Otello en noir et blanc : Kurzak éblouit, Alagna sombre

By Tristan Labouret, 08 March 2019

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“la production oscille entre des passages d’une grande finesse et une lecture trop littérale”

Reviewed at Opéra national de Paris: Opéra Bastille, Paris on 7 March 2019

Verdi, Otello

Opéra national de Paris

Bertrand de Billy, Conductor

Andrei Șerban, Director

Peter Pabst, Set Designer

Graciela Galán, Costume Designer

Roberto Alagna, Otello

Aleksandra Kurzak, Desdemona

George Gagnidze, Iago

Marie Gautrot, Emilia

Frédéric Antoun, Cassio

Alessandro Liberatore, Roderigo

Paul Gay, Lodovico

Thomas Dear, Montano

Chœurs de l'Opéra national de Paris

Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris

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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

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***11

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Tristan Labouret

Musicologue diplômé du CNSMD de Paris, Tristan Labouret collabore avec de nombreux artistes et institutions musicales (Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo, Orchestre national d'Île-de-France, Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier, festivals de musique de chambre de Deauville, Just Classik Festival…), menant des activités de médiation à destination de tous les publics. Ex-altiste toujours passionné par les répertoires chambristes et symphoniques, il occupe depuis 2018 le poste de rédacteur en chef de la partie francophone de Bachtrack.