Aix festival, last performance(Jul.21)

( 2 photos, from the programme)



Pygmalion

Jean-Philippe Rameau

Acte de Ballet, livret de Ballot de Sovot d'Après Houdar de la Motte

Créé le 27 août 1748 à l'Académie royale de musique de Paris

Précédé d'extraits d'Hippolyte et Aricie sur un livret de l'Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin

Créé le 1er octobre 1733 au Théâtre du Palais Royal

* Direction musicale William Christie
* Mise en scène, chorégraphie et scénographie Trisha Brown
* Costumes Elizabeth Cannon
* Lumières Jennifer Tipton

* HIPPOLYTE ET ARICIE (fragments)
* Aricie Sophie Karthäuser
* Phèdre Karolina Blixt
* L'Amour, Une matelote, Une chasseresse, Une Prêtresse Emmanuelle de Negri
* Un suivant de l'Amour Ed Lyon
*
* PYGMALION
* Pygmalion Ed Lyon
* L'Amour Sophie Karthäuser
* La Statue Emmanuelle de Negri
* Céphise Karolina Blixt
*
* Orchestre et choeur Les Arts Florissants
* Danseurs Trisha Brown Dance Company

Production / Coproduction

Nouvelle production du Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, en co-production avec le Holland Festival, Amsterdam et Athens Festival.



It was by far the most enjoyable evening with Rameau sung by four beautiful and talented young singers taking part in this magic ballet company: the Trisha Brown Dance Company. Les Arts Florissants with their peaceful and witty conductor William Christie, highlighted the evening !(as always).
I am a new comer in the baroque opera, I have listened more to baroque music than I have attended live performances. Going to this performance (like I did last Dec when I went to Garnier to see Platée and in March I saw le couronnement de Poppée at' théâtre des Salins in Martigues), was like discovering a new territory.
It was like a dream: an exquiste display of soft and subtle movements almost all in curves, matching marvellous arias. No period costumes, no setting, the chorus was in the pit, and the singers were dancers, part of the eight dancers of the Company. They were wearing tunics showing soft shades of grey, orange and beige. Trisha's drawings, curves and arabesques, were the only setting. They were lit up according to the feelings expressed by the music and dancers ( I guessed, and thinking about it is still stimulating my imagination).
What a relief ! why should we try to adapt the XXI st century to remote XVIIIth century? Rameau's music sounded very modern that night. The French 'danses'(Rameau wrote the music of the five danses and Amour makes sure the statue gets a crash-course on them in order to be fully alive!) without the XVIIIth century attire seemed so normal and expressing vividly the feelings of the singers. This music, called 'baroque', but very different from Lully, became even more powerful and expressive with this very modern and fluid choreography.
At last my dream came true, I was able to see Sophie Karthaüser live!
In the first part she was Aricie and a shepherdess.
She gave a stunning rendition of a sweet tune which may well become her signature after this Aix festival 2010: Rossignol amoureux'(live from last performance Jul 21st).
She was the most graceful dancer and singer of the cast and I really admired her for her quiet kind of personality and tremendous talent.
In Pygmalion she was the divinity"Amour" her sweet aria by the side of the statue pedestal explains her magic powers which will make the artist's love for his statue come true! Then the generous divinity of Love will reach the ether in subtle and swift flights on the music while the tenor expresses his happiness: 'le triomphe de l'amour'. Sophie flew in the air above the stage with graceful attitudes and smiles, she looked like a fresh bud in soft shades of pink and gold, sharing the candid and almost peevish look that can be seen on these cherubs' faces painted by XVIIIth century portraitists. Could it be a vision of Tiepolo's chubby angels floating so happily on some Venitian ceilings? I noticed she was wearing a taffeta rose at the back of her hair. The plain and soft tops and trousers of the dancers followed the curves of the body with supreme elegance. I loved the texture of the whitish and bluish stone tan of the statue and above all her hair style, like a roman empress. There was a true message of love and peaceful happiness in this tale. The infinite combinations of intertwined movements of legs, arms, hands, always describing curves, even perfect circles of arms in the last ensemble, could illustrate the plenitude of love, the sheer happiness at last. The tenor Ed Lyon proclaims 'le triomphe de l'amour'. The harmony of love is expressed in the coupling of the dancers and the triumph of the artist joining his live statue for the final harmonies. At one point of the finale, before she can join her beloved sculptor, Emmanuelle de Negri had her feet leaning on the Artist 's chest, she was in total extension, her head and body being backed up by the dancers. She did not look so much at ease in this position! But she was very convincing as a statue coming gradually to life.
It was amazing to watch the singers becoming talented dancers. They all went to New York and spent some time with Trisha Brown's company to work on the choreography separately from the music. Ed Lyon had an elegant look and beautiful expressions in this role, his 'triumph' was also vocal, and he will be remembered in this role. I definitely will try to follow Sophie Karthaüser's career in France and see her in Ilia next season if I manage to travel as much as I intend to.

