Les Troyens

'Les Troyens' (2011)

Opening thoughts: 'Les Troyens' is a wonderful opera and the very epitome of grand opera. Have loved Berlioz's music and his masterful orchestral writing ever since my first listen of 'Symphonie Fantastique' at a very young age, and 'Les Troyens' is one of his finest works in my view. And one of the greats in the French opera repertoire.

It did deserve though an infinitely better production than this incredibly disappointing production from Valencia. Have seen some great work from them, including a remarkably well done Ring Cycle and the same goes for the cast (the most familiar name being Daniela Barcellona) and Valery Gergiev, but this really does not do them justice. Have seen and heard the opera performed brilliantly, with the Chatelet production conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner being easily being first choice on DVD.

Good things: Sure, there are good things. The orchestral playing is absolutely electrifying, with plenty of truly hair raising but also nuanced moments. The chorus are beautifully balanced and are involved in the drama when their stage direction allows it.

Gergiev, back when he wasn't as excessively over-scheduling and when his performances had polish and weren't under-rehearsed or mailed in, conducts with great authority and rich attention to detail. Almost all the performances are very good to outstanding, top honours going to Barcellona's thrilling Didon and Elisabete Matos radiantly sung and poignantly acted Cassandre.

Bad things: Lance Ryan however does not fare well as Enee. He is strained and nasal at the top, his French diction is borderline incomprehensible and he never looked comfortable or fully connected with the role. He never had much chemistry with the rest of the cast.

It is the production values and stage direction that really sink the production. There is nothing imaginative about the sets or effects, actually found them somewhat drab and gimmicky and calling the costumes hideous and unintentionally silly is a major understatement. Especially for Didon, whose costume and wig would be more at home in a shoestring budget amateur production of 'The Mikado'. Stylistically there is too much of a mishmash and actually was very confused as to where the drama was meant to be set. The stage direction is completely bland and is also very silly and tasteless, constantly going against and often ignoring the libretto to the extent that it felt like another opera entirely. Low points being in Act 4 with the ballet sequence, which is the most ineptly choreographed ballet sequence of any opera production seen by this viewer, and the anything but romantic and sensual love scene. The too distant body and eye contact was a major mistake.

Concluding thoughts: Overall, a disappointment. See the Chatelet production instead.

4/10.