Thursday 12, July >
20h Opéra Berlioz / Le Corum
Lyric drama in a prologue, 2 acts and an epilogue (1902)
Libretto by Luigi Illica
Concert version – French premiere
A production of the Deutsche Oper Berlin
Guillaume Antoine,
basse : Giovanni Filippo Palm
Gustavo Porta, ténor : Federico
Loewe
Silvio Zanon, baryton : Carlo
Worms
Markus Brück, baryton
: Crisogogno
Manuela Uhl, soprano : Ricke
Sarah van der Kemp,
mezzo-soprano : Jane
Ceri Williams,
mezzo-soprano : Lene Armuth
Jacquelyn Wagner,
mezzo-soprano : Jebbel
Ditte Andersen,
soprano : Der Junge
Ante Jerkunica,
basse : Il Pastore protestante Stapps
Ceri Williams,
mezzo-soprano : Hedvige
Hyung-Wook Lee,
basse : Il Capo della polizia tedesca
Ceri Williams,
mezzo-soprano : Una donna
Choeur et Orchestre du Deutsche Oper Berlin
Renato Palumbo, direction
Ulrich Paetzholdt, chef de chœur
With a title like this, one would reasonably imagine a work devoted to the glory of the German nation… Well, no. For with Alberto Franchetti (1860-1942), who saw his work first performed at Milan’s La Scala in 1902, it was above all a matter of using History to exalt noble sentiments, political struggle, friendship, love… and, of course, loyalty to one’s country—all the more so when the oppressor here is… Napoleon! Based on a melodrama written by Luigi Illica, best known as Puccini’s librettist, Germania, in a prologue, two acts and an epilogue, is written in a post-Romantic vein with its verismo accents, just like his Cristoforo Colombo, brought up to date by the Radio France-Montpellier Festival and New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1992, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America. This grand opera had not been performed again in Germany since the premiere, but thanks to the Deutsche Oper, Berliners were able to rediscover it at the beginning of the year. It is this same production that the Radio France-Montpellier Festival, ever faithful to its tradition of ill-known works, is proud to present in all its vocal and orchestral opulence.
Franck Mallet
