In a Bavaria at war, a student riddled with debt, as disillusioned and quick to raise his elbow as his comrades, suddenly takes up the pet of the court jester. While the king intends to buy peace at the price of a political marriage which repels Princess Elsbeth, Fantasio ridicules the suitor, jostles the young lady and thwarts the ambient warmongering. Absolved, he will obtain peace, titles and the affection of Elsbeth.
Christophe Rizoud told us everything about the reasons for the failure of Fantasy, Offenbach’s fourth failed attempt at the Opéra-Comique. Since the first tantalizing extracts revealed by Marc Minkowski with the complicity of the musicologist Jean-Christophe Keck and Anne Sofie von Otter, the work was recorded (Opera Rara 2014) then found its audience in concert (Montpellier 2015), but also on stage in Paris and Geneva (2017), Montpellier and Rouen (2018) and Utrecht (2019).
The Opéra-Comique had planned to give back in loco the successful production of Thomas Jolly relocated to Châtelet in 2017, but Covid-19 decided otherwise; It was therefore after several years of waiting that Fantasio found its original boards – well almost, Favart having burned in 1887.
Under the leadership of Katja Krueger, this cover is very careful. From the opening pantomime, all the movements are perfectly regulated, the direction of the actors is thorough, and the work moves forward without any downtime. The Bavarian city is depicted in a monochrome of soot colors that come to life here and there with a few accents, especially the yellow of Fantasio’s jester costume. Graphic and evocative, the aesthetic here leans towards the side of picture books and shadow theater, there in an “industrial era” atmosphere revisited by Hollywood, and Princess Elsbeth, pale in her white dress, evokes certain figures of Tim Burton.
This approach does not in any way serve the antics, mainly around the prince and his aide-de-camp Marinoni. We have not forgotten that comic opera is half theater, and the spoken dialogues, superior to Favart’s ordinary ones, are just as pleasant as the pieces. The actor Bruno Bayeux has enjoyed great success in various incarnations full of character. The general animation is delightful (twirling crazy tunes from Sparck) and the choreographed effects remain contained and welcome. We only notice a few superfluous movements (twisting-prison of III, playing of the following during Elsbeth’s aria).
The production highlights the melancholy in Offenbach’s work, a sad smile that struggles to fully embrace the traditional spirit of Favart. Certainly, in the form everything is there, from the cheerful or bittersweet verses to the disguises, including the dance rhythms (waltzes and omnipresent barcarolles) and the hit melody repeated very (too much?) often. If he naturally cultivates the half-character of the genre and its sensitive palpitation, the composer does not depart from a certain disillusioned distance, carried by the libretto, where Auber, Adam, Halévy (his master) and Thomas took care to cultivate frank good humor and to satisfy the bourgeois with reassuring conventions. Undecided, the meeting of Elsbeth and Fantasio is more about communion around the same ideal of love and freedom, and a pacifist appeal colors the finale. We can understand the dismay of a public taken aback by the wit of Musset combined with the mocking modesty of Offenbach! But our denigrated era is much more receptive to Fantasy than to Mignonand the audience applauded warmly at the end of the show.
The musical interpretation is ideal. Laurent Campellone finds an opera whose rich nuances he highlights, and theParis Chamber Orchestra responds faithfully to restore the subtlety and liveliness of a very careful score. Gaëlle Arquez has charisma to spare in a very convincing transvestite: Fantasio does not call for vocal exploits, but eloquence and a particular presence. His appearance in the poetic aria à la Lune immediately charms, and we understand the ascendancy that Fantasio has over those around him. The fact remains that this boy hides his cracks too well, and arouses less empathy than Elsbeth. The fault of Jodie Devos, undoubtedly, an irresistible interpreter of this repertoire. Charming timbre, homogeneous from bass to treble, perfect vocalizations and trills, and this freshness without sentimentality which summons the spirit of this music: the Belgian is the queen of comic opera (listen to her Lost Jewels!).
Even if we heard it more in voice in Madame Favarta comic opera created “outside the walls” by Offenbach, ultimately more classical, Francois Rougier is impeccable in Marinoni. He forms a delicious duo with the prince of Jean-Sébastien Bou, who delights in conceit. Good sentimental friend, Anna Reinhold is a pleasant silhouette next to the princess, whose father the king benefits from the unstoppable banter of Franck Leguerinel. The four sidekicks of Fantasio are impeccable, and if the sound Sparck of Thomas Dolié has several opportunities to highlight itself, we also notice the high notes of Matthew Justine in sets. Nuanced, homogeneous and intelligible, the chorus ofEnsemble Aedes is as lively on stage as the extras.
While The Tales of Hoffmann triumph again at Bastille, we bet that this Fantasy will have such good fortune. A deserved revenge for Offenbach’s comic operas.
2023-12-16 02:05:15
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