Opera Zuid's initiative to program the rarely performed opéra bouffe by Chabrier is to be commended. However, the production struggles with the very delicate balance between comedy and wit, certainly one of the reasons why the work is rarely performed.
Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894) originates from the Auvergne. He moves to Paris with his parents, where he has the opportunity to infiltrate the artistic scene of late 19th-century Paris. Between his law studies, Chabrier takes violin lessons and lessons in harmony, fugue and counterpoint. He meets Paul Verlaine and Edouard Manet and through them the librettists Eugène Leterrier and Albert Vanloo. They present Chabrier with their latest libretto. Chabrier sees an opportunity not only to celebrate his sense of humor but also his passion for flowing melodies, and he seizes the chance with both hands. Ultimately, he manages to convince the management of Les Bouffes-Parisiens and "L'Etoile" premieres on November 28, 1877. The success is modest and the opera only achieves real success after a performance at the Opéra Comique in Paris in 1941. It is Chabrier's first completed opera. Subsequently, works such as Gwendoline (premiere at De Munt in Brussels in April 1886) and Le Roi malgré lui follow. However, we cannot yet speak of it as a fixed value in the repertoire.
Lighthearted Story
The story concerns a king who is not so much corrupt as unstable and above all a fantasist. His name "Ouf" makes it clear in reverse what his main character trait is, namely "fou". Chabrier hid amusing hidden meanings in the names of the other characters as well. Every year King Ouf has one of his subjects executed. He chooses someone who allegedly insulted him and deserves death for this insult to his majesty. The victim this year is the unsuspecting market trader Lazuli. He falls in love with "princess" Laoula, a beautiful young girl who is not quite sure about life, as her name reveals: là ou là. She appears in a supposedly "diplomatic" company. The relationship between Lazuli and Laoula has at least a burlesque course, including a pseudo-drowning of Lazuli. But when the court astrologer Sirocco makes it clear that according to the stars the fate of the king is linked to that of Lazuli, the execution is called off and Lazuli is even allowed to marry princess Laoula. Ouf, everyone is saved!
Sharp Wit is Missing
As is often the case in comic works, secondary intrigues provide amusing confusion and surprising turns of events, and "L'Etoile" is no exception. Unfortunately, Matthew Eberhardt's direction lacked the imagination and properly calibrated satirical assessment of situations. The set shows a fairly realistic carousel with hobby horses and a large throne for Ouf, against a "lazuli" blue sky in the background, but it comes across more as a scene from a children's fairy tale than as an unreal setting for a parody. Satire on "established power" regularly results in rather ridiculous scenes rather than wit, for example the scene with the "torture device" for skewering with which the execution was to take place. Giving the stargazer Sirocco the appearance of a Jew was a somewhat successful parody given his deceptive performances. The stall of the vendor Lazuli has some playfulness, but the scenes with the princesses and the entire entourage of Hérisson de Porc-Epic lack amusing surprises, which eventually leads to boredom. In the second part the humor works somewhat better with, among other things, the admittedly long "chartreuse" passage in which Ouf and Sirocco show "little stars". I also fail to see the added value of Waut Koeken's adapted dialogue. The direction fails to grasp the absurdity of the story and misses the line between ambiguity and dumb gag.Musically Demanding
It goes without saying that for such an opera you need singers who perform spontaneously and lively and a vibrant orchestra. Unfortunately, the shoe pinches here too. Erik Silk took on the royal robes of Ouf, but I fear they didn't fit him all that well. His acting came across as forced and certainly influenced his vocal performance. I suspect that this singer feels more at home in a serious role. Martijn Sanders convincingly brought the ambiguous role of Sirocco to the stage vocally and as an actor. Anna Emelianova undoubtedly stole the show. She sang her princess role with a light soprano and shone in the coloraturas. Brenda Poupard was convincing as the sometimes naive, sometimes melancholic Lazuli, with the beautiful "Romance de l'étoile". Her voice sounds smooth and has a beautiful timbre, but unfortunately she does not project into the auditorium. This brings me to a general observation about the acoustics of Parktheater. Although this is a magnificent theater, the acoustics for this type of musical performances are far from ideal. The Philzouth orchestra, under the direction of Nicolas Krüger, plays their hearts out with this swirling operetta music, but the rhythmic bravura and especially the lyrical melodies do not reach the auditorium from the orchestra pit. The cheerful choir fragments of the Opera Zuid Theater Choir do provide a positive note. Chabrier's L'Etoile is certainly worth discovering, but this production immediately puts its finger on the sore spots of this operetta repertoire.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGrFSPhnJh8[/embed]
