La Favorite, cover – program

PARIS: One of the importent events this spring, during the 100 years jubilee of Théâtre des Champs Élysées in Paris is their production of Gaetano Donizettis beautiful opera La Favorita, in a cooperation with Orchestre Natonal de France.

Review by Henning Høholt, photos V. Pontet – Wikispectacle.

The new production became musically a succes, due to an outstanding cast with 6 brilliant soloists, headed by Ludovic Tézieras King Alphonse XI, mr. Tézier is at his very best, and, as allways, a hit in his roles. The audience trust in him, his beautiful voice, articulation, sound, timbre, stage presence, every thing functions.

La Favorite. Ensemble. Foto: V. Pontet – Wikispectacle

Alice Coote was brilliant as Léonor de Gusman (La Favorite), followed by the one she loves, the very good tenor Marc Laho as Fernand. The wonderful bass Carlo Colombara filled up it all with his sound, in the role as Balthazar, Loïc Félix was great as Don Gaspar and Judith Gauthier made well the smaller role as Inès.

La Favorite. Marc Laho and Carlo Colombara (right). Foto: V. Pontet – Wikispectacle

Orchestre National de France, Choire de Radio France and Choire from the theatre conducted by Paolo Arrivabeni maked the production extraordinay. This production is so good that hopefully Radio Francewill deside to make a CD or even a DVD out of it, as they was sending it in the radio the 23rd February.

La Favorite. From left; Judith Gauthier , Alice Coote, Ludovic Tézier, Carlo Colombara and to the very right Loïc Félix. Foto: V. Pontet – Wikispectacle

The staging by Valérie Nègre functions well with dramatugic help by Guillaume Poix, Aurore Popineau has made beautiful costumes and with a good light by Bertrand Coudere. While Sophie Tellier through her choreographie has done her best to get the choire to move one stage
. Unfortunately, it is clear to see that the choire from Radio France, is not used to have options to move easily on stage, that is a special tecnic, both to sing and move. But it functioned quite well, and they did their best.

Judith Gauthier and Alice Coote in La Favorite. Foto: V. Pontet.

The Scenography.

The only thing i didn´t like was the scenography, – by Andrea Blum, that was waist of money.  Who have created her world of what she was feeling about La Favorite, that is her job, but it seems that the scenographer don´t understand the history, the place it is going on, neither have been communicating with the regisseur, costume or anybody in the other departements. In the program Olivier Renaud-Clément is writing as a question to Andrea Blum: “You are not painter, not sculpturer, not decorateur for live performances. Hwo dou you define your self”? And she replyes (laughing) “Who am I?” and she tells that I am an artist who uses non-traditional art forms. I worked with how to form the concept of public space, but i am not designer or planner. I propose that Andrea Blum keeps her eyes on public spaces. Her decorations would be nice in a hospital, and office building, a train station, – eventually for an avantgarde dancing group, but not in this relation, where the Théâtre des Champs Élysées is trying to tell a romantic love

La Favorite. Alice Coote and Marc Laho, in the end of the opera. Foto: V. Pontet – Wikispectacle

La Favorite. Ludovic Tézier, Marc Lalo and Alice Coote. Foto: V
. Pontet – Wikispectacle

history to the audience , full of brilliant singers, music, with beautiful costumes, good light and well functioning regi. The scenography, spite in that it looks decorative on the photos, didn´t fit in.

La Favorite. Ludovic Tézier and Loïc Félix. Foto: V. Pontet – Wikispectacle

For the one act Ms Blum has made a “faboulouse” “crystallook” chandelier, which could have been usefull if the theatre has wanted a new uplighting in their entrance hall, but it is from another world than the opera La Favorite. She has also made a whole line of hanging lamps with clear bullits, that don´t fit in. The only thing which is quite nice is the garden, but there it is only the big picture of an old large wooden tree and a garden bench, nicely designed, not any more.  It was belonging to another kind of performance or to lighten up a foyer. Waist of money for the production. It tells about that Ms Blum not have understod the job and the connection to the others in the production. If I have been manager at the theatre, I would have said: “No, thank you, we can´t use this”.  It would have been better without this scenography and only white walls that the light designer Bertrand Coudere with his great talent could have been giving atmosphaeric light.