, 5 September 2003 

September

Salome at the Bastille : Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke, Martin Finke, Scott Wyatt, Robert Wörle, and Ulrich Hielscher as the five Jews, Mihajlo Arsenski and Stanislaw Schwets as the two Nazarenes, Chris Merritt as Herodes and Anja Silja as Herodias Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

Three strong women dominated the Paris stage this month. First Karita Mattila sang the title role of Richard Strauss’s Salome for the first time providing an assured success for Hugues Gall as an opener to his final season as director of the Opéra de Paris. The new production was such an unqualified artistic triumph that even the newspaper Le Monde, which routinely savaged all the new productions last season, grudgingly admitted that this was 'without fault'.

Veteran master of theater Lev Dodin staged this opera, inspired by the play of Oscar Wilde, about the teenage Babylonian princess who developed a perverse attraction for the imprisoned John the Baptist. Dodin had the good fortune to not only have the leading dramatic soprano of her generation in the title role but also a singer with fine theatrical talent. Watching Mattila pacing, playing with her hair, biting her nails and generally acting like a spoiled pubescent princess was extraordinary theater. She performed the famed Dance of the Seven Veils herself – somewhat reminiscent of recycled Martha Graham. She was naked from the waist down after removing the seven scarves and Herodias rushed to wrap her in the royal robe she was wearing. Her insistent, singsong chant for the head of the prophet was chillingly intense and her bravura singing during the gritty apotheosis had the audience cheering.

She was supported opening night by an effective cast including the powerful baritone Falk Struckmann as John the Baptist and tenor Chris Merritt as Herod. Struckmann was announced as having a cold but, aside from a rare dusty sound, it was by any measure an impressive Jochanaan. Merritt, notwithstanding a wobble, sang his role with great intensity and good sense. The legendary Anja Silja was to have sung Herodias but was also ill and the fine Swiss mezzo Julia Juon took on the role. Tenor William Burden was an attractive, engaging and strongly sung Narraboth. The Opéra’s principal conductor, James Conlon, kept thing focused in the pit and resisted the temptations of orchestral excess so common in this music.

Karita Mattila as Salome Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

Another fiery woman was featured at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in the title role of Handel’s Agrippina. As Anna Caterina Antonacci strode the stage in her stiletto heels few doubted she was the most important woman in Imperial Rome. She last showed her impressive coloratura ability as the diva Stonatrilla in last season’s comic Opera Seria by Gasssmann at the same theater. In a few weeks she will star as another strong woman, Cassandre, in the production of Les Troyens at Châtelet. Her ability to soar along with the music is matched by good looks, a natural intelligence and a strong stage presence. She already is a star in Paris. It should not take long for the rest of the world to discover her.

René Jacobs and his group Concerto Köln are by now such a well-oiled machine that they can turn out opera after opera every season which are unfailing hits: winners with the audience and critics alike. His stable of singers is the best available and his natural theatrical sense seldom fails. Here he has the services of David McVicar to make the young Handel (he was 24 when composing this opera) as fresh and exciting to contemporary audiences as he must have been in his time. McVicar put everything in the present time. Malena Ernman was a striking Nero. She had the baggy pants, insecure swagger and hair flip of a 15-year-old boy down pat. One of many comic images is when she snorts a line of coke a yard long before launching into that Niagara of notes, 'Come nube'. The attractive cast included a delicious 'Barbie doll' Poppea from soprano Miah Persson and a strongly sung Claudio by Lorenzo Regazzo. Impressive also was counter-tenor Lawrence Zazzo as Ottone, Poppea’s real love interest. Opera is seldom so perfect.

Anna Caterina Antonacci as Agrippina at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées Photo: Alvaro Yanez

Finally, there was a performance of Carmen in the vast spaces of the Stade de France. Normally a sports venue, it was hard to imagine how the Bizet classic would work there. The answer: not very well. The drama was drained out and the pageantry that took its place was empty. The Orchestra National de Radio France and the Choir of Radio France was in the center of the field surrounded by a vast circular ramp where the action took place. There were eight giant TV screens so you could see the performers up close from time to time but, for the average viewer in the stands, they must have looked like so many ants. Fortunately I was watching on live television, so had a better view, and undoubtedly better sound, than those in the stadium. It was full of unintended humor, with soldiers in old uniforms reminiscent of 'Gone with the Wind' and the ensembles consisting primarily of singers walking around the massive circle while they sang. The sole musical interest was a vivid Carmen of French mezzo Nora Gubisch. Recently impressive in Perela, a new opera by Pascal Dusapin, She showed she is a mezzo ready to take on the big roles. None of the others in the cast merited attention but the 60,000 people in the audience seemed to enjoy the spectacle.

