Massenet,  Manon: Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus of The Gran Teatre del Liceu Conductor: Victor Pablo Pérez,  Liceu de Barcelona. 27.6.2007 (JMI)

Production:
Director: David McVicar
Sets and Costumes:  Tanya McCallin
Lighting: Paule Constable

Cast:
Manon: Natalie Dessay
Des Grieux: Rolando Villazón
Lescaut: Manuel Lanza
Count Des Grieux: Samuel Ramey
Guillot: Francisco Vas
Bretigny: Didier Henry

 

The core of the 2006/7 opera season at the Liceu of Barcelona has been Abate Prevost’s heroine Manon. The saga started with Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, followed by Henze’s Boulevard Solitude (see review) and  finished with this Massenet  Manon.  In between we also had Massenet's one act sequel Le Portrait de Manon. So what could be called the Manon season reached its end with Massenet's main work on the subject with an all star cast, headed by Natalie Dessay and Rolando Villazón, both of them real idols for the Barcelona public.

It is peculiar that this subject has been more popular in Spain than in the rest of the world through the second half of the last century. Cities like Bilbao and Barcelona have seen sopranos of the stature of Mirella Freni, Renata Scotto, Victoria De Los Angeles and Montserrat Caballé, accompanied by Chevaliers as outstanding as Alfredo Kraus, Luciano Pavarotti, Jaime Aragall, Ferruccio Tagliavini, Alain Vanzo or Giuseppe Di Stefano. With names like these it is not difficult to understand the Manon's popularity in the principal opera repertoire in Spain. I do not believe though that any time in the past was better than recent performances, but this opera needs great artists to triumph fully, since it is served very badly by either routine or mediocrity.

This production comes from London's English National Opera with stage direction by David Mc Vicar, one of the present day's most interesting directors. McVicar's production is spectacular, using a group of dancers-actors, permanently on stage but never interefering with the rest of the action. There is a single set, consisting of tiers at the back of the stage, crowned by a large curtain, producing the effect of a theater within a theater. Bright, light coloured costumes add  much to the action, and are particularly remarkable in the Cours La Reine  scene. Tanya McCallin is responsible for both the set and costumes and Paule Constable'a lighting is outstanding.  McVicar's approach is very good, both in managing mass movement and in the direction of the actors:  the entrance of the coach at the station in Act I is particularly remarkable.  The transitions between scenes are very good too, allowing the plot to flow without undesirable pauses. The Act set in the Hôtel de Transilvanie  becomes  “Transexvanie” or “Transinvanie” in this production and is full of life. In summary, this is magnificent work from a real man of the theater, who has a perfect  knowledge of the score  and  great respect for the music. What was hard understand though is  why a production with only a single set, needed intermissions lasting for almost an hour, causing the opera to finish after midnight. It seems that the Liceu will start operas half an hour earlier next season, which seems a  sensible  idea.

Musical Direction was in the hands of Victor Pablo Pérez, whose reading was good and careful, although it needed more tension and inspiration to ensure that the music should maintain its impetus. Personally, I am not convinced that including the ballet in the Cours de la Reine act was a good idea either, since it broke up the action and extended  the opera unnecessarily. With a very great group of dancers this ballet music might be included, but that was not the case here, since the actors-dancers used were not a real ballet company. The Orchestra Simfònica of the Gran Teatre del Liceu had a good night, better than what I have heard from them all through this season and the Liceu Chorus was outstanding.

