The Montreal Opera opens its season with a Barber of Seville by Rossini, clever, colorful and sparkling in the vision of Catalan director Joan Font, director of the Barcelona company Els Comediants.
We’re having fun, between oversized guitar and giant pink piano, at Barber of Seville presented at the Opéra de Montréal. Even if it is a rather old show, we can be happy that this co-production between Toronto, Houston, Sydney and Bordeaux, which dates from the early 2010s (Houston saw it in 2011, Bordeaux in 2012 and Toronto in 2015) does not pass into oblivion or, even worse, into the mill of destruction, a sinister phenomenon to which the director Renaud Doucet had drawn our attention.
Animated images
Indeed, after having delighted us with The CenerentolaJoan Font, who also has a Italian in Algiersrepeats a flawless performance with a personal and assertive style in THE barber. Having a handful of actors at his disposal, he can furnish the space, express feelings or create situations with mute third parties. He can also create paintings, embody music, as in the aria of Figaro “ Largo al Factotum », where, depending on the musical content, the characters on stage freeze and come to life. Behind tulle, a scene in a barber’s salon could be a sort of Vermeer, in which the elderly person on the right bench wears a headgear that would not stand out in one of the Flemish master’s paintings.
In this system, the lights have an important role, and Anne-Catherine Simard-Deraspe, responsible for adapting the subtle effects created by Albert Faura for Montreal, does an excellent job. The jubilation created by Font’s show is not only narrative: it also comes from Joan Guillén’s costumes, with colors which, in certain universes (police, soldiers), look like they come out of a comic book. There is also this Catalan madness, which brings up numerous references. When Almaviva, disguised as a music teacher to approach Rosina, accompanies her at the giant piano, he behaves like the cat Tom in a cartoon. Tom and Jerry. But there is never overbidding, excess or avalanche: everything is measured and comes to the point. And the practical side of things allows you to move smoothly from one world or setting to another.
Beyond the comedy, there is a moral fable, easy to decode and quite current: everything can be bought. For those who, like us, are surprised that Almaviva can pull out bank notes at any time (including when Figaro speaks to him about “metal”), we are a little “borderline” in terms of credibility: Beaumarchais wrote the play in 1775 and paper money was adopted in Spain, apparently, in 1780. Given the visual effectiveness of the thing, we will admit theatrical license.
King Bartolo
In the pit, Pedro Halffter does a good job again. It’s time for lightness. THE forte however, have little impact and, in the balance, the cellos are weak. Little connection between bassoons and bass strings, but excellent amplification of the continuo. The conductor fought hard for the cohesion of the ensembles, particularly that at the end of Act II, which threatened to fall apart. But the hero of the evening, Omar Montanari in the role of Bartolo, seemed to hold him like an encore leader on stage.
Alas, Halffter subjected us to pure horror: a cymbal crash coming from who knows where at the end of the “Air of Calumny” (it’s not in the score). The cymbal is the musical weapon of the weak (not to be more derogatory). This horror has no place in many places in the history of music. It was added in Bruckner and an as-you-seen conductor, named Shokhakimov, recently added it in the Final of the 5e by Tchaikovsky on record. It was miserable and superfluous on Saturday.
On the plateau, a Rossinian giant. Omar Montanari, a Bartolo of the greatest breed, gives a lesson in singing and style. All the energy is put to good use both in the vocal radiance and in the theatrical spring and the tone and sonority of the lively and lively passages. It is this tone that is the most difficult art, an art where he distinguishes himself from his companions, Hugo Laporte, Pascale Spinney and Alasdair Kent, less effective in this thankless room.
Kent is an elegant Alamaviva, a light tenor, sure to make a splash in a classic 1,200-seat European Italianate theater. It’s a little limited for Wilfrid-Pelletier, but the art of singing being there, we’re not complaining at all. Hugo Laporte took great pleasure in this role, of which he often sang the main tune. This premiere went very well for him. More mixed feelings for Pascale Spinney alternating moments where she sings and plays Rosina and moments (including her first aria) where she seems especially concerned with the placement of her voice, with a covered sound sometimes becoming tubed. There is nothing imperishable about it. Gianluca Margheri is an excellent Basilio, the second part showing that he will be able to sing the “Air of Calumny” in future performances with an even deeper bass.
This cheerful and very accessible show is worth the trip.