© Frank Cadenhead, 2 October 2003 

October

France is beginning to make amends for its scandalous neglect of arguably the greatest French opera ever penned. The first Paris integral performance of Les Troyens (all five acts in one night as Berlioz intended) has finally been staged at the Théâtre Musicale du Châtelet to celebrate the bicentenary of the composer's birth in 1803. An impressive effort it was too - a dynamic staging, a top cast, and John Eliot Gardiner and his Orchestre Revolutionairre and Romantique in the pit. I saw the opening performance on October 11.

Government support of this theater allowed for a long rehearsal period and the results were obvious. The orchestra, chorus and Sir John could be considered the stars of the evening. Along with historically-informed instruments, Gardiner brought a view of the work that looked back to Meyerbeer rather than forward to the heady Romantic idiom. He conducted a carefully shaded and lovingly shaped performance. New clarity and rhythmic excitement was evident over the entire sprawling score. The chorus, a combination of his own Monteverdi Choir and the Châtelet's own house chorus, performed with exciting precision and refreshingly clear diction. His support of the singers was unfailing accurate. He kept the volume down and the warmth and noble beauty of the score was revealed as never before.

A bit of a question mark hung over the appearance of Italian Anna Caterina Antonacci in the role of Cassandre. She is known in Paris as a gifted baroque soprano: most recently in the title role in Handel's Agrippina at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées just two weeks before. It is a pleasure to report that this still-developing talent has a voice with the full weight and bloom needed for this key role. Her well-known dramatic skills were also in evidence in her convincing portrayal of the anguished princess.

Susan Graham, as Didon, scored an unmistakable triumph. A mezzo at the top of her game, she brought her unfailing interpretative skills and real knack for the French musical idiom and language. It was a performance of great impact and emotion. Supporting her was the engaging Énée of tenor Gregory Kunde whose sweetness of tone was always a pleasure. Ludovic Tézier was a strong Chorèbe and Laurent Naouri shone as Narbal. The young Finnish tenor, Topi Lehtibuu was impressive as Hylas/Hélénus. The veteran stage designer, Yannis Kokkos, was also responsible for the décor and costumes. His handsome, pleasing-to-the-eye sets and the clarity of the storytelling were a great addition to the evening. This production was not only televised by French television, but was also recorded for DVD and video.

It was entirely another matter with the new production of Il Trovatore at the Opéra de Paris on the Bastille stage. A dismal new production of the Verdi masterpiece with a clumsy staging by Francesca Zambello was in sharp contrast to the artistic standards at Châtelet. Zambello's vision is to have the setting of the opera moved to the early Industrial Age with train tracks crisscrossing the stage. The gypsies we find in Act II were gainfully employed laying track and the Anvil Chorus was sung while sledgehammers hit spikes. The cast totes more guns than can be found in present day Baghdad, but, despite the update, Manrico and the Count still manage a desultory, under-rehearsed sword fight in Act I. But those damned tracks! Leonora has to walk uncomfortably on them on her way to the convent and Azucena is obliged to sing 'Strida la vampa' stepping carefully along the cross beams, trying not to trip. There was no unifying director's concept in view and the laissez faire instructions to the cast drained away the dramatic pulse.

Opening night, November 23, was much anticipated because of the rare appearance of the French tenor Roberto Alagna on a Paris stage. His many fans wondered how he would do. It was perhaps no surprise that he was less than convincing as Manrico. He blustered his way through the role and made noble sounds but could not disguise the essential lyric nature of his voice. At the last note of 'Di quella pira' (fans debated in the lobby whether or not he took the high C a half step down) he struck a grandiloquent pose, sword held high toward the audience. He held this pose during the stormy applause but kept motionless until the last smattering of applause died away and only then rushed off to save his mother - the kind of milking of applause that has now happily fallen out of fashion elsewhere.

The cast was expensive, but not the best available. Sondra Radvanovsky was the Leonora and, although a clearly gifted soprano, failed to communicate a sense of urgency or meaning in her role. Dolora Zajick was an Azucena without mystery or madness, and Orlin Anastassov blustered his way through the role of Ferrando in incomprehensible Italian. On opening night the Count di Luna, Lado Ataneli was sick and Serbian baritone Zeljco Lucic was rushed in to fill the gap. He lacked the vocal high-voltage of the others in the cast but was unique among them in being the only one to sing with a feel for the Verdi vocal style. Conductor Maurizio Benini produced light but little heat from the Opera orchestra in the pit.

© Frank Cadenhead, 26 November 2003 

November

Ariadne auf Naxos: Natalie Dessay as Zerbinetta and Sophie Koch as the composer Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

For those who enjoy the voice, the main event of this month was three concert performances of Wagner's Die Meistersinger at the Opéra de Paris, Bastille hall. Over at the more intimate Palais Garnier, Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos was given an important new production, signed by the puckish Laurent Pelly, featuring two French women who have already made a significant splash on international stages.

