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Showing posts from January, 2008

Lully - Cadmus & Hermione

Opéra Comique, Paris, Saturday January 26 2008 Conductor and art direction: Vincent Dumestre. Production: Benjamin Lazar. Sets: Adeline Caron. Costumes: Alain Blanchot. Cadmus: André Morsch. Hermione: Claire Lefilliâtre. Arbas, Pan: Arnaud Marzorati. La Nourrice, Dieu Champêtre: Jean-François Lombard. Charite, Mélisse: Isabelle Druet. Draco, Mars: Arnaud Richard. L'Amour, Palès: Camille Poul. Le Soleil, 1er Prince Tyrien: David Ghilardi. Le Grand Sacrificateur, Jupiter: Geoffroy Buffière. 1er Africain, L'Envie: Romain Champion. 2nd Prince Tyrien: Vincent Vantyghem. Junon, Aglante: Luanda Siqueira. Pallas: Engénie Warnier. 2nd Africain: Anthony Lopapa. Dancers, Chorus and Orchestra of the Poème Harmonique. Most of the critics are saying the same thing: twenty years on (they're thinking of Atys ), Lully is back with a bang. Atys is seen in France as Baroque opera's first "popular" smash hit. Villégier set it, not in period scenery and stage costumes, but in

Messager - Véronique

Paris Châtelet, Thursday January 24 2008 Conductor: Jean-Christophe Spinosi. Production: Fanny Ardant. Sets: Ian Falconer. Costumes: Dominique Borg. Hélène de Solanges (Véronique): Amel Brahim-Djelloul. Florestan de Valaincourt: Dietrich Henschel. Agathe Coquenard: Ingrid Perruche. Ermerance de Champ d'Azur: Doris Lamprecht. Evariste Coquenard: Laurent Alvaro. Loustot: Gilles Ragon. Séraphin: Sébastien Guèze. Tante Benoît: Catherine Hosmalin. Esemble Matheus, Châtelet Chorus. Quite often, on French TV, we see 50s footage of neatly-dressed youngsters (some of the boys in dinner jackets) from Paris's posh western quarters jiving incongruously to rock 'n' roll in the smoky cellars of St-Germain-des-Prés. Usually Boris Vian appears with a trumpet. The current Véronique was actressy actress Fanny Ardant's first foray into directing and we all feared the worst, but in fact she managed to recreate just that atmosphere of bon-chic-bon-genre post-war Parisian gaiety. 50s up