We left at the interval...

Athénée-Théâtre Louis Jouvet, Paris, Friday March 15 2024. Production; Pascal Neyron. Sets and Lighting: Camille Duchemin. Costumes: Sabine Schlemmer, Julia Brochier, Anaïs Parola, Selma Delabrière. Choreography: Aure Wachter. Colette Patarin: Amélie Tatti. Achille Patarin: Philippe Brocard. Suzanne Patarin: Lara Neumann. Baronne Skatinkolowitz: Marie Lenormand. Nane: Julie Mossay. André Sartène: Aurélien Gasse. Léon Mézaize: Charles Mesrine. Orchestre des Frivolités Parisiennes. Photos: Camille Girault. The 'Frivolités Parisiennes' opera company was founded in 2012 to dust off, and present in vibrant modern productions, French light opera of the 19th and 20th centuries: opéra-comique , opéra bouffe , opérette , vaudeville musical , period French musicals and the like. The frontiers between these different genres seem to be porous: Wikipédia lists Gosse de Riche as an opérette , but according to the title page of the book ( available in full  on the website of France's N

ONP Bastille, Thursday March 7 2024 Conductor: Mark Wigglesworth. Production: Peter Sellars. Sets: George Tsypin. Costumes: Camille Assaf. Lighting: James F. Ingalls. Beatrice di Tenda: Tamara Wilson. Filippo Visconti: Quinn Kelsey. Agnese del Maino: Theresa Kronthaler. Orombello: Pene Pati. Anichino: Amitai Pati. Rizzardo del Maino: Taesung Lee. Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra National de Paris. Photos: Franck Ferville/ONP In a recent issue of France's Opéra Magazine , Peter Sellars, interviewed during rehearsals, explained that he'd wanted to stage Beatrice di Tenda for 25 years, in particular for its contemporary relevance: ' Beatrice di Tenda asks these fundamental questions: what is a dictatorship? How does it work, and how does it manage to impose itself? Is it possible to oppose it with beauty and culture? Bellinian melody rises up as the most sublimely human expression, to counter brutal force (...) It is very important to stage Beatrice di Tenda at a time when

ONP Bastille, Wednesday March 6 2024 Conductor: Thomas Adès. Production: Calixto Bieito. Sets: Anna-Sofia Kirsch. Costumes: Ingo Krügler. Lighting: Reinhard Traub. Lucía de Nobile: Jacquelyn Stucker. Leticia Maynar: Gloria Tronel. Leonora Palma: Hilary Summers. Silvia de Ávila: Claudia Boyle. Blanca Delgado: Christine Rice. Beatriz: Ilanah Lobel-Torres (replacing Amina Edris). Edmundo de Nobile: Nicky Spence. Count Raúl Yebenes: Frédéric Antoun. Colonel Álvaro Gómez: Jarrett Ott. Francisco de Ávila: Anthony Roth Costanzo. Eduardo: Filipe Manu. Señor Russell: Philippe Sly. Alberto Roc: Paul Gay. Doctor Carlos Conde: Clive Bayley. Julio – Butler: Thomas Faulkner. Lucas – Footman: Julien Henric. Enrique – Waiter: Nicholas Jones. Pablo – Cook: Andres Cascante. Meni – Maid: Ilanah Lobel-Torres. Camila – Maid: Bethany Horak-Hallett. Padre Sansón: Régis Mengus. Yoli: member of the Hauts de Seine children's choir. Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra National de Paris. Photos: Agathe Poupeney

  March 2024's 'pick of the month' (i.e. their ' Coup de coeur ') in France's  Opéra Magazine , with their top ' Diamant ' award, is: 'A model disc' (which makes a change from a 'reference'). 'On the eve of his first Lohengrin in Strasbourg, starting on March 10th, Michael Spyres devotes a recital to Wagner,' (called IN THE SHADOWS ) but from an unusual angle, showing just how much the composer owes to some of his German, French and Italian predecessors. A fascinating programme, with outstanding vocal and orchestral performances: an album to treasure.' It's with Les Talens Lyriques under Christophe Rousset, and includes arias from the likes of Joseph, Fidelio, Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra, Il crociato in Egitto, usw, on Erato.

BOZAR, Brussels, Sunday February 18 2024 Conductor: Alain Altinoglu. Baritone: Stéphane Degout. Violin: Saténik  Khourdoïan. La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra. Schönberg: Fünf Orchesterstücke , op.16 Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen Korngold: Concerto in D major for Violin and Orchestra , op. 35 Williams: Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone , suite for orchestra. I: Hedwig's Theme . II: The Sorcerer's Stone . III: Nimbus 2000 . IV Harry's Wondrous World . Alain Altinoglu rehearsing Parsifal in 2022 at the BOZAR. Photo: Simon Van Rompay The blurb for this concert on La Monnaie's website puts the emphasis on magic in music, saying it would be 'An ideal evening for both Wizards and Muggles.' (I had to look 'Muggle' up.) This is no doubt a clever way to draw people who might not normally go to symphonic concerts into one that opens with a work by Schönberg. But I think the programme could more plausibly be described as simply a small selection of wo

ONP Paris Garnier, Monday February 12 2024 Conductor: Harry Bicket. Production and Costumes: Laurent Pelly. Sets: Chantal Thomas. Lighting: Joël Adam. Giulio Cesare: Gaëlle Arquez. Cleopatra: Lisette Oropesa. Sesto: Emily D'Angelo. Cornelia: Wiebke Lehmkuhl. Tolomeo: Iestyn Davies. Achilla: Luca Pisaroni. Nireno: Rémy Brès. Curio: Adrien Mathonat. Orchestra of the Opéra National de Paris. Unikanti Chorus. Photos: Vincent Pontet/ONP This Cesare is a reprise of Laurent Pelly's 2011 production, which I wrote about at the time. For a description of his staging, click through here and scroll down to 'The production is a new one, by Laurent Pelly.' Having seen it again this week, I feel less positive about it than I did at the time. But (a little bit) more of that later. So now, all I have to do is write about the musical aspects. I have, however, an impediment. In the first act, every time Emily d'Angelo sang, her voice came with what in French would be called a '