Lionel Lhote delivers stellar performance as Hamlet

The Opéra Royal de Wallonie does it again: presenting a little-known and rarely performed work brilliantly on stage: Hamlet by Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896). This time with a distinctly contemporary touch, as director Cyril Teste combines the possibilities of theater with film in his production. The performances of the two protagonists Lionel Lhote and Jodie Devos certainly ensure a magnificent production. Like his slightly younger contemporary Charles Gounod, Ambroise Thomas achieved his greatest operatic success with an opera based on Goethe, Mignon. His adaptation of the Shakespeare play Hamlet was successfully created in Paris in 1868 but disappeared from the standard repertoire in the twentieth century, except for two fragments: Hamlet's drinking song in the second act and Ophelia's mad scene. Thomas devotes almost the entire fourth act to Ophelia. He changed quite a bit of Shakespeare's original without scruple. For example, he had Hamlet crowned King of Denmark and made Gertrude complicit in the murder of the king, but that was not a problem in nineteenth-century French opera. The important thing was to produce a romantic drama, and Thomas undoubtedly succeeded. The greatest betrayal of Shakespeare is a "happy end," in which Hamlet finally executes his revenge on Claudius and is proclaimed king: "Vive le roi Hamlet". For later performances in London, Thomas himself changed that ending to a tragic one with Hamlet's suicide. Cyril Teste chooses the original ending where Hamlet is visited once more by the Ghost, who withdraws among the people and leaves Hamlet alone with his task as the new king. © V. Bianchi / ORW Liège Lionel Lhote and Shadi Torbey © V. Bianchi / ORW Liège Lionel Lhote and Jodie Devos

Focus on intimacy

Claudius has become King of Denmark after murdering his brother. He marries the widow. Hamlet, the son of the deceased king, is visited by the Ghost of his father, who orders him to avenge his death. Ophelia and Hamlet are in love with each other. Through a theatrical performance "La Mort de Gonzague," Hamlet gains certainty about Claudius's guilt as a murderer. He reproaches himself for not killing him immediately. Hamlet overhears a conversation between Polonius and Claudius and learns that Polonius, Ophelia's father, is complicit in the murder. He now brutally rejects Ophelia's love. The Ghost repeats that Hamlet must avenge his father, but must spare his mother. Ophelia has gone mad and in her madness she drowns. As she is laid to rest, Hamlet is in despair, and after a final visit from the Ghost, he finally has the strength to kill Claudius. He is proclaimed king. The political intrigue of the murder of the king is of course the thread running through the story and the driving force behind Hamlet's feelings of revenge. But the direction clearly emphasizes the inner journey of the characters. Combined with Ambroise Thomas's romantic score, it creates a diversity of emotions that keeps the (long!) performance continuously engaging and moving. The use of film images makes an important contribution to this. They repeatedly show close-ups of the characters and especially their facial expressions, so that as a spectator you are drawn into their emotions. The arrogance of Claudius, the despair of the mother Gertrude, torn between pride as queen and fear and pain as a mother. The emotional rollercoaster of Hamlet, from revenge and helplessness, through love and hate. The tenderness of Ophelia and the sorrow that leads to madness. The images are sometimes shown on a strip at the top of the stage, but more often – and certainly more effectively – distributed across three panels as the background of the scene. The cinematic projection in the fourth act with Ophelia's drowning is also very beautiful. I find the short pieces less successful (and superfluous) as introductions to an act with backstage preparations such as face makeup. But that's detail criticism. The presence of camera operators on stage is sometimes distracting, but unavoidable for the concept…

Sobriety yields expression

The set itself is particularly austere and consists only of a play with a few white frames that are moved or removed, and a carpet that is rolled up or down. As the only props a bed (e.g., during the love aria between Hamlet and Ophelia) or a kind of altar with flowers ("maidenpalm" according to the libretto) for the celebration of the wedding between Ophelia and Hamlet. Meaningfully, the exact same stage arrangement is repeated at Ophelia's funeral, which immediately emphasizes the tragedy of the failed love between Hamlet and Ophelia. As far as the "set" is concerned, we might also note that the director repeatedly has characters enter from the audience. For example, at his first appearance, the "Ghost" literally emerges from among the public, which of course makes an impression, especially with the beautifully resonant bass voice of Shadi Torbey. The appearances of the chorus and a couple of times the soloists Hamlet and Ophelia from the audience do not fail in their effect to bring the spectator closer to the action.

Musical tension

The music of Thomas in this opera breathes nostalgia and fear from every pore. The will for revenge dominates Hamlet, and releases him only – and even then barely – in the few love scenes with Ophélie. Lionel Lhote embodies his character in a remarkably skillful way both vocally and as an actor. He is locked in his own world and literally embodies the feelings of revenge, longing, despair, disappointment, anger. Furthermore, he masterfully controls the demanding vocal part. The voice is supple, powerful, colorful. The drinking song and especially his monologue at the beginning of the third act certainly place him among the top Hamlet baritones! Jodie Devos is – as expected – his female counterpart. Ophélie appears as purity itself, also in her clothing playing with white and light colors. Her soprano voice is silky soft but can also handle the coloraturas of the belcanto-inspired mad scene effortlessly. She also sings the highest notes as pure magic. The portrayal of Shadi Torbey as the Ghost of the father is remarkable. Gertrude the mother is a torn woman, on the one hand feeling guilty, on the other hand denying guilt. Béatrice Uria-Monzon plays the doubt that possesses her but vocally the voice lacks radiance and certainly brilliance. Nicolas Testé made a faltering start and was excused for illness at the intermission but he sang the performance through. The minor roles of Polonius and Laerte were also well cast. The orchestra made a somewhat sloppy start – especially with the inaccurate horns, but as the performance gained momentum, conductor Guillaume Tourniaire brought the orchestra into the right dramatic mood and provided the proper tension of the Romantic score. If the mad scene of Ophélie clearly recalls the influence of Italian belcanto, the orchestration is rather indebted to French Romanticism à la Berlioz. A novelty in the opera is of course the use of the – then newly invented – saxophone and the saxophonist has been given the privilege of playing his passage on stage. The performance certainly received well-deserved enthusiastic applause. It can still be seen until 7 March. WHAT: Ambroise Thomas Hamlet WHO: Cyril Teste [direction], Choir and Orchestra of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie conducted by Guillaume Tourniaire

Singers: Lionel Lhote, Jodie Devos, Nicolas Testé, Béatrice Uria-Monzon, Shadi Torbey

WHEN : Sunday 26 February 2023 (premiere) WHERE: Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Liège

• Title: Joseph Haydn: Die Jahreszeiten
• Artist: Yoav Levanon
• Label: Warner, DDD, 2021
• Medium: CD

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