Mireille

Gounod is no stranger to opera, Faust and Romeo et Juliette have great stories(what do you expect since they come from Goethe and Shakespeare?) and their best moments are some of the best of French opera. Mireille deserves more credit than it does, maybe the story is not quite as compelling as the ones for Faust and Romeo et Juliette but the music is glorious. This production is a more than great way to get familiar with it. The costumes and sets are colourful and tastefully detailed as well as being effective in how simple they are, with the lighting giving off a feel that is sultry and pastoral. The staging grips you from the get go to the end, the pastoral scenes are truly charming and the scene in the Crau dessert will really tug at the heart-strings. You actually feel that you are in Provence, which is a great thing. The videography is neither too simple or too much, neither static or intrusive, it is just right. And the sound is fine, basically a great-looking and sounding Blu-Ray. The orchestra play buoyantly yet also with the emotional depth needed when the drama unfolds, the sound the players make is beautiful. The chorus sing incisively and act in a way that is very evocative of peasant life in Provence, and it's all deftly handled by Marc Minkowski who shows sensitivity to the drama as well as energy. Inva Mula sounds radiant and makes for a Mireille that is poised and genuinely affecting. Charles Castronovo has the right amount of lyricism and heft without overdoing either, and he is a convincing actor here. All the cast are without complaint though. In conclusion, sublime production. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I did a little digging; found that Mireille had been performed more than 800 times at the Opera-Comique in less than a century! That shows that when the French like something they really like it. For my part, I couldn't find the greatness that Gounod put into Romeo et Juliette and Faust. I listened to 'Ange adorable' from Romeo this morning--a thrilling duet that plumbs the passions the lovers feel. I haven't found comparable passion in this opera, although Castronovo has a wonderful sweet voice and acts well, and Mula is always touching as Mireille. The production is good; those fields of grain look fairly real, and the costumes are appropriate. The problem is with the music--it's not up to the standards of Gounod's great works.