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Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots

Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels,  June 11 - June 30, 2011.

Photographs copyright Clärchen und Matthias Baus, courtesy of Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels

 

Photographs from the 2011 Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels/Opéra national du Rhin,Strasbourg production of Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots. Not only did Brussels take on a work demanding considerable resources but double cast the main parts.  Francis Carlin in the Financial Times, June 15, 2011, was ambivalent about the production writing that [Oliver] "Py has his moments but yet again relies on the bargain basement provocation of gratuitously topless women and bare-chested men".  Nor was he too happy about the direction of some of the singers.  Of the singers themselves, Carlin (commenting on the first night cast) particularly praised Eric Cutler, Julia Lezhneva,  Marlis Petersen and Jean-François Lapointe and found " Marc Minkowski’s conducting alternates tub-thumping enthusiasm and exquisite finesse, milking the score for its innovative touches".  

Other commentators were more positive. George Loomis (New York Times, June 22, 2011) was rather happier with Py's direction, which he thought "consistently lucid" and had praise for both singers and Minkowski, concluding "Anyone who cares about opera should see this production." Michel Le Naour  (http://www.concertclassic.com/ ) was also generally positive about the production, the singing and the conducting while leaning slightly towards one of Carlin's complaints,  Py "livre une interprétation théâtrale vibrante où Eros et Thanatos, sexe et religion se confondent dans une vision quasi cinématographique soutenant jusqu’au bout l’intérêt, malgré les surcharges érotiques dont le metteur en scène est coutumier". Manual Brug (Die Welt, June 15, 2011) summed up the production "sie rehabilitiert nicht nur blendend eines der bedeutendsten, folgenreichsten Musiktheaterwerke des 19. Jahrhunderts - sie ist eine Sensation"

This production will be seen at the Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg, March 14 -  March 28, 2012 and Mulhouse, April 13 and 15, 2012.  Most of the major roles have a different singer to Brussels.

 

 

The Team

 

Marguerite de Valois - Marlis Petersen / Henriette Bonde-Hansen

Valentine - Mireille Delunsch / Ingela Brimberg

Urbain - Yulia Lezhneva / Blandine Staskiewicz

Raoul de Nangis - Eric Cutler / John Osborn

Comte de Saint-Bris - Philippe Rouillon

Comte de Nevers - Jean-François Lapointe

De Retz - Arnaud Rouillon

Marcel - Jérôme Varnier / François Lis

Cossé - Xavier Rouillon

Tavannes - Avi Klemberg

Thoré - Marc Labonnette

Méru - Frédéric Caton

 

 

Muzikale leiding ¦ Direction musicale Marc Minkowski

Regie ¦ Mise en scène Olivier Py

Decors en kostuums ¦ Décors et costumes Pierre-André Weitz

Belichting ¦ Éclairages Bertrand Killy

Koorleider ¦ Chef des choeurs Martino Faggiani

 

 

Symfonieorkest en koor van de Munt ¦ Orchestre symphonique et choeurs de la Monnaie

 

  

Marlis Petersen (Marguerite de Valois)
© Clärchen und Matthias Baus

 

 

Eric Cutler (Raoul de Nangis), Yulia Lezhneva (Urbain)
© Clärchen und Matthias Baus

 

 

Eric Cutler (Raoul de Nangis), Marlis Petersen (Marguerite de Valois)
© Clärchen und Matthias Baus

 

 

Marlis Petersen (Marguerite de Valois), Philippe Rouillon (Comte de Saint-Bris),
Jean-François Lapointe (Comte de Nevers), Mireille Delunsch (Valentine), Eric Cutler (Raoul de Nangis)

© Clärchen und Matthias Baus

 

 

John Osborn (Raoul de Nangis), Ingela Brimberg (Valentine), François Lis (Marcel)
© Clärchen und Matthias Baus

 

 

The chorus
© Clärchen und Matthias Baus

 

 

Eric Cutler (Raoul de Nangis), Mireille Delunsch (Valentine)
© Clärchen und Matthias Baus

 

 

 

 

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