Incorruptible Dialogues of the Carmelites by Olivier Py at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées

Created in 2013 and revived in 2018, this production by Olivier Py of Francis Poulenc’s opera given again at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, with a reworked cast, has lost none of its emotional intensity or its impact on the public.

How can you not let a tear escape, your throat tight, while the poignant Salve Regina of the final scene is intoned against the backdrop of a dark orchestral torture march and, while the chilling sound of the blade of the guillotine with its realism an incredible violence tears the leaden silence of the room sixteen times, we witness the poetic rise to the starry sky of the immaculate nuns? How could we not previously be moved by the long agony of Madame de Croissy crucified on her deathbed, seen from the sky as if filmed in a fixed shot, in a blinding white light crossed by long and terrifying shadows?

In a refined, austere decor where darkness leaves no room for any color, apart from its variations from white to anthracite, where black and blind walls and devastated forests represent “winter and the terrible night of a world that does not believe more”, say his abominations, Olivier Py introduces the characters of Bernanos: these nuns who entered Carmel because they do not find their place in this disintegrating world, inhabited by fragilities, fears, but also convictions, faith in love, in life, in FREEDOM, which they write on the wall with white chalk. An act of resistance for the protection of a humanity in distress rather than a refuge in faith in God, they go towards this ultimate sacrifice of their lives which gives them their reason for being. The cold lights of Bertrand Killy uncompromisingly sculpt the dark, the void, trace the bars of the jail, but also shine the inner light of these sisters dressed in white. No scaffold on stage. The strength of Olivier Py’s staging lies in the sobriety and suggestion, placing the human and the word which is one with the music, intimately linked to it, at the center of the dramaturgy.

We owe to the excellent direction of the actors as much as to the talents of the performers the characterization of the characters to which Poulenc was so keen. First of all, we must salute the memorable performance of Vannina Santoni who embodies with her luminous presence, both scenically and vocally, an anguished, tormented but determined Blanche de la Force. Perfect delivery, absolute mastery of singing, expressive richness and accuracy, beauty of timbre down to the most intense high notes, she has everything going for her and the role. Sophie Koch, formerly as Mother Mary, is now an impressive and charismatic Prioress, deploying a phenomenal vocal range and expressive arsenal with striking energy. Véronique Gens, with her supple and homogeneous voice, gives Madame Lidoine, the second Prioress, a dignified, reserved posture, which reveals a maternal and protective feeling. Patricia Petibon’s Mother Marie is quite the opposite: the singer still does it a little too much on stage, as in her exalted, feverish vocal expression, going against the character supposed to appease Blanche. Manon Lamaison, very comfortable in her high notes, gives Sister Constance an embodied and joyful presence far from innocence, highlighted by the freshness and pretty fruitiness of her tone. However, his diction remains perfectible.

In the main male roles, the baritone Alexandre Duhamel as Marquis de la Force imposes his presence and the nobility of his expression served by a superb modeling of phrasing. As Knight of the Force, the Mozartian tenor (as it should be!) Sahy Ratia is undoubtedly the happy surprise in this cast: what purity of tone, what distinction, what singing line, what diction! Finally Matthieu Lécroart aptly defends his roles as Thierry then as jailer, and Loïc Félix as chaplain spreads the serene light of his voice within the confines of the threatened convent.

We can only salute the work of Karina Canellakis who conducts Les Siècles, giving the work its rhythm, its tensions, its silences, its hues, merging the voices and instruments in the finest way, carrying the orchestral tuttis into the dramatic climaxes with poignant intensity, particularly in the final Salve Regina to which the Unikanti Choir provides valuable assistance.

Photographic credits: © Vincent Pontet

(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)