James Conlon has already convinced the Parisian public of his mastery of Wagner's idiom, and his Meistersinger may have been one of his finest accomplishments as the chief conductor at the Opéra de Paris. He is currently conducting a Flying Dutchman revival, the lean Willy Decker production, at the Bastille. This should not be missed by Wagnerians spending December in Paris.

I was initially wary of Jan-Hendrick Rootering singing the pivotal role of Hans Sachs. While he is a fine baritone, frequently recorded in Wagnerian roles, he has, in previous encounters, failed to be convincing with the characters he sang. He seemed to start this way again but as the evening progressed, his sheer vocal mastery and noble musicality won over even the most jaded heart. This was an persuasive, important performance in every way. The great Canadian tenor, Ben Heppner was Walther von Stolzing. His clarion voice was in excellent form and his obvious pleasure in singing this role was a joy. A fine young tenor from across the channel, Toby Spense, with his boyish charm and passion, made a perfect apprentice, David.

If you ever get the chance to see Eike Wilm Schulte do Beckmesser, do not pass it up. He was simply the best I have seen or heard in this role. Kristinn Sigmindsson was his usual powerful presence as Pogner, completing a remarkably strong list of male leads that had the audience cheering at the curtain. All of the subsidiary roles were strongly rendered and the chorus was particularly brilliant on the first evening, November 10. The role of Eva, if not one of Wagner's most significant female leads, was finely handled by the remarkable young soprano Anja Harteros. A soprano of real promise, she sang with a free grace that was completely captivating. French mezzo Nora Gubisch again, as Magdalene, continues to impress.

A mention must be made about this semi-staged production. There was no scenery and everyone was in black with rehearsal chairs set in a semi-circle for the guild of master singers. The tuxedoes worn by the principals seemed to fit them into character as a stuffy all-male club which, of course, is what the master singers were. Performers moved on and off stage and acted with simple purpose. One could not help contrasting this effective, dramatic staging (incredibly and regrettably unaccredited in the program) with the aimless, limp theater of the Zambello Trovatore last month.

Ariadne auf Naxos: Sophie Koch as the composer Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

It makes sense to use the Palais Garnier for Mozart and Handel. But Richard Strauss's chamber opera, Ariadne auf Naxos, with its 16-member orchestra, also agreeably fits into the smaller space. The great coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay, whose recent triumph as Zerbinetta at the Metropolitan Opera was one of the opera stories of the year, again thrilled the Parisians with her breathtaking vocal antics. Anyone still worried about her past vocal troubles can rest assured after these performances. Another great French artist singing on the same, opening night, November 21, was the radiant mezzo, Sophie Koch, as the agitated Composer. While not singing with the vocal heft of past greats like Julia Varady or Tatiana Troyanos, her leaner, sharper-edged, detailed portrait was perhaps more fitting to the character she was playing. No one doubted that night that they were seeing a masterful performance.

I suspect Tenor Jon Villars has been spending time in the gym (to good effect) since his last appearance in the thankless role of Bacchus last year at the Châtelet. I also found his rendering of the Greek god more vocally muscular than previously but missing some of the nuance that Strauss wrote for to this role - spare as it is. Katarina Dalayman was the Ariadne and, along with others in the cast, had looks and dramatic skill to accompany her well-known vocal gifts. In the first act she gave her very best Angela Gheorghiu imitation as the imperious diva who demands attention, but managed to be tenderly moving as the tragic figure of the last act. The tenor legend Waldemar Kmentt, a great Bacchus of years past, is here the no-nonsense Haushofmeister. Also among the solid secondary cast, baritone Stéphane Degout stood out as Harlekin. In the orchestra pit, Pinchas Steinberg wielded his baton with generally positive results.

Ariadne auf Naxos: Natalie Dessay as Zerbinetta and Katarina Dalayman as Ariadne Photo: Eric Mahoudeau

This new production was assigned to the young wizard Laurent Pelly. Famed for his Offenbach, La belle Hélène with Dame Felicity Lott, will be the holiday treat at Châtelet for the third year in a row. Ariadne auf Naxos is his first major assignment at the Opéra de Paris, but something happened in his transformation from 'enfant terrible' to 'Wunderkind' for his first German opera. Was he intimidated by his assignment to stage this German masterpiece?

The Prologue was set in a monumental and chilly Alpine lakeside villa. Nevertheless his gift for zany theatrical movement was still in evidence and the comedy troupe was one of the funniest foursome since the Marx brothers. For the final scene, the action was moved to a raw, cement-framed construction site of yet another grand house. Without intending a pun, this may have been an effort to deconstruct the opera, but it imposed heavy constraints on the would-be easy, fluid action on stage. The final scene seemed to leave Pelly at a loss and he depended on shifting lighting effects to illuminate its moods. Effective as it was, some of us missed his bad-boy mischievous persona and hope that he has not finally grown up.

© Frank Cadenhead, 5 December 2003 

See other letters in the Archives.