Manon was sung by Natalie Dessay, who had suffered health problems in previous performances because of pharyngitis.  Is Manon a role for a light soprano like hers?  In her debut in Geneva it seemed to me that her voice sometimes had not enough weight, particularly in the Saint Sulpice and Transilvanie acts. But while I keep thinking that Manon needs more vocal weight, it is  clear that the Barcelona public does not agree. I recognize that La Dessay is an absolutely convincing interpreter of the role, aside from being a great singer, and I would say she is one of the best actresses you can see anywhere today on an opera stage, even  if not absolutely the best. This fact, together with her unquestionable quality as a singer, allows her to triumph in the part, regardless of questions about vocal weight. She sang “Adieu, notre petite table” with distinction and taste, she shone in the gavota with  spectacular high notes, and at every opportunity her excellent use of  body language helped to convince and  move the audience. Though she fell a little short in the first act, she compensated her lack of vocal weight with a convincing portrayal in Saint Sulpice and  showed only some poor low notes only in the Transilvanie scenes. We were warned about her pharyngitis but hardly anyone noticed it at all. Her Manon is clearly more suited to the  theater and DVD than CD though, especially in a live recording.

Rolando Villazón sang Chevalier Des Grieux and I am sorry to say that I have never heard him sing quite so badly in a theater so I hope this was just an off night. Even so,  he has a special ability to reach beyond the footlights and communicate with the audience, - who adore  him and forgive him anything, at least in Barcelona. His entrance in Act I left me perplexed: the voice did not run true and was smallish and badly projected. He did sing an outstanding “Dream” with a beautiful mezza voce of high quality but his great aria in  Saint Sulpice was a big disappointment. He began this with serious pitch problems and shortness of breath, which clearly made him angry with himself. To compensate, he changed style for the final part of the aria, moving to the front of the stage to finish as if it were Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, extending some notes and opening up some sounds in a demonstration of very bad  taste. This change of singing style had  pernicious effects on the audience, who were delirious, particularly in the gallery. In Transilvanie Villazón continued with his more or less verista plan, avoiding the high note in the concertante. I think it is fair to demand more from such a media star. Sadly some aficionados still  come to the theatre to show their enthusiasm for an artist, independent of what they offer on stage and Villazón case is a clear example of it. The same is true of  Dessay of course, although she deserves all recognition in this instance: which certainly did not apply  to the Mexican.

After his Bohème  Marcello last year at the Teatro Real, Madrid, Manuel Lanza has confirmed that  today he  is a baritone fully  recovered from previous problems and very worthy of serious consideration as a singer. His  performance as Lescaut was very convincing.

It is difficult and painful for me to write about the great Samuel Ramey's Comte Des Grieux. I have been  - and continue to be - a great admirer of this artist, without a doubt one of the more important bass-baritones of the  80s and 90s and  indeed a  reference in so many roles. His performance in Barcelona made me sad: the voice retains its volume and the colour, but he cannot control a huge and annoying vibrato so that his vocal instability on stage is spectacular. He still has all his presence and the authority, but this is unfortunately not enough to match  his memorable portrayals of the past.

Francisco Vas though is becoming  a new reference as an interpreter of secondary parts and his Guillot de Morfontaine deserves every type of praise. Didier Henry was not a good Bretigny as there are better options in  Spain but the three girls (Marisa Martins and Ana Tobella,  Javotte and Rosette  respectively) were all well characterized and sung, specially Cristina Obregón as Poussette, There was nothing of particular interest in Lluis Sintes'  Hôtelier.

A packed house and an audience in triumph. There was heavy applause for  “En ferment les yeux” and “Fuyez, fuyez”, in addition to the “Petite Table”, the Gavota and Saint Sulpice and enthusiasm exploded at the end, mostly in the upper floors, for the two  principals, as if we had attended the Manon of the millennium.  What would Saint Alfredo Kraus, who is of course in heaven, say about it though ? Whatever the answer, I suppose that Rolando  Villazón must be asking himself   - like Ford in Falstaff - “ è sogno or realtá?”

José M Irurzun


José Maria Irurzun is a former Vice Chairman of the Friends of Bilbao Opera Association (ABAO) and Chairman of the Bilbao Artistic Committee (Spain.) He was a jury  member for the 5th Ottavio Ziino International Opera Competition in 2006.

Pictures © Antoni Bofill

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