The Paul of Michael Hendrick demonstrates his amazing strength to carry to the end and without intermission the terrible writing of the role. His relative awkwardness perfectly suits the character as a neurotic recluse who lives only in memory of his lost past.
Aside from his film scores (and his two Oscars) in Hollywood, Erich Wolfgang Korngold owes his fame to a single work. Created in 1920, La Ville Morte did not establish itself until the last quarter of the 20th century. We even had to wait until 2001 to see its stage premiere in France, in Strasbourg, and the fall of 2009 for the Paris National Opera to include it in its repertoire. A rare work therefore, requiring a large orchestra and two leading soloists capable of supporting, for two and a half hours, an overexposed range. A work that the Opéra national de Lorraine did not hesitate to tackle.
The stage system designed by Raimund Bauer is a checkerboard in two superimposed rows of three boxes with the same minimalist decor: an armchair and a floor lamp. The director Philipp Himmelmann makes the protagonists appear, by isolating them, but Paul never meets the dancer Marietta, in whom he believes he sees his late wife Marie again. Everyone stays in their own world, at their “level”. But, the result of carefully regulated work by the actors, the gestures of one find their echo in the other and the actions evolve in parallel. We could not better highlight the dreamlike atmosphere of the libretto, where everything takes shape in Paul’s imagination and fantasies, including the final strangulation of Marietta. A subtle use of video (Martin Eidenberg) gives full weight to the omnipresent portrait of Marie and, an intense and magical image, animates it when Paul thinks he hears her from beyond at the end of the first scene. In the second, the cabaret atmosphere bordering on the peep show which accompanies the troupe of Marietta’s acolytes may seem less happy and more trivial. We may also regret the absence of any allusion to Bruges, such a fundamental background in Georges Rodenbach’s original novel. The show is nevertheless, in the end, of great strength and rare intelligence.
Michael Hendrick’s Paul is somewhat worried at first, struggling in the treble. Then the voice frees itself, regains its courage and, above all, demonstrates its astonishing resistance to take on the terrible writing of the role to the end and without intermission. His relative awkwardness suits this neurotic character perfectly, withdrawn from the world and who lives only in the memory of his lost past. An absolute gem, Helena Juntunen has everything to convince in Marietta; beautiful and sculptural, scenically at ease and even sassy, she invests herself fully and achieves a portrait close to the ideal of a seductress who is not shy, almost vulgar and intensely sensual. On the vocal level, it is incredible to hear this Pamina, this Arabella, this Gilda, effortlessly darting her round and full high notes and passing without fatigue the imposing orchestral mass. In Franck, we are pleased to find the sumptuous timbre and silky legato of Thomas Oliemans. We would almost regret that he did not also take on the role of Fritz and the sublime aria of Pierrot, but AndrĂ© Morsch proves himself fully adequate. Nadine Weissmann impresses as Brigitta, a deep and intense contralto voice, yet not devoid of high notes. Finally, the troupe of Marietta’s friends put in a great performance, both homogeneous and sufficiently contrasting in their individualities.
And what joy, finally, to note the excellence of the level reached by the Nancy Symphony and Lyric Orchestra, in full force for this post-romantic score, under the expert and energetic baton of Daniel Klajner. The only slight reservation will concern a slight lack, in power and fullness, during the orchestral transitions between the scenes. But for the rest, everything is there: the luxuriance of the colors, the voluptuousness of Marietta’s Lied, the mystery of Marie’s intervention, the dark and implacable character of the third painting. What happiness, we told you! And audibly, the Nancy public was delighted.
Crédit photographique : Helena Juntunen (Marie / Marietta) © Opéra national de Lorraine
Rêve éveillé pour la Ville morte de Korngold
by Michel Thomé
ResMusica