C'est Strehler qu'on assassine ?

French TV will broadcast on November 3rd the revival of the ultra-famous Strehler - Solti 's production of Mozart's Nozze di Figaro. Cast looks strong and the excellent P Jordan will conduct (being the Opera's artistic director, he should have more rehearsal time than what he had at the Met in 2007.)

Every French Opera-lover of my generation has marveled at what was one of the most distinguished and loved production at the Paris Opera under the Liebermann area. It ended his regime in a televised performance with Solti returning to conduct with the likes of Janowitz, Popp, Von Stade, Van Dam, Bacquier, Moll. I was there and will always remember

In the following blog from colleague Ionarts, Gérard Mortier is blamed for having auctioned the original costumes  and burned the sets. This production therefore is the result of the work to recreate the conditions of the premiere.

I loved but really loved this production and was not convinced by Mortier's replacement production by the team of  Cambreling - Marthaler (whose work on Wozzeck or Katya was much stronger). This being said, I feel that Mortier's gesture is not without merits: despite best efforts by the French team, the revivals of Strehler's staging have not aged well and they feel uncharacterized compared to the originals.

By attempting to prevent further revivals, is not Mortier trying to tell us that proposing to audiences a "Strehler - production" is a fallacy ? Is not he actually the one more faithful to the spirit of the Italian director ?

(note for readers, this title is a variation on the famous French novel by G Cesbron ...)

Mackerras

Please remember that there was a time when Janacek was unknown and very rarely played. Two persons can be credited for the composer's revival and presence, one is Gérard Mortier who stressed the depth and importance of Janacek as a genuine theatrical composer, the other one is Charles Mackerras who sadly passed away today.

I heard him conduct a magic  Cunning Little Vixen at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.The performance is available on DVD and I would recommend it as much as the also much-loved recording with the VPO and a glorious Lucia Popp. I also remember that he and his leading Soprano were eating at the little Chinese Restaurant after the performance. Good food, plain and simple, tasty and feeling, like his music.

Wolfgang Wagner

Has passed away at the age of 90.

I would recommend to anyone the excellent book of Jonathan Carr: the Wagner Clan to be able to both appreciate Wolfgang Wagner positive and dark side. Whatever one can feel on his conservative stagings as well as on his overpowering grip on the Bayreuth Festival, his personality was larger than life, operatic and definitely Wagnerian.

How the Festival evolves will be an object of interest, the new family structure does not have its lease for life anymore and will have to prove its capacity. Singing standards have lowered in the recent past, allowing us to get better performances in many places such as New York, Berlin or even Paris (under the old régime of Gérard Mortier who tried to stage a coup in Bayreuth.) Rumors are that he secured the programs for many of the next seasons are already booked and "Wolfgang Wagner-approved".

But this would be without recognising that at its best, during the time he ran it, the Festival produced some of its most glorious performances.