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Giordano, Andrea Chenier: Soloists, Orchestre National du Capitole, Choeur du Capitole, Conductor: Pinchas Steinberg, Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse 30.01.2009 (JMI)

Production Opera National de Lorraine

Director: Jean-Louis Martinoty
Sets: Bernard Arnould
Costumes: Daniel Ogier
Lighting: Jean-Philippe Roy

Cast:

Andrea Chenier: Robert Dean Smith
Maddalena: Irene Cerboncini
Carlo Gerard: Sergey Murzaev
Contesa: Stefania Toczyska
Bersi: Varduhi Abrahamyan
L’Incredibile: Emiliano González-Toro

Of all Giordano’s operas, Andrea Chenier is undoubtedly the most popular. It is curious that this opera has always been in favour with aficionados, whilst critics never have shown much enthusiasm for it. However, this has been the fate of almost all the verismo operas, if we discount the works of Puccini (whose association with verismo in the true sense could, in any case, be debated).

This  production from Nancy was premiered in March of last year. The stage  direction was by Jean-Louis Martinoty, for so many years a regular collaborator with the much admired  Jean Pierre Ponnelle. Martinoty’s production is historically authentic, using his knowledge of the French Revolution to further inform Luigi Illica’s libretto. He says in the programme that to transpose the action to any other revolution would not make sense, so precise is Illica in the libretto.  Martinoty’s knowledge is profound – something we are little used to in the work of his colleagues!

The stage sets are based on movable painted panels, the movement of which allowed the stage to open and close, producing the atmosphere demanded by the action. Use was made of great paintings of the same epoch, for example, Watteau (the small theatre playing “O, pastorelle addio”), Goya (the choir entering  the mansion with Gerard leading them “sua gradezza, la miseria) and  David with Le Serment du Jeu de Paume, during Act III. The costumes were very nicely detailed, and a suitable lighting plot completed the production. Stage direction of the group scenes was very good, whereas  direction of individual actors left something to be desired. There were some superfluous details such as the  pantomime that takes place on stage before the opera starts.

Pinchas  Steinberg  is one of the conductors most frequently to be found at the Toulouse  Capitole, and consequently knows the orchestra well and gets a great response from them. In my many years attending the Capitole it is the first time that I have seen him conducting  Italian opera here, although he has often conducted this repertoire in other theatres. (Without going too far back, Mr. Steinberg  conducted the Liceu’s Andrea Chenier two years ago). He and the orchestra delivered a reading of the score which was full of life, and for me this was the best part of the evening.

Almost everybody would agree that this opera needs a trio of very strong voices, and in particular a first class tenor with the sort of voice that is all too rare at the moment. Nicolas Joel, already 20 years at the helm of the theatre, has always given a great importance to voices and he writes in the theatre magazine  that he decided to programme Andrea Chenier because he believed he had an exceptional tenor for the title role. Sadly, I am not convinced that the cast he has actually offered is up to what one has come to expect from Mr Joel.

Robert Dean Smith is one of the more frequently encountered tenors in the Wagnerian lyric repertoire during the last few years and he is also a regular performer in Strauss operas. However, to find him in Italian opera is quite unusual. To combine  Tristan – a role I believe to be too heavy for him - and Andrea Chenier or Des Grieux (Manon Lescaut) is not an  easy task and comes as something of a surprise. If you review his performances over the last two years you will not find any Italian opera, although I  believe his voice  is,  or better was,  well suited to  this type of opera, offering a timbre with more beauty than power. His  performance as the poet Chenier  had moments of doubtless quality, specially the aria “Como un bel dì di Maggio”,  whereas the Improvisso was not particularly brilliant, improving in “Si, fui soldato”. In general, he is short of “squillo” in the high register. He was not an impassioned protagonist, being rather cold at many moments. All in all, he was a good Chenier, but this is a role that probably comes to him too late in his career.

Italian soprano Irene Cerboncini was not an extraordinary Maddalena di Coigny. The voice does not offer too much quality, although it is well suited to the demands of the role. However, her singing  is too monotonous and as she is not a great actress either the result was another cold performance. Neither of the love duets  with Chenier were very convincing.

Carlo  Gerard is a character who demands a Verdi baritone, needing  power, but with the additional requirement that he must  sing with nobility at moments if he is to display the  special complexity of this character. The Russian baritone Sergey Murzaev has more than enough voice for the part, but is short in nobility, expressiveness and intention. He sang everything forte and this is not worthy of a great Gerard. This, however, did not seem to worry the audience, proving once again that audiences want to hear voices, big voices.

In the secondary roles we had the veteran Polish mezzosoprano Stefania Toczyska, who still has an acceptable voice. Maria Jose Montiel made a good Madelon.  The Armenian Varduhi Abrahamyan was a Bersi without pain or glory. Emiliano González-Toro doubled as Abate and L'Incredibile and he was good.

There was a full house. At the final bows, most applause went to  Murzaev, although there was also appreciation shown for Dean Smith, Cerboncini and Pinchas Steinberg.

Jose M Irurzun

Picture © Patrice Nin

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