At Opéra de Liège : Rossini's"Le Comte Ory" from 21 Dec to Jan 2, and Jan 5th in Charleroi
When Rossini presents "Le Comte Ory" (1828) in Paris, the Parisian public welcomes this opera-bouffe with such boundless enthusiasm that it will last a further 60 years. It is his penultimate opera, written in French. Rossini largely adapted "Il viaggio a Reims", a work he had written for the coronation of Charles X. Unexpectedly, he would stop composing for opera at the age of 37, with his last masterpiece : " Guillaume Tell", submitting to his new passions: gastronomy and worldly life.
Tasty mix of genres, eras and virtuosities, "Count Ory" 2018, whose title role is interpreted with verve and solar power, by Antonino Siragusa, a magnificent tenor disguised as a bawdy monk, has really seduced everyone by its lightness, its brilliance, its French spirit and its joie de vivre. Graceful and unassuming comic effects are everywhere. The story is particularly reminiscent of some popular French songs like “La ceinture” explaining the ups and downs of using chastity belts. Rossini's time is formal, hypocritical, and austere. No wonder bawdy songs would flourish!The opera libretto, written by the famous Eugene Scribe, was inspired by a medieval ballad, and contains numerous sexual hints and rich and humorous rhyming. A psychoanalytical analysis would say a lot about the nature of the impregnable castle. And if you decide to scrutinise the text a bit more closely, you might reap quite a few hot hints.
In December 2017, the director, Denis Podalydès, was signing the creation of this bubbling opera, at the Opéra-Comique of Paris. The choice for the setting went to another member of the Comédie Française, Eric Ruf, and the famous French designer, Christian Lacroix, has contributed with flamboyant Gothic costumes.The lights of Stéphanie Daniel (Molière 2017 for the creator of lights) regularly add up to a brilliant denunciation of subterfuges and disguises. The movements of the choreography and the various love approaches are regulated by Cécile Bon, who worked in « En attendant Bojangles ". The very stylish choirs, conducted by Pierre Iodice are lively and lavishly impregnated with humour and good spirits. Trained at the Marseille Conservatoire, he has been directing the choir of the Royal Opera of Wallonia-Liège since 2015. Finally, the 2018 Belgian cast is very homogeneous and offers a palette of very beautiful talents of impeccable musicality that proves utterly pleasant to listen to.
There is a first interesting dramatic shift: the time of the crusaders turns into the conquest of Algeria in 1830. The gentlemen’s costumes are declined in top hats, frock coats, pants, boots that are easily removed for good reasons. The ladies wear Comtesse de Ségur feather hats and alluring long dresses with deep décolletés. The peasant women go lightly and short-dressed. This is the era of the wealthy Bourgeoisie set in the Restoration time, which is keen on scabrous stories, seducers and libertines that make up for their rigid daily routine.
The other shift is the use of explicit religious setting that was banned in Rossini’s time. Podalydès, replaces the castle of Formoutier by an abbey displaying a collection of ...dancing chairs. No connection with the famous Abbaye de Thélème however! It is just a convent, where the beautiful Countess Adele languishes, suffering from a strange and persistent pain, that is cunningly interpreted by Jodie Devos when she appears in the first act. The sublime Jodie Devos feels desperately abandoned and suffers from both atrocious physical and moral loneliness. She will keep her lovely crystalline and fruity voice tone for later character developments. Her servant, Lady Ragonde, starred by the very alert Alexise Yerna, explains in a joyful and theatrical way that the cataleptic state of her mistress is due to the cruel absence of the husband who went picking laurels in the Muslim plains. For sure, Podalydes cannot resist depicting the authoritarian influence of the Catholic religion in the 19th century. The companions of the count, are disguised as libertine nuns who hide their desires under veils and rosaries, which makes it even more vibrant.
