Nothing is more dangerous than success. Be a star in your lifetime, posterity will pay. In the world of music, how many artists were of the glories forgotten, their triumph in the time being to the extent of the amnesia, where they are then fallen.
Injustice? Revenge? Return of the stick? The methods are cruel and we will never stop wanting to kill the father to get a place. Admittedly, some of the great creators were monuments from their living and have stayed that way, cutting the hand of the king: as well as Rossini, Verdi, Wagner (to name only a few). On the other hand, the posterity has been harsh to Meyerbeer, Auber, Adam. The repertoire of the French romantic music of the Nineteenth century, wrongly regarded as «easy» and «bourgeois» was finally buried after the Second world War. And it should be the substantive work of a theatre such as the Opera-Comique (or a Foundation like that of the Palazzetto Bru Zane) to finally dust off too much of the «bad reputations».
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Honest and humble
For many, Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) is the epitome of academicism, and effete ; the obvious example of this «good taste» which produced works interchangeable and as fleeting as the Barbapapas. Worse: he was a prix de Rome, director of the Conservatory, elected to the Beaux-Arts in the place of Berlioz, decorated with the Legion of honor by Badinguet and orchestrator of the official version of La Marseillaise. as Much as to say a significant. Finally, Cute was one of the most performed plays of the second half of the Nineteenth century. But it would be a bad trial to the artist, honest, humble, who knew no more of true public success with his two latest works, and stopped composing to devote himself to teaching. Finally, if we would have preferred that Hamlet inspirât Verdi, the version that gave Thomas in 1868 is a spectacle of a truly effective theatre, and one can only regret that no great composer has subsequently sought to deepen this masterpiece of Shakespeare.
It is not necessary to search here something other than a tragedy romantic, but Thomas has managed to give Ophelia some of the most beautiful pages of the belcantisme French. Natalie Dessay had made a specialty of Ophelia and Sabine Devieilhe is very expected in this same role, at the Salle Favart, in the new production, signed by Cyril Teste. His «death» was among the jewels of the genus, and would draw tears to a squad of CRS. You can also trust the baritone Stéphane Degout to provide a Hamlet, all in reserve, in depth, in power, served by a stamp superb and diction princely. Finally, a year after his excellent Comte Ory on this same stage, Louis Langrée has advocated for years this directory so fragile with a flame winner. In short: Shakespeare did not have to be ashamed!
«Hamlet», Opéra Comique 1, place Boieldieu (IIe).Tel.: 0 825 01 01 23. From 17 to 29 dec. 20 h.-Seat: from 6 to 135€.
