Wagner vs. Rameau

The gods must take to the opera couch in Paris

Richard Wagner's gods gather on the sofa in Calixto Bieito's production of "Rheingold".

(Bild: © Herwig Prammer/ OnP)

French baroque versus German romanticism in the houses of the Opéra national in Paris: Rameau's "Castor et Pollux" is a hit at the Palais Garnier, while Wagner's "Rheingold" disappoints at the Bastille.

Two veteran directors have delivered something new for the Paris Opéra national: Peter Sellars brought out a French baroque gem, Rameau's "Castor et Pollux" at the Palais Garnier with conductor Teodor Currentzis. Calixto Bieito, who is also very well known in Vienna (most recently "Tristan"), launched a new "Ring" at the Bastille with Wagner's "Rheingold".

Baroque opera, which is already thriving in Paris, won the musical theater match. Early music grandmaster William Christie recently celebrated his 80th birthday with Rameau's "Fêtes d'Hébé" directed by Robert Carsen at the Opéra-Comique. Pretty Yende is currently on stage in Handel's "Semele", conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm, at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. As a Viennese, one can only think wistfully of bygone times at the Theater an der Wien.

Who is still upset that Peter Sellars throws his outdated resources into the fray and drags the mythological material into the present, between the army milieu and a lower-class living room with a pull-out couch as a gateway to the underworld? To this end, he gives the chorus the obligatory movement choreography, instead of having dancers dance, he has breakdancers dislocate their arms.

Scene from Rameau's "Castor et Pollux": Jeanine De Bique moves the audience to tears as Princess Télaïre with her unearthly, beautifully sung mourning.

(Bild: Vincent Pontet/OnP)

A musical feast that comes to Salzburg 
The story of the slain Castor and his immortal half-brother Pollux, who brings Castor out of the realm of the dead at the cost of his own life, even though they both love Princess Télaïre, also works in its universality in Sellar's world. In the end, everyone loves each other and Sellars has once again recycled himself. The atmosphere at the final celebration is therefore excellent!

This is thanks above all to Teodor Currentzis, who, with his Utopia Orchestra and the Utopia Choir as well as a magnificent group of singers, enchants with a colorful, transparent, lively Rameau, this time without any mannered antics. The enchanting Jeanine De Bique leads the excellent ensemble as Télaïre. The Salzburg Festival will present the production in concert in August!

A weakening cast of gods
In "Rheingold", however, all efforts by Pablo Heras-Casado at the helm of the Paris Opera Orchestra to create a detailed, dazzling, light-footed beginning to the end of the gods must fail due to a primarily mediocre, texturally unclear singing cast.

Added to this is Bieito's tiredly unimaginative, inconclusive direction in a dull set between projection and metal box. This does not bode well for future "Ring" evenings.

One would also have liked to have seen Ludovic Tézier's first Wotan. But he had canceled, preferring instead to sing Verdi in Munich on the premiere evening. Ian Peterson led the unattractive company of gods to Valhalla as the substitute godfather. Bieito did not dare to go in front of the curtain. He only wants to face the audience at the end of the Ring - in a few years' time.