Jean-François Sivadier

How can emotion come to light on the opera set? Does it come from singing, acting or music? How can someone become the incarnation of Verdi's masterpiece? Following world famous French soprano Natalie Dessay from the first repetitions until the premiere under the direction of Jean-François Sivadier, we meet a very special woman, a piece of art, a myth: LA TRAVIATA.

Jonas, a 40 something Parisian, is still desperately in love with his ex-girlfriend Léa. When he knocks on her door to confess his feelings and she turns him down, he ends up at the café downstairs. Inspiration strikes and he sits down to write her a long love letter, dodging everything he was supposed to do that day. What begins as a last attempt to get her back surprisingly turns into a vivid musing on the state of his life. Over the course of a day, helped by a wisecracking bartender and an array of patrons from the neighborhood, Jonas has to face his past relationships, his uncertain future and, most of all, himself.

This 1991 production by the Lyon National Opera presents a welcome opportunity to revel in a uniquely Gallic confection rarely seen outside France. It's also a chance to enjoy one of Offenbach's most inventive, melodic scores in which the starring musical role and many of the best tunes go to the orchestra, here conducted by Jean-Yves Ossonce. This is no accident: the operetta was originally created for a company of actors who relied on pastiche and the composer's help to get them through their "numbers". Not so these singers, of course. As Metella, the languorous courtesan who is responsible for the unravelling debacle, Helene Delavault is in meltingly good voice for her show-stopping rondeau, "A minuit sonnant commence la fete". Her sparring suitors Gardefeu (Jean-Francois Sivadier) and, particularly, Bobinet (Jacques Verzier) combine marvellous visual comedy with fluid singing and there is some dazzling vocal work from the supporting cast. It's a long piece, but hugely enjoyable.

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Jeux d'influence

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