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Der Freischütz

Der Freischütz

libretto Johann Friedrich Kind,

music of Carl Maria von Weber

Toulon Opera

January 30, 2011

Opera of Toulon, led notified of Claude-Henri Bonnet became place of production a rare eclecticism which can be applauded as a season of repertoire that works and even fewer ever given in France, as the superb Street scene Kurt Weill that has already been mentioned here. 2010/2011 programming has already shown, next to a Thai now abandoned elsewhere, Orpheus in the Underworld by Offenbach come from Paradise Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, the one expects the uncrowded Rondine Puccini (25, 27 February and 2 March), little more vocally climbed Linda de Chamounix Donizetti (25 and 27 March) , Dido and Aeneas by Purcell , creating, with nothing less than Anna Caterina Antonacci (19, 22 and 24 April), another hilarious Offenbach by "Deschiens" these Robbers (13 and 15 May) but famous ghostly hand, a recital June Anderson (11 March) and now the romantic opera par excellence, creative Toulon, Der Freischütz .

The work

It is a tune for which I give,

all Rossini, Mozart and all while Weber .

A look very old, languid and mournful ...

We remember the nostalgic verses of Gerard Nerval which associated with these famous composers in his time Weber (pronounced Webre ), life still shorter than that of Mozart, his cousin by marriage, too early and too premature to him since he disappeared lived more than five years (1786-1826).

If the subject may seem outdated today, it should not be minimized, historically, the impact in 1821 in Berlin, the first opera proclaimed "romantic" and a German reign when Italian music in Europe, often with neo-classical themes Antique world or even medieval. Germany, fragmented into a constellation of independent principalities and kingdoms, ravaged during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), had emerged slowly during the eighteenth century and ^e Prussia, trying to impose a unit which will be a century later still in the camp of the conquerors of Napoleon, is looking for a cultural expression autonomous, anti-French course, and anti-Latin in general, what Wagner later succeed in music.

Weber is the first link with this fantastic story and realistic at once, which, on Germanic forest background, Satanism and mixes with local rural folklore, shooting competitions here, symbolically located here in 1650, just after the terrible bloodletting of the War Thirty Years. How to renovate the Middle Ages to the romantic mode is like a knight in a duel that Max, gamekeeper, must win the hand of the daughter of Prince ranger during a shooting contest in which he must win. Assailed by doubts about his abilities, he will not hesitate to sign a pact with Samiel, the Devil, through Kaspar, damned soul searching issue, which will provide the magic bullet of victory. Do not forget that the shade of forests and black magic is also another side of the Enlightenment who invented the Gothic thriller.

Realization and Interpretation

Considering all this, we salute the general atmosphere of successful designs ( Lawrence Peduzzi) costumes (Marie Sartoux) and lights (Joel Hourbeigt) : shady background, a huge moon, tables and inverted cross, slowly, characters dressed in dark, loose coats and hats vaguely detached faces. Otherwise still a nightmare, a daydream in a thick fog unhappy consciousness or dark, uncomfortable for sure. Wave bursts of yellow and red flowers: a pictorial scary atmosphere to Caspar David Friedrich , not a chronological reconstruction. Only light note, the long white dress neo-classical Agathe in his room in Act II, bullseye with this red moon in the house and bed restoration. The hellish scene Gorge aux Loups, like a downward spiral of his unconscious by Max, is represented by stairs and ladders, metal modern highlighted by red light.

In his staging, Jean-Louis Benoît seems to have opted for the plastic beauty of the paintings, but also accuses the droop, the only movement being given by the choreography of Erick Margouët nicely behind the dances of the peasants. Directing actors seems absent and abandoned the personal temperaments of singers, such as mobile and voluble Aennchen of Melanie Boisvert , as ravishing as its little trick, pretty soubrette role and voice of soprano or second accomplice and friend, pleasure for the ears and eyes. It is also the case of Kaspar Roman Ialcic , which is approved by both his acting and character possessed desperate to get rid of her pact with the devil by the beauty of a deep baritone voice low. Beside him, the Max Jürgen Müller , inevitably pale and suffers from a voice problem which makes the détimbrer piani to the inaudible, which is not caught by a set stiff and expressionless . In Agathe big and rangy blonde Jacquelyn Wagner has a beautiful and noble appearance, coupled with a voice quality as well, almost unreal instrumental, it takes no effort, beautifully and poetically rope like a cello or violin, beautiful line.

All the rest of the distribution is worth quoting: it welcomes back the ball low to the Kuno Nika Guliashvili ; Gnidii Igor, baritone, portrays a lot of Kilian mocking charm, another baritone, Bartolomiej Misiuda, is Prince Ottokar with authority and still lower in this opera of dark men vote with the exception of the tenor and two women, Fernando Bernad, is a vibrant Hermit. Actor Jean-Michel Fournereaux has the role of the Devil Samiel he plays his body and looks.

The choirs are remarkable discipline and shades and it not surprising under the baton of leadership and Laurence Equilbey . From the beginning, as a curtain raiser, it creates a dreamlike haze, dreamy, blurred bursts of horns of a strange sweetness, then place the pattern of Agathe like a golden thread of the partition. The colors of the various panels are highlighted on the soft lapping of the strings. It structured but flexible, well-articulated, with infinite finesse to glow the delicate gems that partition. An happiness.

Toulon Opera, new production

in partnership Opera Theatre of Saint-Etienne

28, 30 January, 1 February ^st

Der Freischütz

Musical direction: Laurence Equilbey

Orchestra, chorus and ballet of the Opera

Director: Jean-Louis Benoit; decoration: Lawrence Peduzzi, costumes: Marie Sartoux; Lights: Joel Hourbeigt; Choreography: Erick Margouët.

Distribution:

Agathe: Jacquelyn Wagner Aennchen: Melanie Boisvert ; Max :  Jürgen Müller ; Kaspar :  Roman Ialcic ; Kuno : Nika Guliashvili ; Kilian :  Igor Gnidii ; Ottokar : Bartolomiej Misiuda ; L’Ermite : Fernand Bernadi :

Samiel :  Jean-Michel Fournereau.

Photos : ©Frédéric Stéphan

1. Roman Ialcic, Jürgen Müller, Nika Guliashvili ;

2. Mélanie Boisvert, Jacquelyn Wagner : mortuaire couronne de fleurs;

3. On the bride fainted, bend Aennchen, the groom standing, right, father.