Charles GOUNOD (1818-1893)
Mireille - Opera in five acts and seven tableaux (1864)
Mireille - Inva Mula (soprano); Vincent - Charles Castronovo (tenor); Taven - Sylvie Brunet (mezzo-soprano); Ourrias - Franck Ferrari (baritone); Maître Ramon - Alain Vernhes (baritone); Vincenette - Anne-Catherine Gillet (soprano); Andreloune - Sébastien Droy (tenor); Maître Ambroise - Nicolas Cavalier (bass); Clémence - Amel-Brahim Djelloul (soprano); Le Passeur - Ugo Rabec (bass)
Choeur et l’Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris/Marc Minkowski
Chorus Master - Patrick Marie Aubert
Stage Director - Nicolas Joel
Set Designers - Ezio Frigerio
Costume Designer - Franca Squaciarpino
Lighting Designer - Vinicio Cheli
Choeographer - Patrick Ségot
rec. 11,12, & 14 September 2009, Palais Garnier, l'Opéra national de Paris
Subtitles: French (original language), English, German. Japanese, Korean
Picture Format: HD 16:9; Sound format: PCM stereo and DTS-MA 5.0
Region Code: A,B,C
Reviewed in PCM stereo
NAXOS NBD0126V Blu-ray [151 mins]
Charles Gounod composed the opera Mireille while living in Provence during the spring of 1863. He made the decision to go there to soak up the regional sights and sounds in order to better musically illustrate Frédéric Mistral's poem Mirèio, on which this opera is based. The opera is filled to brimming with the sights and sounds of a summer in Provence, and Gounod himself thought it one of his finest compositions. From the very beginning the opera has had its detractors and although the original story is based on real stories
of village life, or regional legends like the ghostly ferryman from Act Four, the fact that the plot is less than believable need hardly concern us; this is grand opera after all. There are so many fine pieces of music in the opera that it is surprising that the music is not better known by the opera-attending public. The second act of Mireille contains one the largest musical-dramatic arcs in a single scene that I know of in any opera. Both Act Two and the “Scene de la Crau” are among Gounod’s finest musical inspirations and can easily stand up to anything found in either Faust or Roméo et Juliette.
The present Blu-ray disc is a re-release of material that first achieved very limited availability on the defunct Fra Musica label in 2010. It was enterprising of Naxos to arrange for the rights to distribute this, along with some other titles from that label. I do hope that they will get around to releasing the Ravel Opera Double Bill from Glyndebourne (review). I can happily attest that in spite of the age of the material, the sound and picture quality of this Blu-ray are exemplary and the HD imaging does full justice to Ezio Frigerio’s set of wide open spaces, with especially skillful lighting from Vinicio Cheli, that was a major contributor to the success of this production.
Nicolas Joel’s production also happened to be the inaugural production of his regime as head of the Paris Opera from 2009 to 2014. He, along with his design team, chose to present Mireille by abandoning the usual quaint regional costuming that was native to Provence during the 19th C and has usually featured in productions of the opera. By doing this he avoids any visual distraction from the real family drama that occurs during the action. Even the old witch Taven has been toned down to a sort of wise woman who could easily be found in countless communities the world over. His direction of the principals is very sensitive and revealing of the dilemmas that trouble each of
the characters.
Heading the cast are a pair of lovers in Castronovo and Mulva who must be the most visually appealing and believable duo to have graced this opera in its entire history. Charles Castronovo’s dark handsome appearance guarantees him to be a very realistic looking Arlesian hero. Vocally his burnished tenor has a golden ring about it, ensuring that Vincent’s big aria in Act Five is exquisitely sung. As an actor he delivers total commitment to his role, in fact that some of his best acting vignettes occur during periods when he is not actually singing. Latvian soprano Inva Mulla is a blonde, waif-like Mireille. She too is utterly convincing in presenting a passive young girl who transforms into an assertive and determined heroine who succumbs to a tragic fate. Vocally her very vibrant lyric soprano is at its best during the final three acts. In the first two acts her vibrant tone became occluded in the upper register. In general, her singing is richly coloured and subtly moulded throughout. Her big aria in the Crau desert is impassioned and overwhelming. Mulva and Castronovo are just magnificent in Mireille’s death scene which is deeply affecting in their hands.
The other villagers are cast from strength. Sylvie Brunet is a very dignified Taven, despite the witch’s slightly comic trappings. Her voice reveals its true potency for her scene in the val d’enfer. The late Franck Ferrari provides a virile baritone to the role of the rival Ourrias. He uses his large build to maintain a physically threatening presence during his scenes which add to the drama. Unfortunately he is a singer who suffers from excessive perspiration and the HD cameras pick up on this fact in vivid detail. Alain Vernhes brings a commanding voice and stage presence to the role of Mireille’s cruel and rigid father. In contrast Nicolas Cavalier exudes a faded dignity as Vincent’s more sympathetic father. The smaller roles are all extremely well cast, in particular Sébastien Droy as an exceedingly mellifluous shepherd.
Marc Minkowski leads the Parisian forces with lightness and grace while the Provençale rhythms spring to life in his hands. The opera’s Prelude is a masterpiece of orchestral tone painting, as brilliantly sun-drenched as are Van Gogh’s haystacks. The second act’s huge dramatic progression from the pastoral opening to the surging power of the painful conclusion is carefully guided by Minkowski. I defy anyone to not want to immediately jump up and dance along with the bursting Farandole that opens this act. As there is no other alternative version of Mireille available, this is the only option to experience this fine opera. It is pretty unlikely that there will ever be a better representation of it than on this Naxos release.
Mike Parr
