Christophe BERRY as Fortunio, foto: Laurent Lagarde

Opera de Limoges

celebrates this year its

50 Years Birthday.

Rebiew by Henning Høholt, fotos: Laurent Lagarde.

When the Opera de Limoges opened 50 years ago, it was with André Messager´s  Opera Fortunio. To mark the jubilee Fortnio is again brought back to Limoges in a coproduction with Opera de Rennes, where it shall be performed with 4 performances 31 januar and 2-4-6

. Februar.

It is a lyrical comedy, very welcome in the opera repertoire, full of good sounding melodies, elegantly orchestrated, played by the Orchestre de Limoges and Limousin.

The choire is brilliant leaded by Jacques Maresch, who also, him self, has been taking care of the choires playful choreography in the first act, where their appeararnce is doing that we feel that this is a comedy
. It is conducted by Claude Schnitzler.

Staged by Emmanuelle Cordoliani. in a good functioning scenography by Emilie Roy playfull costumes from the 50-60´by Julie Scobeltzine, with very good light by Vincent Muster, who has this great artistic fingertip feeling, which makes the lighting extraordinary
.

A great cast was choosen for the production leaded by the young tenor Christophe Berry was brilliant in the titelrole, his soprano Amel Brahim-Djelloui, playing the role as Jaqueline was good, spite in a little voice, she presented brilliant coloratura, and was a center in all the production.

Amel BRAHIM-DJELLOUL as Jacqueline, foto: Laurent Lagarde

Her husband in the iece the jalouse notaire was very well sung by the baryton Franck Legérinel, but he didn´t play the role, so we understod that he was jalouse on all his wifes contacts with other mens. As her secret lover Alexandre Duhamel, baryton, who played the role with big charm and sung great, however, I would have prefered a slimmer “lover”. Surrounded as  Jaqueline was by handsome good looking gentlemans, it was not easy for the audience to understand why she has choosen this lover.

The big plesant surpise in the production was Christopher Gay as the cousin of Fortunio. Immediately in the first scene he took the stage and was the masculin scenter, with great stage appearance, a wonderful voice, he could have been a lover, that the audience could have understod

. – By the way his dream role is Don Giovanni, that he shall sing later this season, he has earlier, among other things sung  Papageno and Guglielmo.

The mentioned young  baryton Christophe Gay, from Nancy, has sung Morales in Glyndebourne. In Lyon Guglielmo, Papageno, La vie Parisiennes and Mamelles de Tiredias, In January Schlemil in Hoffmann´s tales in Lyon.

Christophe Gay, foto Henning Høholt

His dream rolle is Don Giovanni, that he for the first time shall sing in Saint-Cere this spring. Furthermore in Platee in Stuttgart and in Manon in Marseille.

Fortunio is a Coprod with the opera in Rennes, where it shall be performed  31 januar og 2-4-6. Februar. As a future Don Giovanni i feel Christophe Gay will be perfect, singing wonderful, he is young and so handsome, that he easily will be a dream Don Giovanni.

Choir from Opéra-Théâtre in Limoges, foto: Laurent Lagarde

Amel BRAHIM-DJELLOUL as Jacqueline and Alexandre DUHALMEL as Clavaroche, foto: Laurent Lagarde

Amel BRAHIM-DJELLOUL dans le rôle de Jacqueline et Christophe BERRY as Fortunio, foto: Laurent Lagarde

Applause Fortunio in Limoges. Foto: Henning Høholt