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Puccini, Tosca: Soloists, Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine. Choeur de l’Opera Nacional de Bordeaux. Choeur d’enfents du Consevatorie de Bordeaux, Conductor: Kwamé Ryan< Grand-Théâtre de Bordeaux. 25. 1.2009 (JMI)

New Production

Direction: Anthony Pilavachi.
Sets: Markus Meyer.
Costumes: Pierre Albert.
Lighting: Anthony Pilavachi.

Cast:

Tosca: Catherine Naglestad.
Cavaradossi: Alfred Kim.
Scarpia: Jean-Philippe Lafont.
Angelotti: Yuri Kissin.
Sacristán: Jean-Philippe Marlière.

Picture © Guillaume Bonnaud
 

[Editorial Note:  Following publication of this review, complaining emails were received from this production's Director, Anthony Pilavachi. Mr. Pilavachi accused José Irurzun of being an amateur reviewer, too stupid or inattentive to understand this production which according to him, had received positive reviews from 99% of critics - 'real professionals', as he puts it -  in France. Mr. Pilavachi  ended his second mail by saying that he would put this review up on his web site as a example of:

 <Quote> amateur and stupid comments as well as how nowdays every idiot can make an internet Page and produce rubbisch. (sic) <End Quote>

The burden of Mr Pilavachi's annoyance is that he takes exception to the comment in  JMI's review that there were no priests in  the  Te Deum and that the chorus sang from the theatre's side boxes, which he regards as an example of JMI's crass ignorance of his intentions for his production.  He stresses that 'what I did was to make visual Puccini's score instructions' which he claims go unnoticed by the majority of opera directors.  He continues: <Quote> Puccini clearly uses the Chorus as Background to Scarpias Monolog and I copy Puccinis wish " In a great erotic frantic" ( con passione erotica). It means Scarpia is having an erection in the Church!! Puccini does not describe once, from Bars 1263 to 1318 (that long is the whole Te Deum), what the chorus is meant to be or do as it does not interest him a bit. <End Quote>

Mr Pilavachi finishes his second message by saying that the production is already sold out in Monte Carlo, Nürnberg and Bern but ends it with this statement <Quote> 'the critic is blindly emotional and egoistic involved. Please stay away from my Productions.' <End Quote>

We take the unusual step of publishing these comments for two reasons:  firstly to be wholly fair to Mr. Pilavachi by clarifying his intentions and secondly to correct the perception that JMI is an amateur reviewer, which is not the case.

JMI served for eight years as Vice-President of ABAO - The Opera Friends' Association of Bilbao and was also President of its Artistic Commission at the same time. As such he was responsible for the artistic decisions taken by the organisation, including the commissioning of opera productions.

Spanish Friends' Associations - of which ABAO is only one example - are not simply support groups for opera houses as they might be elsewhere. They promote opera productions in the cities they serve and were in fact, the  prime movers for the restoration of opera in Spain as a whole  after the second world war.  ABAO continues to commission opera productions for the city of Bilbao to this day. The organisation's website  is here.  BK]

JMI's review begins here: 

Tosca is always sure to be a box office success and, since it is hardly four years since the last time this opera was performed at the Grand-Théàtre, Bordeaux is clearly well aware of this. It goes without saying that once again the public supported Puccini with its usual enthusiasm, filling the theatre for a run of 10 performances with two different casts. However, something really exceptional has to take place for me to avoid feeling let down after a performance of such a familiar work, and this very rarely happens.

Bordeaux’s is a new production, with stage direction by Anthony Pilavachi. He explains the thinking behind his production in an interview with Noëlle Arnauld, where he says that all of his Tosca productions follow the model that Zeffirelli designed for Maria Callas in 1964. Of more modern productions he only rates Robert Carsen’s (which is, in my opinion, a very debatable assessment) which was seen a few years back at the Liceu.

With these antecedents, it is clear that Pilavachi embraces “originality” and this means he feels that he has to dedicate several pages of the programme to explaining the symbolism of his staging.  Personally, I believe that productions do not need deep explanations, unless they are not clearly developed on stage, and that it is what happened in this case. The production was a pasticcio of ideas and symbols that resulted collectively in a sense of artificiality.

The action is timeless within its modernity, with references to dictatorships ranging from Hitler and Franco to Guantanamo prison. Tosca was a movie actress (Greta Garbo?) persecuted by the paparazzi, but with costumes falling very  short of  a diva's glamour.  Act I took place on a reduced stage and the Te Deum barely existed, as there were no priests and the choir sang from the side boxes.  Scarpia’s room was furnished with a very big couch and a fresco of the Fall of the Angels. The third act was staged much as Act II, but without the couch and with the addition of some steps at the back. Mr Pilavachi did not direct the actors well, although Scarpia was convincing, thanks to the talent of Jean-Philippe Lafont. The relationship between the lovers did not come across and was not credible since passion, a fundamental ingredient in this opera, was notably lacking. Cavaradossi was far from the romantic painter of Sardou, and Tosca was not the diva the opera needs. To sum up, this production was full of good intentions, but lacked passion and credibility.

The musical direction was entrusted to Kwamé Ryan, who is also artistic and musical director of the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine. The reading of the young Canadian conductor was careful and detailed, with a tendency towards slow tempi, but he got a very good response from his orchestra, better than they had given on other occasions under different conductors.

For me the most interest casting was that of the American soprano Catherine Naglestad in the title role. Her voice is well suited to Tosca and she gave a good performance but without raising huge enthusiasm. “Vissí d'arte” was good rather than  great and I found that I could not believe that she was a great movie star - although that was not her fault.

The Korean tenor Alfred Kim has a good voice for Cavaradossi, but he was short of expressiveness -  he is a monotonous and unemotional singer. There was no applause following “Recondita armonia” or “ E Lucevan le stelle” and the beautiful arioso “O dolci mani” was delivered without any special  intensity.

Veteran Jean-Philippe Lafont was a very convincing Scarpia, completely wicked, an religious fundamentalist and very violent. His voice is not what it was, showing a wide vibrato through the different registers, but his artistry is unquestionable.

The secondary roles were not very good. The Russian-Israeli Yuri Kissin is not the bass needed for Angelotti and Jean-Philippe Marlière was a routine Sacristan.

The theatre was sold out. There was applause only for “Vissi d’arte”, although at the final bows the audience became more enthusiastic, specially for Lafont, Naglestad and Kwamé Ryan. It is clear that my disappointment was not shared by the public!

José M Irurzun


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