(photo Opera de Marseille site on Facebook).
Marseille, capital of the South-Eastern region decided to keep life going on, mainly wanting to show dignity and resolution to keep life going on, although deeply in communion with the dreadful Paris terror attacks.
Music, Entertainment, are not 'sins' but solace, heart and mind feed in any kind of situation.
Music is free, shared, and cannot be stopped!
That is the message which made me pull my energy and hope together, and go to Marseille on Sunday the 15th.
The Opera House maintained its programmes.
I Due Foscari took place as it was scheduled!
Introduction during rehearsals
On my way to Marseille on the bus, memories of past dreadful moments I had lived through came to my mind and even more when I arrived at the Opera House. I had visions of my childhood when I used to walk to the Opera house with Mum, through the waste land left by the bombing of the Panier area, by the side of the Old Port.
I used to play there, in front of the light prefabricated structures left by the US army. (they also were converted into school rooms and later on I went to Elementary School in those too!).
My Mum was employee there. These structures were used as Town Hall offices.
My mum had found a secretarial job at the Food Supplier departement She was giving people their supply of ration tickets.
As a baby I must have heard bomb explosions a lot in Paris because we lived there from 42 until 45. That kind of sound must have been inscribed in my memory. Whenever I hear a rifle, a bang of any sort, I shudder. When I fly I always have earplugs and earphones throughout the journey.
I was raised and educated in Marseille after the war.
In my Teens and young adult life we also had to go through the very unsettled Algerian Independance period. All these past events came back to my mind even stronger during the minute's Silence we shared in the House at the opera.
I looked around me at the Parterre and there were so many white haired heads like mine! I thought I was not alone to go back to my memories of crucial historical moments here.
We are in the mid of another very painful one. What is even more upsetting is that these terror attacks were aimed at our young population, having fun in Paris on that warm Friday night.
That minute's silence at Marseille Opera House was heartfelt, shared with the whole orchestra, chorus, artists and Maestro Paolo Arrivabeni, on stage, facing us.
Sadness could be felt when the orchestra started. Then as the beauty of the whole cast and the drama wound up, this feeling vanished and pleasure then joy took over, even exploded with LeoNucci's encore of his last aria!
It was a splendid rendition from all of them,
I did not know this opera well, only the Doge last aria was familiar.
Discovering this young Verdi's opera was even better through a concert version. Musicality was centerpiece that afternoon. Indeed it was highly shared by the young and slim Ukrainian soprano Sofia Soliviy interpreting Lucrezia Contarini.
(opera de Marseille Photo, next to Sofia, the orchestra Lead :Da-Min Kim)
She appeared in a very fluid shiny rose mauve long dress which made her look so agile and energetic! She needed energy for this role where she has to express through singing very strong feelings: Hatred of the political background in front of the Doge her father -in law, then passion and love towards her imprisonned husband Jacopo Foscari sung by Guiseppe Gipali whose tenor voice I liked in this role. When she knows he is doomed to exile she has compassion and rebels against this injustice. This role has a fair number of arias with acrobatic trills and requires energy perhaps as much as Lady Macbeth. Sofia Soliviy made this strong character live through all these difficulties with the flexibility of her voice and the required intensity in the numerous ensembles. I liked her with the Doge, Leo Nucci, being the best baritone for this role of an aging man in power in the rich Venitian city and also of a wounded father who in spite of his power is not able to change the course of his son's fate. Here I felt the complexity of the drama was similar to Don Carlo. Even the musical part with the Cello and viola duet reminded me of the cello in Don Carlo. It was a splendid rendition at that moment before the tenor aria in the prison. This prison aria is also very refined with a kind of poetry about Venice almost like a haze, a dream, it is very sad and moving. I enjoyed G. Gipali 's voice a lot. He did not try to live his role but his singing had all the colours required as a lover and a son and also father. But the best part was sung by what we call 'bête de scène', the incredible Leo Nucci who sings with passion and played his complex role with infinite details. I could follow his Italian and was under his complete charm. His role as a ruler then a father and family head is fantastic. Of course we have had him in Marseille all along his long and flourishing career. He has often said he feels at home here and likes Marseille audience a lot.
(photo facebook site opera de Marseille)
Because of the tension we all went through, added to the beauty of his singing at the end of his last aria, applause thundered and shouts for 'encore' fused from all over the place, then came the 'Viva Nucci' like during his concert last year! With the claps from the orchestra, from the audience and from the artists on stage, he turned to Maestro Arrivabeni, and... avanti for an amazing encore ! Leo Nucci is an immense artist, singer, and such a generous person !
I was so delighted to be part of this feast !`
(photo opera de Marseille Facebook)
This time I queued at the stage door like in the good old days to cheer all of them, and thank them.
I was not alone!!!
At the stage door: Wojtek Smilek, basse gorgeous but his role is too short!
G. Gipali
Maestro Paolo Arrivabeni
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Opera de Liège
I Due Foscari Leo Nucci
