Le jeune et l’ancien : trépidantes Fêtes d’Hébé à Bastille

By Suzanne Lay-Canessa, 29 March 2017

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“un bain de jouvence bienvenue à une partition dont on pouvait redouter l’archaïsme.”

Reviewed at Opéra national de Paris: Amphithéâtre Olivier Messiaen, Paris on 22 March 2017

Rameau, Les Fêtes d'Hébé, ou les Talens Lyriques

Opéra national de Paris

Jonathan Williams, Conductor

Thomas Lebrun, Director

Lauriane Scinemi del Francia, Costume Designer

Les Chantres du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles

Antoine Arbeit

Léa Scher

Karima El Amrani

Maxime Camo

Lucie Gemon

Julien-Henri Vu Van Dung

Adriana González, Soprano

Pauline Texier, Soprano

Juan de Dios Mateos Segura, Tenor

Laure Poissonnier, Soprano

Mikhail Timoshenko, Bass

Tomasz Kumięga, Baritone

Jean-François Marras, Tenor

Royal College of Music Baroque Orchestra

Pomp meets ping-pong: Nixon in China lands again in Paris

David Karlin, 14th March

Excellent vocal acting from Thomas Hampson, Renée Fleming, Xiaomeng Zhang and a magnificent orchestral performance conducted by Kent Nagano can't make Valentina Carrasco's production fully grip.

***11

Thomas Adès’ high-flying Exterminating Angel in Paris

Erwan Gentric, 29th February

The French premiere of the British composer's opera will be the undisputed high point of the Grande Boutique's season: a perfect confluence of music, staging and cast.

*****

Shock and awe in Paris with Bernstein's A Quiet Place

David Karlin, 9th March

In the expert hands of both director Warlikowski and conductor Kent Nagano, the sequel to Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti proves to be even darker and more dramatic.

*****

A long road to nowhere for Igor at the Bastille

Mark Pullinger, 1st December

Barrie Kosky's makes a limited impact in his debut at Opéra de Paris, apart from an hallucinogenic Polovtsian Dances.

***11

Les Indes galantes: with Alarcón, Rameau conquers the Bastille

Philippe Ramin, 28th September

The new production of Les Indes galantes at Opéra Bastille is exceptional, from the vocal cast to the choreography by Bintou Dembélé. But the stand-out performance of the evening comes from conductor Leonardo Garcia Alarcón.

*****

Don Giovanni according to Ivo van Hove: a puritan despite himself?

Pierre Liscia-Beaurenaut, 16th June

Don Giovanni returns to the Palais Garnier. The production by Ivo van Hove lacks energy but is wonderfully served by a cast of great young talents.

***11

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Suzanne Lay-Canessa

Docteure en littérature comparée, passionnée de langues, Suzanne a consacré sa thèse de doctorat à Jean-Sébastien Bach. Elle enseigne le français, la littérature et l’histoire de l’Opéra à l’Institute for American Universities et à Sciences Po Aix. Collaboratrice régulière du journal Zibeline, elle publie dans les rubriques Musiques, Livres, Cinéma, Spectacle vivant et Arts Visuels.