Nodding to God
The most famous of Meyerbeer's operas was the culmination of the three festival days. In terms of vocal ensemble, this performance was inferior to Le Prophète only regarding the tenor part, but scenically it was noticeably higher in quality and certainly more harmonious: the direction nowhere or almost nowhere conflicted with the music. The latter is generally characteristic of most of David Alden's productions, as the Moscow audience had the opportunity to verify several years ago with Britten's Billy Budd at the Bolshoi Theatre.
In "The Huguenots," the director showcases his usual mastery and inventiveness in staging, without imposing a concept autonomous from the work itself. The plot remains largely unchanged, and while the setting is subtly brought closer to the present day, the production focuses on mutual intolerance in principle rather than religious conflict, which is highly relevant today. A key visual element is a giant bell, introduced in the prologue by Count de Saint-Bris, a manipulator in the story. This theme culminates in the final act with a Catholic crowd reaching towards the slogan "DIEU LE VEUT" ("God Wills It").
Alexander Vedernikov at the conductor's stand was impressive. There were doubts whether this material was fundamentally right for him. Les Huguenots was the maestro's first experience with Meyerbeer. Initially, Michele Mariotti conducted it (the premiere took place in 2016), and Vedernikov only became the musical director of the production this season. The rich experience he has accumulated lately working in European theaters undoubtedly benefited him. In Les Huguenots, he proved himself a true master. Of course, Vedernikov was a serious musician before, but previously he lacked a certain scale, and his conducting technique wasn't always flawless. Now, the scale has appeared, and technical freedom has increased. As a result, he managed to gather the colorful fabric of the four-hour score into a single musical and dramatic whole, so that it was perceived as one continuous breath.
As for the performers, I would call these Huguenots, first and foremost, a "female" performance. Liv Redpath shone in the role of Marguerite—a phenomenally technical American with a surprisingly full sound for a light soprano. And in the role of Valentine—our compatriot Olesya Golovneva, who performs on the best European stages but is practically unknown in her homeland. Golovneva captivates not only with a rare combination of power and beauty of voice, but also with true dramatic "innards." If Redpath delighted and charmed, Golovneva touched the soul. Besides the two of them, there was also an excellent pageboy Urbain performed by Irene Roberts.
The Russian tenor Anton Rositskiy in the role of Raoul was somewhat lacking compared to this level, especially at first. He seemed to handle the ultra-high tessitura, but did so with an open and too strained sound. True, in the last act, especially in the duets with Valentine, he finally warmed up and partly overcame the mentioned shortcomings. Among the male parts, Ante Jerkunica as Marcel must also be mentioned.
Source.
The most famous of Meyerbeer's operas was the culmination of the three festival days. In terms of vocal ensemble, this performance was inferior to Le Prophète only regarding the tenor part, but scenically it was noticeably higher in quality and certainly more harmonious: the direction nowhere or almost nowhere conflicted with the music. The latter is generally characteristic of most of David Alden's productions, as the Moscow audience had the opportunity to verify several years ago with Britten's Billy Budd at the Bolshoi Theatre.
In "The Huguenots," the director showcases his usual mastery and inventiveness in staging, without imposing a concept autonomous from the work itself. The plot remains largely unchanged, and while the setting is subtly brought closer to the present day, the production focuses on mutual intolerance in principle rather than religious conflict, which is highly relevant today. A key visual element is a giant bell, introduced in the prologue by Count de Saint-Bris, a manipulator in the story. This theme culminates in the final act with a Catholic crowd reaching towards the slogan "DIEU LE VEUT" ("God Wills It").
Alexander Vedernikov at the conductor's stand was impressive. There were doubts whether this material was fundamentally right for him. Les Huguenots was the maestro's first experience with Meyerbeer. Initially, Michele Mariotti conducted it (the premiere took place in 2016), and Vedernikov only became the musical director of the production this season. The rich experience he has accumulated lately working in European theaters undoubtedly benefited him. In Les Huguenots, he proved himself a true master. Of course, Vedernikov was a serious musician before, but previously he lacked a certain scale, and his conducting technique wasn't always flawless. Now, the scale has appeared, and technical freedom has increased. As a result, he managed to gather the colorful fabric of the four-hour score into a single musical and dramatic whole, so that it was perceived as one continuous breath.
As for the performers, I would call these Huguenots, first and foremost, a "female" performance. Liv Redpath shone in the role of Marguerite—a phenomenally technical American with a surprisingly full sound for a light soprano. And in the role of Valentine—our compatriot Olesya Golovneva, who performs on the best European stages but is practically unknown in her homeland. Golovneva captivates not only with a rare combination of power and beauty of voice, but also with true dramatic "innards." If Redpath delighted and charmed, Golovneva touched the soul. Besides the two of them, there was also an excellent pageboy Urbain performed by Irene Roberts.
The Russian tenor Anton Rositskiy in the role of Raoul was somewhat lacking compared to this level, especially at first. He seemed to handle the ultra-high tessitura, but did so with an open and too strained sound. True, in the last act, especially in the duets with Valentine, he finally warmed up and partly overcame the mentioned shortcomings. Among the male parts, Ante Jerkunica as Marcel must also be mentioned.
Source.
Meyerbeer Days in Berlin's Deutsche Oper: "Les Huguenots"
Dmitry MOROZOV, Gazetaigraem.ru, April 2, 2020
