Kulturkompasset | critics of culture events

FAUST by Goethe and Schumann in Paris


Success for Harding, Gerhaher, Eriksmoen 

and others with Faust,

Goethe, Schumann and Orchestra de Paris 

Applaus. Faust scenes, by Robert Schumann, from left Lionel Sow, Tareq Nazmi, Franz-Josef Selig (Mefisto) (partly hidden) in talk with Christian Gerhaher (Faust), Roland Daugareil (?) (concertmaster), in talk with Daniel Harding, Mari Eriksmoen, Hanne-Elisabeth Müller. Foto Tomas Bagackas 
.

Applaus. Faust scenes, by Robert Schumann, from left Lionel Sow, Tareq Nazmi, Franz-Josef Selig (Mefisto) (partly hidden) in talk with Christian Gerhaher (Faust), Roland Daugareil (?) (concertmaster), in talk with Daniel Harding, Mari Eriksmoen, Hanne-Elisabeth Müller. Behind left 1/2 children choire, and right some of the male choire. and members of Orchestra de Paris. Foto Tomas Bagackas.

Review by Henning Høholt and Tomas Bagackas, fotos Tomas Bagackas.

PARIS/FRANCE: It became a success for Daniel Harding, Christian Gerhaher (as Faust), Franz-Josef Selig (as Mefistophéles) – as always with best diction, so every word could be understood, Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, Marit Eriksmoen, and other soloists, pluss large mixed choir and children choir, with Göethe, Robert Schuman and Orchestra de Paris this past week-end at Philharmonie de Paris at Porte Pantin, where two full houses enjoyed the, not so often played, large piece by Robert Schumann. 

As his opening concert, for his first season as music chief of Orchestra de Paris, where Daniel Harding has taken over after 7 successfully years with Paavo Järvi, Harding has chosen to mark his direction in the program choose, by performing a not so often heard work Scenes from Faust by Goethe with an outstanding international cast, as written above, also including the great young tenor Andrew Staples, the mezzo soprano Bernarda Fink, and the bass Tareq Nazmi.

CHOIRES and ACOUSTIC

Lionel Sow, has, as usual, been responsible for preparing the choir work, it sounded brilliantly
. We were specially impressed by the very tasteful pianissimo, a detail that Harding in his conducting also underlined very well, in addition to letting the musical soloists, singers, and choices getting enough time to sound out, and letting their voices get out in the Philharmonias good and well formed acoustic, specially well as the balcony not are fastened to the walls, only “floats”, on the entrance bridges to the balconies.

SOLOISTS:

Christian Gerhaher

The presented Scenes from Faust by Goethe was functioning well, Christian Gerhaher was excellent in the titelrole – Faust. He has the expressive, – and feeling full voice for letting this kind of demanding roles float brilliantly, he is powerful and rum when needed, he has too a very beautiful pianissimo, where he don´t push anything, his voice just floated light like a soft wind. Extraordinary well.

Hanne-Elisabeth Müller

Müller, soprano, managed well her different parts, and was great in the Gretchen opening part, however, she sings a lot of beautiful tunes, but i missed the diction – the words. When it is scenes by Goethe from Faust, then it is as important to hear Goethes words, not only Schumanns tunes.

Applaus to the choices, from right Hanna-ELisabeth Müller, Mari Eriksmoen, bernarda Fink, Andrew Staples. Foto Tomas Bagackas.

Applaus to the choices, from right Hanna-ELisabeth Müller, Mari Eriksmoen, bernarda Fink, Andrew Staples. Foto Tomas Bagackas.

Mari Eriksmoen

Eriksmoen, soprano to had several different parts, her long beautiful solo/duet part was a highlight in the concert, where she showed how beautiful and well sounding her soprano voice is.

Franz-Josef Selig

Selig, baryton. A safe card to have in such a production is the excellent baryton, who in this part was Méfistophéles, and other roles. He is brilliant, and with him you are sure to hear all words, as his diction is so clear like reading t your self, and in addition he gives the words music, and as we all know, there is music in the words in a language, and he has this power that he can combine these two things to give the audience an extraordinary experience. With Selig in a production, I always feel very safe about the quality.

Children quartet

In the last part there is a children quartet. It is clear that they have really been working hard to get this to sound well, and it was beautiful. Furthermore in the coordination with Harding, he took really well care of giving them the best possible light accompaniment  to let them sound well. Bravo.

Concerto – versus stage production

Actually, as a concert production it worked well. By letting the soloists has their basis behind the orchestra in front of the female choir, where they sung their many small or bigger different parts, and also had the possibility, to cooperate with many of the choire singers who had solo parts

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. Then for each of theirs larger solo parts, discretely moved up in front, where they got the better situation to these large parts, beside the conductor, and with Faust (Christian Gerhaher) at the other side,  – and then move back. It worked quite well.

The only thing is that without the text written, it was not easy to understand, what roles ar they singing now, even that the program has a short, well written presentation as a help for each of the parts, I was during the time, – as musicologist, and not a Goethe specialist, – some times extremely confused, what roles are they singing now. The only safe role was Faust, with his many different sides.

Applaus 
. Faust scenes, by Robert Schumann, from left Lionel Sow, Tareq Nazmi, Franz-Josef Selig (Mefisto)  Christian Gerhaher (Faust),  Daniel Harding, Mari Eriksmoen, Hanne-Elisabeth Müller. Behind left 1/2 children choire, and right some of the male choire. and members of Orchestra de Paris. Foto Tomas Bagackas.

Applaus. Faust scenes, by Robert Schumann, from left Lionel Sow, Tareq Nazmi, Franz-Josef Selig (Mefisto) Christian Gerhaher (Faust), Daniel Harding, Mari Eriksmoen, Hanne-Elisabeth Müller. Behind left 1/2 children choire, and right some of the male choire
. and members of Orchestra de Paris.
 Foto Tomas Bagackas.

It was a good welcome presentation of the new music chief Daniel Harding. We wish him all the best, and are looking forward to the continuation.

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