Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor in Lausanne

from left Michael Tews as Falstaff, Valentina Farcas as Frau Fluth and Eve-Maud Hubeaux as Fru Reich. Lustigen, Photos Marc Vanapeighen

Review by Henning Høholt, Photos: Marc Vanapeighen. Applause video and photo: Henning Høholt

LAUSANNE/SCHWEIZ: The Lausanne Opera presented in June 2014 their version of Otto Nicolai´s (1810-1849) opera Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, in an up to date version, a “Vaudeville” version, which is an entertaining and amusing success. Coproduction with the Royal Opera de Wallonie-Liége.

Poster, Die Lustige Weiber von Windsor

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. Foto Henning Høholt

Personally I have not seen Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor through the last 30 years, and therefore I was looking forward to how Lausanne has managed this production, as I know the history well from Giuseppe Verdis Opera Falstaff, it was familar to me. As Falstaff it is based on the William Shakespeare play The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Opera de Lausanne, old building. foto Henning Høholt 2014

Valentina Farcas as Frau Fluth and Eve-Maud Hubeaux as Fru Reich. Lustigen Photos Marc Vanapeighen

The positive side of it is that the music by Nicolai is even more funny and happy than Verdis music to Falstaff, so during the time I feel this could be a good operetta, but the singing lines are much too demanding and difficult than for an operetta. The leading soprano roles needs a brilliant virtuose dramatic, but light coloratura soprano, and in this case the casting was brilliant with the outstanding, and good looking Valentina Farcas as Frau Fluth (Mrs. Ford in Falstaff). She has every thing needed for the role and presented it with a lot of charm and virtuosity. As her colleague Frau Reich, (Mrs. Page) she had the great alt Eve-Marie Hubeaux, a young very good sounding Alto, she has been participating in several singing competitions and won good prizes, and to my great pleasure she won the 2 prize and the Kirsten Fagstad Prize in the Belvedere singing competition, where the former operacief in Oslo Bjørn Simensen are member of the jury. (Mr. Bjørn Simensen is also called the “Father of The Norwegian Opera”,as he was responsable for building the new Opera in Oslo)
. I was amased to hear her in this demanding role.

Oliver Zwarg as Herr Fluth and Eve-Maud Hubeaux as Fru Reich, right Michael Tews as Falstaff Lustigen Photos Marc Vanapeighen

As Sir John Falstaf we enjoyed the great base Michael Tews, he made a good job, and his outfit in the last scene, the scene in the Windsor Parc was brilliant. Costumes by Ariane Isabell Unfried. The role as Fenton was very good casted with Attilio Glaser, and his Anna Reich was Céline Mellon. As Herr Fluth we enjoyed Olivier Zwarg and as Herr Reich Benoit Capt, while Stuart Paterson and Sacha Michon took well care of the roles as Spärlich and Dr. Cajus.

The big pleasant surprise for me was the speaking role as the therapist, Jean-Luc Borgeat, his brilliance and musicality was outstanding his long monologue, where he is dictating a letter to his secretary was extraordinary. A highlight in the whole performance.

Applause video at: http://youtu.be/XrooOcIzL5o

Valentina Farcas as Frau Fluth, Jean-Luc Borgeat as Theurapist and Oliver Zwarg as Herr Fluth. Lustigen. Photos Marc Vanapeighen

Opera de Lausanne, new buil,ding. Foto Henning Høholt 2014

David Hermann is responsible for the entertaining staging, it was flooding extremely well and elegantly, also thank to a good staff, and his assistant Clara Pons, and to the great changing and good variations of scenography by  Rifail Ajdarpasic. The last act scenography, would visually have been even better, if the forest back wall from the “bathing scene” has been used. The house idea, didn´t give the right feeling of the large Windsor Parc.

Frank Beermann conducted it all with fluiding tempi, and had a good hand together with the good staff and a well sounding orchestra Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, with many good details, and it is allways a pleasure to listen to an orchestra, who really can play a beautiful pianissimo.

During the way, especially in the end, sometimes the orchestra forgot the pianissimo and the piano sounds, so it was not so big a variation in the forces, however it is understandable, and the total experience of the orchestra and the choir, who also had some good and important parts, was great. The Lausanne Opera Choir is headed by Véronique Carrot.  It was obvious that they have had a good rehearsal period. All these elements delineate a performance visually deliciuos, ironic, polite and full of ideas.

Attilio as Fenton, Céline Melton as Anna Reich, Stuart Pattersonand Sacha Michon. Lustigen Photos Marc Vanapeighen

Lausanne Opera Choir with Benoit Capt as Herr Reich in the center. Lustigen, Photos Marc Vanapeighen

The modern scenography, by Rifail Ajdarpasic was well functioning, gave the great moods to each of the stages, the idea of letting Falstaff being “invisible” functioned very well, and build up an expectation to the audience, which was unveiled in the last act, when he was excellent dressed up with a great hairy “animal” tricot and with a beautiful head decoration with large horns.