Opéra de Québec (live streaming), 25/10/2020

 World Opera Day Gala

Karina Gauvin (soprano)

Hélène Guilmette (soprano)

Jean-François Lapointe (baritone)

Éric Laporte (tenor)

Marie-Nicole Lemieux (contralto)

Philippe Sly (bass-baritone)

Orchestra symphonique de Québec

Jean-Marie Zeitouni

The World Opera Day has been fun but, circumstances oblige, most of the offerings are recorded.  This gala concert, performed without an audience, from Quebec City, has been the only actual live performance I've come across, and the Opéra de Québec certainly presented a glittering line-up of artists.  Some technical issues, at least on the YouTube feed, perturbed the start of the concert, but things settled down before we lost too much of a group of numbers from Mozart's Le nozzle di Figaro; the Overture, Figaro's "Non più andrai", Susanna's "Roses" aria, and the Countess's "Dove sono". The Overture was a bit scrambled, in my opinion, Zeitouni confusing speed for vitality, but he did not inflict that same error on his singers.  Philippe Sly's Figaro was a trifle more sadistic than I like - he really wasn't being nice to the invisible Cherubino - but Hélène Guilmette's Susanna was a delight, her timbre fresh and clear, and the aria elegantly ornamented.  The contrast with Karina Gauvin's Countess was just as one would wish to hear in a full performance, Gauvin's timbre a little richer and warmer, more dramatic.  There was a little too much breathiness in the slow part of the aria, but the second half was contained, but firm.

A quartet of Italian arias followed, well-trodden territory of Verdi and Puccini.  I'm pretty sure I've said it before, I've outgrown La traviata, and in that opera, I particularly dislike "Di Provenza", but Jean-François Lapointe managed to avoid the pitfall of excessive sentimentality and, singing both verses (the second is frequently cut in the opera house) brought a good variety of colour and dynamic range to it.  The Puccini was entrusted to the only tenor of the line-up, which meant we got both "E lucevan le stelle" and "Nessun dorma".  Éric Laporte is the only singer of the group I have not heard before, and the first impression, at least, was not very favourable; the voice seemed a bit reedy for Cavaradossi, and the tone rather wobbly at one point.  His Calaf, frankly, wasn't any better, and I'm not really convinced Puccini is  quite his thing.  It's not a pretty sound.  I was informed that there had been another tenor programmed who had to back out, and Laporte took over his proposed items at very short notice, so hopefully this was really not representative of his abilities.  However, this Italian interlude was carried off by Marie-Nicole Lemieux, a febrile, tormented Azucena recounting the terrible moment that has lead to the whole imbroglio that is Il trovatore.  That cry of "il figlio mio" was hair-raising.  

The rest of the evening (afternoon, for the Canadians) was devoted to French opera, and began with the orchestra alone in the overture to Chabrier's L'étoile, a delightful piece handled with considerably more grace than the Mozart earlier.  The winds distinguished themselves, as did the orchestra's leader with a particularly sweet-toned solo.  Two very famous duets followed, the Flower Duet from Lakmé, and "Au fond du temple saint" from The Pearl Fishers.  The Lakmé number was sumptuous, even though I was surprised to find Gauvin in the soprano role.  I would have though Guilmette better suited to the part, however, in concert, and with only the duet being performed, Gauvin was more than adequate, and perhaps her richer tone married better with Lemieux's purring Rolls-Royce of a voice.  Laporte and Lapointe were Nadir and Zurga; this is definitely much better suited to Laporte's voice than the Puccini, although his pitch was still wavering a little when the voice was exposed.  However, supported by some very lush playing from the orchestra, the two gave this ever-popular piece its poetic due.

Philippe Sly returned with a nicely judged reading of Mephisto's Serenade (and a wonderful stage cackle to finish!) from Faust, the first of three items from that opera.  Karina Gauvin sang the one lesser-known number, Lia's aria from Debussy's L'enfant prodigue, very well suited to Gauvin's voice, really showing the velvet quality of her timbre, yet also its brightness.  It's also so good to hear all this French repertory perfectly enunciated and clear!  Yes, all the artists are Francophone, but it's quite possible to have mushy diction in your native language, and that wasn't at all the case here.  If there was one number where the orchestra truly delivered exceptional support, it was Werther's "Pourquoi me réveiller" - that opening phrase was instantly arresting, and prepared the ground solidly for Laporte's best performance of the evening; he was just a little over-emphatic, but there was real emotion here, and the voice much better controlled, as well as being better fitted to the music.  

Hélène Guilmette brought out the fireworks for Marguerite's Jewel Song, the next extract of Faust.  The singing was just as fresh and charming as her Mozart, and flowed easily, but a little superficial with respect to the characterisation, and the giddy excitement I expect of Marguerite wasn't quite there.  There was nothing lacking in Lemieux's Dalila, a role that she has very much made her own in opera houses the world over.  All the honeyed seduction that could be wished for was there, in a confidential and persuasive murmur over a summer-soft and sultry orchestra.  I have to say that I think this should have been placed last, because after the sensuality of the Saint-Saëns, Valentin's Prayer - the last item from Faust - was a bit of an anti-climax, through absolutely no fault of Jean-Francois Lapointe.  However, as he's the company's Artistic Director, he was certainly entitled to bring the gala to a close, with this earnest, sincere prayer.  

This was a fine showing all round (slight technical glitches aside), with a high level of soloist and a good orchestra in a well-constructed programme.  I'm inclined to be a bit blasé about opera's most popular 'hits' - and that is what the programme largely consisted of - but at the same time they're hits for good reasons, and it's nice to hear them performed live under such difficult conditions.  I hope the artists were able to imagine the enthusiastic applause they were receiving from the living rooms of all those watching.

[Next : 26th October]