Hector BERLIOZ (1803-1869)
Les Troyens (1856-58) [267:05]
Énée - Lance Ryan
Chorèbe - Gabriele Viviani
Panthée - Giorgio Giuseppini
Narbal - Stephen Milling
Iopas - Eric Cutler
Ascagne - Oksana Shilova
Cassandre - Elisabete Matos
Didon - Daniele Barcellona
Anna - Zlata Bulycheva
Valencia Regional Government Choir (Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana)
Valencian Community Orchestra (Orquesta de la Comunitat Valenciana)/Valery
Gergiev
rec. live, Palau de les Arts “Reina Sofia”, Valencia, Spain, 2009
This recording is also available in Blu-ray format.
UNITEL CLASSICA DVD 706008 [144:55 + 122:10]
With the release of Gergiev’s recording of Les Troyens the discography benefits
from a persuasive, dynamic and convincing interpretation of this famous score.
Composed between 1856 and 1858 it was given a partial premiere in 1863. Berlioz’s
Les Troyens was subject to cuts during his lifetime, such that the composer
never saw the first two acts performed. Since Berlioz’s lifetime, the five-act
opera has been divided into two parts, the first La prise de Troie
(acts 1 and 2) and the second Les Troyens à Carthage (acts 3 through
5). Because of its scope Les Troyens has been performed infrequently. The
effort required to mount a complete staging of the entire work is phenomenal.
A romantic adaptation of Virgil’s ‘Aeneid’, Les Troyens pushes the limits
of opera in many ways, and this recent production by Palau de les Arts “Reina
Sofia”, Valencia deserves attention amongst other things for the effort that
went into the multi-media aspects.
Other DVDs of Les Troyens are available, including the recent one from the
2000 Salzburg Festival (Arthaus) and from 2003 that by the Théâtre du
Châtelet, Paris (Opus Arte). While those sets reflect more conventional
stagings, the present DVD breaks convention in a modern rethinking that makes
use of elements of sport, science-fiction and abstract modernism to re-envision
Berlioz’s as a multi-media event. This resembles in some ways the recent Ring
cycle from the same theatre. That also which also deployed projected film
and other special effects in a re-conception of another nineteenth-century
epic. Tastes will vary and some may view the aesthetic results as a mere juxtaposition
of modernism and tradition. At bottom, though, the criterion is: how effective
is this production and music-making in conveying the meaning of the work.
In terms of the musical quality, the performances are outstanding, starting
with Gergiev’s exceptional leadership of this sometimes sprawling score. The
orchestral sound is clear and focused, with a balance that allows the solo
voices to be heard distinctively and the chorus to be supported solidly. The
recorded sound benefits from the best aspects of studio work, without the
sort of gaps one otherwise hears when singers turn or encounter dead spots
on the stage. At the same time the stage machinery’s action does not intrude
upon the recording as occurs in some DVDs. This allows Gergiev’s convincing
interpretation to emerge readily.
As to the solo voices, the principals represent optimal casting with Elisabete
Matos embodying well the character of Cassandra, and Gabriele Viviani comparable
as Chorèbe. Their duet in the first act “C’est lui!” shows the two in an admirable
light. Lance Ryan as Énée gives a strong reading of his part from the start,
with the recitative “Du peuple et des soldats”, a section that benefits from
the incisive way the singer approaches this passage and others. As Didon,
Daniela Barcellona’s interpretation brings the nuance that characterizes her
role, a crucial element in the second part of the opera. The performance benefits
from the phrasing and articulation Barcellona contributes which, in turn,
allows the details of her character to emerge effectively through the text
and accompanying music. Barcellona is impressive from her first entrance in
the scene with chorus “Gloire à Didon”, a point presented with sufficient
pomp to work well. Yet her duet with Énée that concludes the fourth act “Noit
d’ivresse” merits attention for the intimacy that emerges. Both Barcellona
and Ryan demonstrate exemplary ensemble. Barcellona sustains her character
through the climax of the fifth act, where Didon commits suicide and with
that act allows Énée to continue his journey, an element that is implied in
Berlioz’s score and is all the more powerful for being implicit rather than
blazoned directly.
The chorus is also impressive because of its focused sound and clear diction,
elements that are key to this work. In this interpretation the choral sound
is dense in texture, even when the volume is subdued or even soft. The text
is always clear, thus allowing the full effect of the crowd scenes where the
masses are represented by the chorus. The results are as impressive vocally
as they are visually.
As to that visual dimension, this has been described in the New York Times
(10 November 2011), as "Ancient myth meets Star Wars” - a clever quip
that does not do full justice to the Valencia production. In presenting Les
Troyens in this fantastic setting, stage designer Roland Olbeter avoided some
of the clichés which come with implementing our images of mythic antiquity.
In doing so he makes free with space-age elements in the final act, as it
looks forward from ancient Carthage to the future hegemony of Rome, a place
Énée, the legendary Aeneas, has not yet founded. Touches like the space walk
of Iopas allow some of the imagery to become concrete on stage, rather than
remain figurative. Such interpretive design accentuates the climactic suicide
of Didon with images of blood-red liquid flowing from her in a fountain, with
her costume forming the upper portion of the structure.
Elsewhere the design makes use of filmed images to create some stunning effects,
as with the usually painted backdrops of the sky - as found in the first part
of act one - transformed into dynamic images of billowing clouds moving freely
in the space behind the stage. Later in that part of the opera, the death
of Laocoön who is slaughtered by vicious serpents, is part of the narrative.
This is depicted by the impressive stage machinery as a larger-than-life display
that connotes the mythic intervention of the Greek gods. Granted, it is not
obligatory to include a depiction of this scene, but it certainly contributes
visually along with the grandeur implicit in the story and in Berlioz’s setting.
While trailers exist on the Internet and show in quick succession a variety
of the elements of this production, it is important to view this staging in
real time, to gain a sense of the pacing of the stage effects, which fit well
into the overall concept. Not everyone may share in the appreciation of the
Trojan populace in soccer-style uniforms, but the overall impact supports
the concept of the production. Likewise, the use of stylized uniforms offers
a perspective on the military scenes in harmony with the overarching structure.
These and other elements take the listener into the world of this score in
ways that other, more ‘realistic’ approaches may not always do. As much as
traditional settings may offer some comfort, the imagery behind this innovative
reading complements the strong musical conception of Berlioz’s Les Troyens
which is, after all, the focus of all the effort. This is powerful stuff and
merits attention for a vivid performance that works visually to allow scenes
and entire acts to remain in memory long after the final notes have faded.
James L. Zychowicz
An innovative reading that complements a strong musical conception.