After Mozart in the 93, I caught the Gaveau Recital on the 9th, offering opera arias for Karine Deshayes and Sebastian Bou.
He was a discovery for me. But I missed Ludovic Tézier who should have been sharing the stage with Karine.
Karine excelled in Rossini, with a witty Rosina in 'una voce poco fa'. She did not touch me as she should have done in 'd'amour l'ardente flamme' precisely because of the piano backing her in a strange loud way.
There is a piano accompaniment of this aria sung by Maria Callas and it sounds very different.
I left, a bit disappointed and thought I was not joining in the delirious audience and was responsible for it!!!
I was back home for the last production of the season
That was on Sunday June the 14th.
My season was patchy because I went through phases of stormy weather at times which were right on my subscription dates. I missed four operas (La Gioconda, Les Caprices de Marianne, Tosca and The Flying Dutchman). Although I managed to sometimes give my ticket to friends and acquaintance, It is disappointing not to be able to fulfill what has been settled a long time before the actual event. This season I am thinking twice about this subscription, subscriving or not subscriving. Falstaff is also the last Verdi and one which counts in his long career.
This Falstaff was not unknown to me. I saw this Jean-Louis Grinda's Falstaff in Opera garnier Monaco in 2010. The great Bryn Terfel was very moving in this farcical atmosphere, and I can remember beeing touched at the last scene.
In the same clever setting and costumes, but on a wider stage this production was even better and the poetry of the fairy scene was even more fascinating. Sabine Devieihele -Nanetta was enchanting.
This time the cast was also excellent, with an Italian young baritone, Nicola Alaimo, who gave a stunning rendition of Sir John. His voice was appealing and convincing in all the aspects of this character. He was tremendously funny with Mrs Quickly - her low range was particularly attractive. She was meant to be openly on the drinking side just like Falstaff. Both were hilarious with their poultry attire and gestures but never vulgar ! Patrizia Ciofi had pretty looks and manners. That day her voice was a bit husky sounding tired in the tops which is rather unsurprising when I myself saw her in two demanding roles, Alice and Ophélie.
What is to be remembered is how Lawrence Foster made the orchestra sound and at the interval he
Then came the heatwave.
When evenings are stifling, it is better to stay in the dark because if lights are on, instantly, an army of mosquitoes will swarm around you. It is quite difficult to concentrate on writing on the computor screen which is in broad light! That is the best excuse for part of my laziness as well.
June was busy with the free pre- Aix festival concerts: two outings to Silvacane Abbey for free music and transport from Aix: this is a time of the year which makes me happy to pay taxes and share among other people high quality cultural events in beautiful sceneries of my neighbourhood!
The biggest discovery of these afternoon concerts was the group of singers 'Musicaeterna' and their conductor Theodor Currentzis.
Listening to Stravinsky 's religious Orthodox music in the bare Cirstercian Abbey of Silvacane was an experience: I enjoyed it so much that I got a ticket for their concert at the Auditorium of new School of Music auditorium. Both performances were amazing.
"Préludes" on the Cours Mirabeau was a highlight too, as Patricia Petitbon, Philippe Jaroussky and Anna Prohaska sang some Haendel arias from Alcina and Andrea Marcon again this year was at the head of the Freiburger barockorchester.
That was on the 26th of June and something silly happened to me: when the barriers opened to get to our free pre-booked seats, there was some pushing around me and an iron part of the fence fell on my toe...
I really made an effort not to cry because of the immediate acute pain!
The result was a swollen toe, a painful crushed nail and of course difficulties to wear proper shoes...therefore I felt a bit off but stayed for the concert which took my mind away from this stupid event.
As a result I could not go to Paris to fetch the grandchildren, D did it for me!
Then came the performances booked in advance for my grandchildren who arrived on holiday on the 28th.
This year the Festival had a real opening for a young audience with very different outlook in three contemporary productions :
Be with me now, Svabda, the monster in the maze.
My family unanimously acclaimed The monster in the maze as the best one!
For the French young audience who gathered at 11am for the second and last performance it was sung in French. There were 300 young singers on stage belonging to different choirs and the house was really packed with children and families!
I felt so happy to be in this young audience! Simon Rattle was mastering the young orchestra, singers, dancers with so much love and dynamics! We all had to make Theseus's boat following the origami instructions of the youngest of the troup who was presenting the opera. The house was dead silent, busy folding the paper! His last instruction was to wave the paper boat all together when the conductor will wave his! It was like magic!
The orchestra was fantastic during this ancient tale with a very modern and moving outlook to what is happening on the shores of our Mare Nostrum now, which has never been so shameful for us used to see migrants arriving from the sea! After all Marseille was founded by Greek sailors 2600 years ago... nobody woud have dreamt of stopping them settling on the Lacydon shore in those days.
This production with young composers, young singers, young audience and above all contemporary music, accessible and striking, is the best hope for the success of the opera art form in the future and it is sure to get enthusiastic young audience like the one at the GTP on July the 9th!
No comments:
Post a Comment