Created in 1807 at the Imperial Academy of Music, The Vestal Virgin, dedicated to the Empress Joséphine, protector of the composer, will have had more than two hundred performances until 1854 before disappearing from our first national stage, with the exception of a single representation in 1909 offered in Italian by the forces of La Scala. In the first half of the twentieth century, Rosa Ponselle performed it in Italian at the Met but it was above all the scaliger performances of 1954 with Maria Callas which were at the origin of the gradual return of the work on international stages, in Italian from first, then gradually in the original French version. In Paris, The Vestal Virgin was given at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in 2013 in a stage version with Ermonela Jaho then in 2022 in a concert version with Marina Rebeka under the leadership of the Palazetto Bru Zane which subsequently published a commercial recording. It was time for the work to return to the institution that saw it born, or at least its current avatar. For the occasion, the OnP called on Lydia Steier which has already committed in 2022 a production of Salome controversial to say the least. This time the American director offers a dramatically coherent show which is in tune with the times, where we find her taste for violent images, like this parade of floats on which lie half-naked bloody bodies. , the scenes of torture, the humiliations inflicted on women, like the spit with which the vestal virgins cover Julia and the blood, present from the first scene when Cinna and Licinius cut each other’s hands while exchanging their oaths of friendship. However, it is a plea against war and religious fanaticism that Steier wanted to offer, drawing inspiration from Margareth Atwood’s novel The Scarlet Handmaid whose action takes place in a dystopian universe which it attempts, most of the time happily, to make coincide with that of The Vestal Virgin whose characters are victims of a religious totalitarianism which conditions their existence. This is why from the first scene where those condemned to death are hanged by the feet, we see Licinius, devastated by the war, emptying a bottle of alcohol, sitting on the ground. The main decoration is a replica remarkably created by Etienne Pluss of the Grand amphitheater of the Sorbonne, symbol of culture and erudition, in a state of decay, in the center of which burns an auto-da-fé fueled by books that are thrown at regular intervals.
Strong images that leave a lasting impression on the viewer. It’s a shame that the appearance of Vesta in the last act, like a golden and kitsch statue of the virgin, placed on a stretcher that is carried around the stage, borders on the ridiculous. It’s also a shame that Steier saw fit to make Cinna the faithful friend of Licinius, a traitor who turns around to have himself crowned emperor after the Grand Pontiff’s flight, which adds nothing to the intrigue. Finally, we wonder who these machine gun bursts are intended for that we hear backstage during the ballet music that concludes the work. Is it the Great Vestal Virgin or the Pontiff who are shot down or the couple of lovers who finally lieto fine would be refused? Weird. Let us also mention the judicious insights of Valerio Tiberi and the discreet but relevant videos ofEtienne Guiollike the one which shows military parades such as we see in contemporary dictatorships.
The distribution does not suffer from any weak points. All the protagonists turn out to be excellent actors and have French diction that ranges from correct to very good. Member of the OnP opera troupe, Florent Mbia is a sober and efficient leader of the Aruspices with a sonorous and homogeneous copper tone. Jean Teigen has a dark voice and a deep bass register which allow him to interpret with all the authority required the Sovereign Pontiff whose cruel and obtuse character he excels in emphasizing. The Great Vestal Virgin is a sort of female counterpart of the Sovereign Pontiff with whom she seems to have a relationship tinged with sadomasochism. With a clear and well-projected voice, Eve-Maud Hubeaux portrays this character with a sort of evil presence on the stage and great severity in the intonations of the voice, particularly in the aria “Love is a barbaric monster”. A beautiful incarnation that a little more darkness in the bass register would have made even more convincing. Julien Behr looks great on set as a peroxided young officer. He ardently embodies Licinius’ faithful and devoted companion, at least until his final change of heart. This character, whose range is rather central, is sometimes entrusted to a baritone, contrary to Spontini’s wishes. Here, the clear voice of the French tenor blends ideally with the darker voice of the American tenor and their common range exalts the fraternal bond that unites them. His two tunes are tastefully performed. In Licinius, Michael Spyres makes an astonishing composition, Soldier traumatized by the war, madly in love with Julia to the point of sacrificing his life for her, all the affects of the character imagined by Étienne de Jouy and revised by Lydia Staier are assumed with conviction and a healthy and solid voice which responds to the intentions of the interpreter. The diction is superlative, the style impeccable. In the third act, her aria “Julia will die” is particularly poignant. Replacing at short notice the ailing Elza van den Heever, Élodie Hachewho recently triumphed at Saint-Étienne in Zamora’s Tribute, manages to do well in the overwhelming role of Julia. Her clear and youthful tone, crowned by a luminous treble, works wonders in her aria “Licinius, I will therefore see you again” which she sings with fervor. The soprano manages to upset the audience in the third act with her interpretation of “You whom I leave on the earth”. On the other hand, her big scene of the two “You whom I implore with fear” which she approaches bravely, pushes her to the limits of her range and, if she comes out brilliantly, let us recognize that we are waiting in this crucifying piece , more courage and vocal breadth. In the final salute she obtains a well-deserved success. It is also worth highlighting the remarkable interventions of the Choirs, so important in this work, admirably prepared by Ching-Lien Wu.
At the desk, Bertrand de Billy offers a nuanced and theatrical direction with alert tempos which draws the work towards romantic opera, a judicious choice if we consider that this score for which the librettist will sign the libretto of Guillaume Tellprefigures French grand opera.
){kind=link}