La Belle Hélène: Karine Deshayes at Toulon Opera House (28 XII 2014)

Direction musicale  Nicolas KrügerMise en scène  Bernard PisaniDécors  Éric ChevalierCostumes  Frédéric PineauLumières  Jacques Chatelet

Hélène  Karine DeshayesPâris  Cyrille DuboisMénélas  Yves Coudray
Agamemnon  Olivier GrandCalchas  Antoine GarcinOreste  Eugénie DangladeAchille  Vincent De RoosterAjax I  Yvan RebeyrolAjax II  Jean-Philippe CorreLéoena  Hélène DelalandeParthoénis  Marie Bénédicte Souquet

What a treat to end the year!
 Karine Deshayes gave all her vocal and glamorous charms to this icon of love who set fire to  Ancient Greece : 'La guerre de Troie a eu lieu' .....

She was in smashing company of a young tenor, Cyrille Dubois,  I discovered and appreciated at first sight! He has an easy way of singing in top voice which reminds me of Juan Diego Florez. He is also so musical and clear to follow. Both had a great chemistry and it was  hilarious to watch them in this splendid production  which has rhythm. It was amazing to see them dance nearly all the time during the whole three acts.  I enjoyed the added funny hints, musical or witty :  Karine and Cyrille   both jumped on 'Là bas ' said by Calchas to sing 'Là bas Là bas  dans la montagne' ( Carmen)  for a short but cute instant. This was just a hint but the whole production is full of funny added bits to our contemporary time (during le Jeu de l'Oie, silly and hilarious which requires the text really ).
The whole cast was fitting nicely in all the roles. Menelas : I found  him terribly good   at whinging. Right from the beginning, he is wearing the sign of a deceived husband : a pair of  long feathers (just like the heros in Chinese opera) but here these are the symbols of   the cuckold husband wearing horns! He played the bullied king and husband so well!
Calchas was communicating with Zeus through the  thunder symbol and that was also so funny... certainly pleasing the young audience who for once was quite numerous this afternoon, including my granddaughters who simply loved the show and came out singing the last tune ...
 We had a wonderful treat at the curtain call: it was a parade with the orchestra, then Pâris  started singing his last tune'je suis gai' joined by all the artists on the stage plus the conductor and the producer while the orchestra was playing, and we had this twice so we joined in ...,I could not help it! It was such a jolly end, they were all singing and dancing ... after nearly a three hour show.

This production is not new but has lots of charms and is not pretentious, very clear to follow and giving lots of characterization for each role.  The singing was fine, absolutely somptuous from Karine Deshayes, and the music from the pit, charming,  with that touch of wonderful cellos and violins which is the Offenbach delicate moments among hilarious orchestral 'riots'.
Like  last end of  the year in Marseille opera house,  I came out thinking I should listen to Offenbach more often and even read the libretto carefully so that not one  single joke would be missed, because Meilhac and Halévy were tremendous writers for Offenbach and his witty turn of mind.
These two artists -singers who had the main roles this afternoon are also  nominated for the yearly contest and they are both selected for our votes :
Karine Deshayes as the artist of the year and Cyrille Dubois as the young revelation of the year.
VICTOIRES DE LA MUSIQUE CLASSIQUE 2015
I could add to this list the young Oreste- Eugénie Danglade, a lovely mezzo and certainly a very good artist. I was quite impressed by the whole cast this afternoon.

Christmas in Vienna from Arte Live Web (Dec 25th): Vesselina is here!

 Link to he concert:
http://concert.arte.tv/fr/christmas-vienna-2014

Vesselina Kasarova at her best among a lovely cast for a festive evening with Seasons's Greetings in , German, Polish, Bulgarian, Russian and English. It started with a disguised  'Minuit Chrétien' in German. This is Europe and the French words are in my mind so... it was beautifully sung.
It is worth  keeping this Christmas concert  as Vesselina sang a Bulgarian Christmas song: it is such a discovery any time her somptuous voice sings in her mother tongue.
Vesselina's Greetings: wonderful !
Who else could bring us so much joy for the New Year?

 (Snapshot and short video from Arte streaming, medioce quality, sorry!)