(photo Aix festival 09)
From Operabase, here are her Paris appearances:
Jun 11 Idomeneo re di Creta Ilia Paris(CE) C: Rhorer; P: Braunschweig
Apr 11 Der Freischutz Agathe fr Paris(Comique) C: John Eliot Gardiner; P: Jemmett
Feb 11 Fidelio Marzelline Paris(CE) C: K Masur;

In the first part 'Fragments of love from Hippolyte and Aricie"
I realised that the aria 'Quelle plainte en ces lieux m'appelle'Hippolyte n'est plus ' was as fine as Purcell Dido's death. Karolina Blixt was amazing. This mezzo part of Phaedra went well with the colours of her voice. Her tall and thin figure moves with the emotions until she leaves and slightly bends to the ground in total despair. The splendour of both orchestra and chorus from the pit reaches a climax. This last phrase grows on my mind and I keep hearing her deep rich voice uttering: 'Hippolyte n'est plus', echoed by the chorus while she disappears. She was in perfect contrast with Sophie Karthaüser's role and singing. And I loved them both.
At the end of 'Pygmalion' the audience was cheering !
There was a 15 minute applause and at least four curtain calls. William Christie came on stage and talked to the audience, expressing his faith in Aix festival throughout the years and then wished all the best to two collaborators who were leaving the cast after this production( the regisseur and a dancer). When William Christie cheered the dancer, he slipped into English, with overwhelming emotion and affection. The orchestra joined this festive and moving end of night of the 2010 Festival. I hope they had a nice party afterwards, they all deserved it!

Karolina Blixt's schedule from operabase:

Opera Role Location
Feb-Mar 11 Hemligheter Carl sv Malmo C: S Larson / Lönnqvist; P: Dunér
Nov-Dec 10 Serse Serse it Stockholm(Royal) C: Stoehr; P: D Slater
Sep-Nov 10 Rigoletto Maddalena it Stockholm(Royal) C: Tobias Ringborg; P: Hellwig
Aug 10 Orfeo ed Euridice Orfeo Stockholm(Confidencen) C: Östman; P: Segerström
Jul 10 Elektra 3. Maid de Savonlinna C: Patrik Ringborg; P: Staffan Valdemar Holm
Jul 10 Pigmalion Céphise Aix-en-Provence C: William Christie; P: Trisha Brown


Ted Lyon's schedule:

Jun 11 Atys Atys Bordeaux C: William Christie; P: Villégier
Dec 10 Pigmalion Pygmalion Wien(Theater) C: William Christie;
Dec 10 Anacreon Agathocle Wien(Theater) C: William Christie;
Dec 10 My Fair Lady Freddy Eynsford-Hill en Paris(Chatelet) C: K Farrell; P: Carsen
Jul 10 Pigmalion Pygmalion Aix-en-Provence C: William Christie; P: Trisha Brown
The music associated to contemporary ballet and a rather bare scenography reinforces the singing and acting; it is not abstract either because the singers really felt the emotions of their role and expressed them even more with the language of the body paired with Rameau. It all looked and sounded definitely modern to my ears and heart. It really gets to the heart of the matter when these eternal myths: Phaedra, Pygmalion are revisited like they were at the Grand Théâtre de Provence on Jul 21st. And what a 'triumph' for les Arts Florissants! My best souvenir of that night is the last curtain call when they were all kissing each other just like in 'love actually'...Cupid was still fooling around...

Flying device. Sophie karthaüser is practising (I think!).
(photo from the programme Pygmalion Worshop, GTP Nov.09 Elisabeth Carecchio).
This production was broadcasted on Mezzo and is now on Youtube ( it is marvellous really that this performance can already be shared by all the Rameau lovers on youtube: many thanks to Oedipus Tyrannus who loaded the first part on youtube for my great pleasure).