(Bastille Werther, Karine Deshayes Roberto Alagna, feb 2nd 2014, matinée)
(streaming from my telly last nignt.)
Faithful to my passion for the mezzo soprano voice, I try to follow the ones I love and seem to know best by now because I have had opportunities to actually attend their performances here and there!This year is for me Karine Deshayes's year!I spent the week-end in Paris to see her interpretation of Charlotte, which I had already enjoyed so much twice in Lyon.
Lately, with facebook friends who have become friends in real life (true human miracle!) we also have the pleasure to see the artist after the performance. Karine Deshayes has a welcoming smile for every one, she is so cheerful!
That Sunday evening after an intense and overwhelming rendition of Charlotte next to Roberto Alagna's Werther (both very well-matched vocally and dramatically), she shared some happy moments with friends and fans: We drank to her health at the Café opposite Bastille! Then she took a late train to Aix-en-Provence to be the guest artist at the 21st Victoires de la Musique Classique on monday night! (Karine was the Lyric Artist of the Year in 2011).
I was back home in time to watch her on my telly on Monday, after having spent a nice half day with my friends.
The day before, I was watching her live on Bastille stage, and even saw her run past me to join dying Werther, (the last scene begins with a kind of cinema tracking shot where Charlotte has to run through the parterre to the aisle of the stage, then reach the back of the stage under falling snow to finally enter Werther's small cottage). Well, I must say I am very fond of the artist and the nice person she is! She is still my best Charlotte, although she was less childish than in Lyon but more tormented by her dilemma : passion or bourgeois married life? I always resent the end in Werther espacially on Charlotte's side for all the reasons I tried to chat about here some years ago. But this time Massenet was superlative on the orchestra side, Michel Plasson has his personal sound and rhythm for this typical French romantic musical expression. I never felt the lightness of Sophie's tune as much as this time, and Charlotte's torn feelings in Les lettres just made me cry, Karine Deshayes in her creamy plain silk dress (elegant and neat, she wears the same dress for the whole drama, like the other characters also wear the same costume) gave a heartfelt rendition, her voice now has mellow tops and great low tones not easy for her rather light mezzo type of voice but very moving ones, not
even chest ones.
On Sunday matinée, the musicians gave a standing ovation to Michel Plasson and the singers! Roberto Alagna is by far the best French Werther. I had the impression I was rediscovering him with the voice that enchanted us when he started singing this role, long ago. He is a brilliant tenor in this type of music, but less convincing in heroic roles. Not wanting to sound like a prejudiced listener, this French speaking cast did a fine job with the text and that is something... Roberto Alagna was back from Warsaw, lots of fans were waiting for him to greet him and congratulate him, with presents and bunches of flowers for Malena and her mother, it gave the backstage entrance a very festive atmosphere!
Carmen after Charlotte is just another world.
I was amazed by the colours of her voice and the clear and powerful tops in this Bizet's Seguedille.
It must be rather distressing to shift from one role to another, having to jump in a new role for a televised show, with a different kind of stress, including total exposure in bright light in front of millions of watchers!
She made it!
(photo yvette pertuis, feb 2 Opera bastille Werther)
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