Interlude II -The Squirrel ( from the new green vault.Dresden)

What is still on my mind after my Dresden trip and visit to Grünes Gewölbe  is a tiny porcelain squirrel acquired by Augustus the Strong.
The message about this statuette kept my attention. In those days of wars and conquests this rather extravagant monarch got an interest for this minute clever and crafty animal which seems coming from the forest in this luxurious display of miniatures. Simplicity versus  worthless Baroque Dinglinger jewellery art?
I kept wondering at this statuette which was true to life and so minute. 
I am fond of minute objects too. When I retired I bought myself a tiny tea-set made in Germany to put in my 'collection'... probably because  my Mother, who was an expert at knitting, made fantastic clothes each Christmas for rather small cellluloid  baigneurs which looked almost like  babies but I had to give them away as presents  each following Christmas at the Salvation Army stand on La Canebière... among tiny plastic furniture and tiny dolls also wearing Mum- made outfit... offered to me by my busy Mum when I was ill, but she wanted me to be charitable so I had to share my toys, though we were rather poor ourselves ... but so rich in our hearts! From Shanghaï I got back tiny wooden furniture to display on a painted wooden frame among cloisoné minute vases... useless and cheap ....I also selected minute objects for a tiny garden in Chinese style, and I realised how they are fond of miniature things which are so cheap at the Insect market!
My 'collection' does not have any particular meaning. 
The Little squirrel displayed in the Neues Grüne vault has an important meaning which has also a value now, in these dreadful days of utter violence because of religious intolerance from some, on others. 
Just before Christmas for so many of us, yesterday, there was a massacre in a school in Pakistan. The horror of this act is unbearable.
The message delivered by the squirrel has a universal meaning, symbolising"'the primarity of dexterity over brute force".
 Season 's Greetings to all my faithful readers and my blogger friends, Willym,  Eyes,  An , Smorgy without forgetting Il Diavolo from Italy ! Peace and happiness from my tiny garden without a miniature squirrel, yet.

Interlude I Dresden evening at Frauenkirche with Bach: Advent Concert.

My first  evening was spent at Frauenkirche.
It was rather difficul to find my way to the hotel from Mitte Hbf at  5.30pm in pitch- dark.
I eventually managed after inquiring at the tram queue in front of the station, and got nice help.
 In fact I need not take the tram: I was some two hundred meters away from B&B where I booked my two nights'stay.
Registration was fairly quick, enquiries for the journey to Frauenkirche went smoothly and I did not waste time to walk back to the tram station, got a 2.20€ ticket and hopped on the tram to Altmarkt.

I had a map and all the instructions. If the suburb around Mitte Hbf was quiet and dark, the Altmarkt was dazzling with all sorts of Christmas lightings!  It was packed with crowds of people and lots of families with children because of the Christmas markets all around.

 I was happy to be slugging along queues of people enjoying themselves and at the same time a bit worried to get to the church in sight but completely surrounded by swarming folks.

 I made my way along the excavations and works in front of Frauenkirche and could smell all sorts of nice roast food, ham, sausages, chestnuts, it was a feast...I thought I would taste some after the concert and walked through the crowd to the doors of the church. I then understood I had to find my entrance

on my ticket and walked round to find it. It was 7.15pm and I queued a little bit then I could enter.
There I felt terribly moved to be in front of the real things of beauty I had admired on  my tv screen nearly every Christmas for some years, when the Advent Concerts were broadcast.
I sat and gazed ... which is  one of my favourite occupation... so many cherubs to discover, plants,

vine running across pillars, angels, then the painted ceiling, endless discoveries and contemplation.
When the concert strated I was truly happy and relieved to be there after two flights, a very early departure and somehow an hasardous arrival: it always looks dead easy on internet then in reality it is very different. With the blazing trumpets and rejoicing chorus, with eyes lost in all the details of the baroque scenery around me, I suddenly thought it was like swimming in reviving waters, another amazing experience offered by music.

The first cantate is familiar to me, then it is less easy and gradually I got lost  a bit. " Mary," the alto, had a nice middle voice but no low range, the soprano was not projecting  for some reason. The Evangelist was fine and the bass was really good. As for the musicians and chorus, they were like I enjoy listening to, in  Bach Cantates. Then I made up my mind after two hours I could not possibly stay until the end... so at the interval, I left, knowing it was a kind of sacrilege, but I had to face the journey back on the tram, then another very busy day, the only complete one in Dresden out of this trip. As I was always told by my very kind -hearted stepfather who brought me up and cared for Mum and me, 'tomorrow is another day '....Back in the cold night, with less people around I could notice the display of Christmas traditionnal gifts, the minute carved stars, angels, Frauenkirche, looked really crafty, food display of sausages everywhere, as well as beer and hot spicy wine stands.
I fancied a kind of grilled slice of bread with cream, ham and chives on top.
I ate it while walking to the tram stop. It was gone past 10pm, time to call it a day.

Semperoper Dresden :Strauss-Hofmannsthal Der Rosenkavalier 7-XII -2014

If I had my last card to play in this game of life, I will ask for another go at this temple of music quite far from my native South of France.

I will also ask for another evening with Anja Harteros in a lead role like The Marschallin, (Marie-Thérèse, or Rési).  I could watch her and listen to her again from a good spot in this well adorned house, with fantastic acoustics.  She gave me more than what I have always loved to listen to in this role from my cds, which include Lucia Popp and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.