The luscious overture is played while a period painting depicting the shores of Africa, war assaults, carnage, and the siege of a city is being shown on the curtain. Then the veil is lifted on the interior of the convent lit by a dull light falling through inaccessible windows. War on puritanism will be waged. The heterogeneous cliché of church pulpit, confessional, holy sacrament and holy cross mingle with the comings and goings of the chubby hermit – Count Ory in disguise – who promises to cure the villagers of all their evil pains and welcomes the young girls especially, with open arms. The crowd bringing fruits and dairy, sing bucolic carpe diem rhymes. What a genuine Julie Mossay with her fresh tone of voice, as Alice! The so-called monk, a present from heaven, starts to drink. The flute of the orchestra mocks his high spirits, the teasing singing on the word "prière" iemphasises the comical mood, and a paralytic struck by grace, even suddenly throws his crutches away! " Venez, mes toutes belles, je donne des époux ! » says Ory, the virtuous man, ready to welcome the young ladies' prayers in his humble cottage at all times. Impossible to miss the point!
The following scene confirms the light spirit of the opera because it depicts the "governor" of the Count (in fact the male counterpart of the governess of a lady) who complains bitterly of the harshness of his mission. He is sent by the father of the count to try to recover the scoundrel runaway accompanied by a Machiavellian Raimbaud, (Enrico Marabelli) an agile and dynamic presence on stage. Laurent Kubla holds this role masterfully, although he complains bitterly like a slave, using the most dizzying bass notes.The anger of the "governor" is doubled by his obvious desire to indulge in other delights. At the end of his aria, he will be found sitting astride on a church chair, as if about to start an eighty huntsman’s dance. From the Confessional and other cabinets, beautiful bare shouldered girls and lascivious voices emerge... Happy swimming and chanting in the same water, provided it is holy! The enchanted girls sing along ’Sortons d’ici! /Let's get out of here!’ while remaining, riveted to adventure. The qualitry of comic oppositions runs through the whole piece never being vulgar. Suggestions and double-meanings are well-balanced while the desire to conquer love remains incandescent, alas unfulfilled ...
As to the everything but angelic Dame Angèle (Jodie Devos), she shies away from the plans of Isolier, the cousin she fell in love with and who incidentally serves as a page to Count Ory. She lends herself shamelessly to unrepentant marivaudage, although she claims of course to love him only. Jodie Devos, sure of her power, is sparkling in this role of diva and her acrobatic vocalizations are full of ease while displaying the freshness and raw sap of youthful seduction. Double meanings come to a climax in the duet of Isolier embodied by a woman, Jose Maria Lo Monaco ,who proclaims « on verra qui de nous deux l’emportera » and adds that « le noble page du Comte Ory sera un jour « digne » de lui ! ». Forceful bravi welcome the dazzling cross-voice game of the generous Antonio Siragusa as Count Ory and the naive purity of the beautiful phrasing of the page José Maria Lo Monaco. They join body and voice into a fight of arm wrestling, literally as well as figuratively. As one can see, this opera is pure enjoyment of surprises, contrasts and joie de vivre.
The musical good mood and humour generated by the picturesque direction of the impetuous Jordi Benàcer is equally irresistible. In a great connivance with the public, the slightest postures, speech figures, displacements or changes of mood are skilfully highlighted by the director. He uses the dynamics to make us feel the fluctuating rhythm of the voices, as if he used a stethoscope recording the various phases of burning but immediately bridled desire. His storm is parodic and his “drinking while you pray” composition sounds like a freshman’s De profundis song! So much so that the public finally finds itself a real accomplice in the scene with the three on the couch of the countess. Only Count Ory, disguised this time as Sister Colette, seems to ignore how many they are, or pretends not to be able count to three! The mishmash in love ... carnal love (Ory) as opposed to pure love (Isolier) ends with the imminent return of the husband, who will probably just have to turn a blind eye to the joyful events.... As in the famed song of “La ceinture”!
Photographs and French version
Dominique-Hélène LemaireAt L'Opéra de Liège, 21st December up to 2nd January 2019/
In Charleroi Saturday January 5th 2019 - 20:00
► Place
PBA / Grande Salle
► Booking
071 31 12 12
www.pba.be / https://bit.ly/2N9rqk1
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