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A most beautiful production, respectful of the work's character
I have watched this DVD with ravishment. I already knew Christie's CD version from some years ago, with a mostly female cast, but this all-male version towers above it, if only vocally and musically.
The scenic production is fascinating, with lighting accomplished only with candles, giving a beautiful and slightly unstable visual texture to costumes and sets. The latter consist of an ingenious folding structure that can easily be reconfigured to stand as various parts of the family house, a public place or a country place. One of the most magical moments is when the double row of candles is lit up sequentially, bringing life to the first tableau of allegorical and symbolic figures.
The director seems to have instructed his performers to act in a slightly stylized manner, especially with the sustained poses of their hands, reminding me of paintings or sculptures where hands are frozen in gestures of acceptance, offering or devotion. One shortcoming the director had to work with though is the Maitrise de Caen choir, whose members sing the ensembles and minor roles, and also try their best to act as extras. From the look of it, they do no seem to be used to performing in a dramatic staging; several of them seem detached, to be merely standing there and to be barely mouthing their part. Notable exceptions are mostly to be found amongst the child performers; for example, some of them give a very strong impression simply by the intensity of the attentive looks they give to the figure of Roma in the opening sequence.
As for the main performers, let us first marvel that we live in a time when so many talented countertenors could be found to fill the 9 roles necessary. Christie could even afford the relatively luxury casting of having such a well-established singer as Pascal Bertin for the rather short (but dramatically strong) role of Nuntio. The superstar of the show is of course Jaroussky; I do not know how long his voice will retain its crystal purity, especially in the high notes, but I am glad this performance was recorded for posterity. He is truly touching and manages to bring musical variety to a role that is very much cast in the plaintive mode. The whole opera is indeed is more in the mode or recitatives ("parlar cantando" is I believe the correct musicological term) than arias. It is a striking contrast to Landi's La Morte d'Orfeo (which we are lucky to have in two good CD versions, the Lasserre version on Zig Zag and the pioneering Stubbs one on Accent), more dramatic and full of characterized arias.
The one character that gets most of what we could qualify as arias is probably the comical valet Curtio, solidly sung by Damien Guillon with all the necessary cockiness until his final repentance. Also notable are Xavier Sabata as the Mother, a performer that was unknown to me, and the touching Nurse sung by Jean-Paul Bonnevalle (who sang in the chorus in Christie's first recording). But the most remarkable turn comes from Max Emmanuel Cencic as the abandoned Spouse, a performance that bears no trace of drag, camp or caricature and which Cencic seems to inhabit with an unusual conviction, along with a truly wonderful mezzo tone. Alessio's character has beautiful music, but is never touching; the Spouse's predicament is given the full weight of emotion by Cencic's vocal and dramatic power.
The rest of the cast generally sings well, even if the Devil's role would have required a true basso profundo to do justice to the impossibly grave coloratura Landi has alloted this character.
As in many recording of operas or theatre, the director focuses too often on unnecessary side characters or action, a practice that at times detracts from the overall impact of the visual spectacle.
All in all an essential recording, as long as one is ready to accept some of the conventions that may seem dated to our modern eyes. As Dominique Fernandez aptly says in the liner notes, it is strange that a character who deserts his family and wife (probably just after the wedding, the libretto being a bit ambiguous), and then lies to them for 17 years by living unrecognized under their roof, would be presented as an admirable role model. And was canonized to boot! (Although he was later removed from the official registry of saints.) And I have yet to watch the few extras, which include an interview with Christie.
Unfortunately Amazon.ca seems to have run out of copies just after I purchased mine. It is worth waiting for it to get back in stock (and to make a request for it).
