Sophie Karthäuser as Calisto, Photo: Alvaro Yanes

Theatre des Champs Elysees is famous for presenting many sides of the opera litterature for their audience. Often it is absolutely first class and unique. This weeks production of Francesco Cavalli´s (1602-1676) opera La Calisto from 1651, is in the group, that in this strange production, not are being among my favourites. Or one of them i would call first class, But unique, yes.

This is due to that La Calisto is tryed to be modernised in a strange burlesque way, but not succeeding in being comic or funny at all, only strange, with a lit of effects, which in another connection or for another performance could have been good, but not for this opera. I dont mind modernising, but it shall be to the best for the production. If the staging staffs competance not is extraordinary good in modernising, they should better not spoiling a beautiful work from the composers hand, build on an old “fairytale” story by Giovanni Faustini. This is not a success.

The staging by Macka Makeïeff is good, it works, the singers are acting and telling the history they are being told to do

. Some of the singers are very good actors, and doing their outmost. In addition many of them are brilliant singers, such as for exempel Sophie Karthäuser in the titelrole.  The problem for this La Calisto is the scenography and the costumes. The scenography, full of effects by Macha Makeïef is following up her staging idea, but together with the strange costumes she has designed, or scetched up ideas for, it is not working. The costumes for some of the womens are bizarre for some of the leading female singers, fbut for the three female and male dancers, and some of the caracters they are good, but for others they are, for me, a disaster. To letting a not costume designer trying to give the costumes a “greek” look, and not being a good costume designer, as far as I can notice, is waist of money for the theatre house
. It is better to let a professinell costume designer or couture designer do the job.

Marie-Claude Chappuis as Diana and Lawrence Zazzo as Endimione, in La Calisto. Photo: Alvaro Yanes.jpg

Makeïff´s ideas of letting some singers make their entre from the skyes are OK, but during the way I got the impression of that the wonderful  Veronique Gens was performing the Queen of The Night (but without coloratura)  from the Magic Flute with her three ladies. That is not bad, but not in this connection. The little sweet Amor, had obviousely not got any instruction, only told to go in and out, and sit down or stay. With a little instruction he could have been a better part in the production, as the writers has ment, when they wrote him in.

The light by Dominique Bruguiere was giving good atmosphaeres to the performance, and in this way, I suppose,  following up the Staging Director, Makeïeff´s, wishes. But never during the performance I had the change to observe the mimic, as the light didn´t lighten up the singers faces. To help the singers it would be a help to light up their faces, as some of the roles they are playing and singing are with mimic, they are performing roles.   

In the leading roles in addition tothe allready mentioned wonderful Calisto – Sophie Karthäuser, we enjoyed the brillian countertenor Lawrence Zazzo,as Endindone  and the good baryton Mario Cassi as Mercurio, Cyril Auvity in different tenor roles. Giovanni Battista Parodi is a good bass-baryton, but, to me, he is not any barokk specialist, therefore some of his duets as bass-baryton was like coming from another kind of repertoar. However, he is a brilliant actor, and when he is singing castrat and playing the role dressed up as Diana, he is a hit for the performance, and one of performances higlights. Because he can act, and are not affraid of doing it. But I had the feeling of that I was watching a combination of La Cage aux Folles and Charleys Aunt, with Giovanni Battista Parodi in the leading role. Which was, and could have been funny. But the audience didn´t catch that it should, or could be funny. Therefore no one was laughing.

In other roles we enjoyed Véronique Gens, Marie-Claude Chappuis, Milena Storti, Sabia Puértolas, Graeme Broadbent. The role as Amor is alternated between Axel Anselmo and Felix Deschamps.

The dancers did a good job, especially the male ones in their Faun/Satyr roles, Lionel Hoche had succeeded in getting them to look right. Bravo.

The direction was in the best hands by Christophe Rousset, who conducted the production and the orchestra The Talens lyriques, who played the transparent and fragile music by Francesco Cavalli wonderfully with feeling and with many good solomusicians.