I will also ask for a very special conductor who can find in this Strauss scores the striking boisterous rhythms which reminded me of 'l'amour des trois oranges' at act III first part at the inn...with so much fun on stage and in the orchestra, and finds the intimate fragile glissendo of a chamber orchestra for autumnal Marschallin's  awareness  on her woman's life.
 As for the waltz which runs through the scores I only want to listen to that one I heard conducted there at the Semperoper by Christian Thielemann, because it is really very different from all the ones I know and I suddenly realised his must be the real one.  I was moved by the orchestra all through this performance on Sunday.
Then, as a very special treat, I would like the first violin and the harpist to stay at the first interval and rehearse for me like they both did on that Sunday dec 7  when I was there. The sound of the first violin alone in the pit when the harpist left, is unforgettable.
The baron Ochs -Peter Rose was not only funny like Falstaff,  he was also terribly witty and touching when energically scolded by his cousin Anja Harteros-Marie-thérèse, very authoritative in her position of Marschallin,  who had to tell him more than twice   that 'la comedia est finita'.
His low notes were splendid, he is a real singing bass not pretending  and transforming some parts in parlendo. He is the  best  Ochs I  have ever watched.
 Sophie-Christiane Karg was juvenile looking, pretty and light, sounded like an angel and matched  the two women voices at the heavenly trio. As for Octavian- Sophie Koch:  she was elegant, funny, touching, she surprised me in this role with splendid  harmonics I was not able to appreciate when she sang Charlotte. She makes you believe both her passion for Marie-Thérèse and her love at first sight for  Sophie. She masters this role in every corner of it and is at ease in this setting, like all the others, as it is pleasant with lots of action and people on stage, with elegant costumes ranging from modern to pre-first war ones. Among the Marschallin's open court there was a couple of carlins I think and I could not stop watching them, while le coiffeur was combing Anja's real hair to make a stylish bun adorned with a shining hair clip (which I noticed she was wearing no more when she appeared for her monologue at the end of the act,  may be she found it too flashy!). The Italian tenor (young Korean artist Yosep Kang) did not take the mickey out of the Italian singer, he gave a true serenade with top voice! I noticed the crowd was  suddenly motionless when the Italian singer started, in fascination, just like in my Fair lady at the race course... I loved this passage. The italian couple was also a  team of smashing actors and singers.  I was amused to see them pretending to be window-cleaners and  in fact spying on the young couple and getting evidence of their love by taking photos.. That was fun like it was planned to be 'comedia' by both Strauss and Hofmannsthal. This staging  is full of  funny tricks like this. The libretto has also French sayings which 'tombent à pic' and are very tasty...I loved the ones sung by Anja!
Now I only feel a kind of melancholy as I try to hear Anja Harteros 's long melodious phrases like she is the only one to master at the end of act III, when she reaches real high notes so naturally. Her musicality is so moving...always.  It is so difficult to keep in memory... it is beyond words.
That is why I went on this trip to Dresden, and would like another card to bet for ... another go....

It was

Christamssy all around Dresden...and Frauenkirche. (where I spent my evening of arrival).

Karine Deshayes : live recital ( free) at Maison de la radio ( 1st DEC 2014)

What I have to say is : I was there  !
So happy to be at a live broadcast at Carrefour  de Lodéon ! (all I had to do was to register on the site to get a free entrance ticket.  My friend in Paris warned me,  as I had the train ticket ... for the cancelled Vesselina Kasarova recital at Lundis Musicaux... I hopped on this train and saw Karine,  my best French mezzo,  just back from San Francisco and going to Toulon on the 9th to start La Belle Hélène Rehearsals, busy life isn'it!)
 Frédéric Lodéon has been the vivid soul of this  programme for years on the popular France Inter radio,  then moved to France Musique where he hosts musicians and singers.
 Last night,  Karine Deshayes and Philippe Cassard gave us a thrilling performance of Chansons de Bilitis, then two of the 14 Duparc's melodies, the last one being : A Phidylé
Her very clear pronounciation and the colourings of her vibrant voice took me far away from this broadcasting place ' studio Sacha Guitry'!  her exquisite 'repose' reminded me of Regine Crespin. Karine Deshayes has some of her delicate and yet utterly moving  long  phrasing: similar to  the cello cord I love so much.

        
Carrefour de Lodéon : the broadcast of this live concert: on  Friday 5 XII 2014 (4pm-6pm).
 A Phidylé does not seem to be on the programme... I will treasure the memory of her voice  in this special one and wait  to find it in  her new cd of these  French melodies, one day, accompanied by
Philippe Cassard who convinced her to work on these Fauré and Duparc melodies. He is right!
And  of course Régine Crespin will always be cherished: