By Natalia Di Bartolo
These French and English translations
Event on December 16, 2014 al The Teatro Real in Madridunder the direction of the great Michel Plasson: Roméo et Juliette by Gounod performed in concert, starring Roberto Alagna as Roméo and Sonya Yoncheva in those of Juliette.
Chills among viewers, in an atmosphere that was at times unrealistic connotations. This evening all, starting with the interpreters, were fascinated by the expressive power fully realized thanks also to dramatization of the opera in concert. No static, nothing of starched, but the spirits of Romeo and Juliette and the other protagonists physically also floated around the Plasson Master on the podium, while impersonating, passed in front of the involved almost unrepeatable atmosphere for spectators, but also for yourself first.
The direction of Michel Plasson was an authority disarming: nothing could against his conception of the French, not even a’Orchestra like that of the Teatro Real that French is not; nor against the conception of his time and support strict imparted to the interpreters: these qualities and characteristics they do great.
The pairing Plasson-Alagna, then, it is definitely a winner. How recently it had been for the Werther memorable all’Opéra Bastille in January 2014now it has been for this splendid work.
The Roméo by Alagna it has no equal. He interpreted and lived it from a very young age, with the freshness and spirit of youth, he interprets it and lives it now at fifty years of age, still and always in a crescendo of emotion and with the intensity that characterizes each of his interpretations. On the stage of the Spanish theatre, in a wonderful identification, but also in a fusion between himself and the character, reaching the point of being moved and singing even with his eyes closed, Roberto Alagnaas always, "became" Roméo . For him, singing is also a reliving of bright and dark episodes of his personal life: as the title of his latest CD states, "Ma vie est an Opéra". In each character played Alagna living and reliving their lived inextricably linked to the Opera and merged with it, enriching the character of his attitude and his extensive experience as an artist, completed by the professionalism which does not become but never routine; Indeed, renewed every time and more and more the thrill of trial and meeting with the public. This Roméo by Madridthen, it proved to great tenor the Roméo the maturity and awareness, but also of suffering, of proof of all that human beings knew and could express in a song always flawless, irreproachable from the point of view of diction and phrasing, inimitable in pronunciation, thrilling in the expression.
Radiant Sonya Yoncheva as Juliette. The Bulgarian soprano has demonstrated a good complementarity with the Sicilian-French tenor duets, where communion of the two items is the basis for the success of the collection. The Yoncheva It is confirmed now as prominent interpreter on international venues.
Praiseworthy all other performers, including the Mercutio by Joan Martin-Royo, the Frère Laurent by Roberto Tagliavini, the Stéphano by Marienne Crebassa and the Capulet by Laurent Alvaro; very good the choir the Teatro Real Theatrecapable of delicate color and important contribution to the establishment of effective overall atmosphere.
Public galvanized in the Temple in Madrid, in front of a masterpiece performed by those who may be considered among the best performers in the world of Opera Francais. Standing ovation, with final, endless applause to all the actors, the Director, the choir and orchestra, gleeful themselves all with each other.
>> Traduction française:
“Chills among the spectators, in an atmosphere that at times takes unreal connotations. Tonight everybody, starting with the interpreters, was fascinated by the expressive power fully rendered through the dramatization of the opera in concert version. Static nothing, nothing of starched, but although the spirits of Romeo and Juliet and other protagonists, who have physically purposes on stage around Maestro Plasson. Facing the performance which took place before him, he interacted almost, in a unique atmosphere for the spectators, but also for him in the first place.
The direction of Michel Plasson was a disarming authority: nothing has been against his conception of the French Dynamics; or against the design of its tempo and the support given to the interpreters: qualities that characterize the greatest.
The Plasson-Alagna combination, is definitely a winning combination. Recently, this was the case for the memorable Werther at the Opéra Bastille in January 2014, it is again today for this wonderful book.
The Romeo of Alagna has no equal. He interpreted and embodied this role at a very young age, with the freshness and spirit of youth, and he now interprets and embodies it at fifty years old, again and again in a crescendo of emotions and with the intensity which characterizes all his interpretations. On the stage of the Spanish theater, with admirable empathy, but also in true fusion with his character, modulating his singing with his eyes closed, Roberto Alagna, as always, “became” Romeo. Singing also means to him relive the episodes clear and dark of his personal life: as suggested by the title of his latest CD, "my life is an opera".”, in every character he plays, Alagna lives and relives his own experience inextricably linked to Opera as intimately embedded in it. It enriches the character of deep feelings and his vast experience of artist, complemented by a professionalism that becomes at any time a routine; Indeed, it renews each time and more and more the thrill of performance and meeting with the public. This Madrid Romeo, therefore, was the great tenor the Romeo of maturity and sensitivity, but for this also the expression of suffering, everything what a man can know and express in a vocal performance always perfect, impeccable in terms of diction and phrase, inimitable in the pronunciation, shattering in the expression.
Sonya Yoncheva was radiant in Juliette. The Bulgarian soprano has shown also a good complementarity with franco-sicilien tenor in duets, where the communion of the two partners is the basis for the success of the whole. Yoncheva confirmed today that she was a performer of leading on the international scene.
Public galvanized in the Madrid temple, facing a masterpiece performed by those who may be regarded as among the most efficient in the world of the French Opera. Standing ovation for finally, applause without end for all artists, the Director of choirs and soloists, all welcome to each other.”
>English Translation:
“The audience is thrilling, in an atmosphere that sometimes took on an unreal dimension. Tonight, everyone (starting with the performers) was fascinated by the expressive power fully rendered through the dramatization of this opera in a concert version. Nothing static, nothing starchy, but only the spirits of Romeo and Juliet and of the other protagonists, physically gliding on stage around Maestro Plasson. Facing the performance running around him, he interacted almost in a unique atmosphere for the audience, but also for him first.
Michel Plasson’s conducted with a disarmingly authority: nothing was against his conception of French dynamics; nor against his idea of the appropriate tempo and of the support to be given to the performers: qualities that are the signature of the greatest.
The combination Plasson-Alagna is definitely a winning one. Recently, it was the case for the memorable Werther at the Opéra Bastille in January 2014, it is again the case today for this wonderful work.
As Romeo, Alagna has no peer. He performed and embodied this role as a very young singer, with the freshness and the spirit of youth. And now he performs and embodies it at fifty years, again and again in a crescendo of emotions and with the intensity that characterizes all his interpretations. On the stage of the Spanish Theater, in an admirable empathy, but also a true fusion with his character, modulating his singing with his eyes closed, Roberto Alagna, as usual, “became” Romeo.
Singing also means for him to relive the bright and dark episodes of his life: as the title of his latest CD – “My life is an opera” – suggests it, in each character he plays, Alagna lives and relives his own experience inextricably linked to Opera, as intimately embedded in it. He enriches the character with his deep feelings and his great experience as an artist, complemented by a professionalism that never become a mechanical routine; Indeed, he renews each and every time, more and more, the thrill of his performance and his encounters with the audience. This Romeo in Madrid, therefore, was for the great tenor the reflect of his maturity and sensitivity, but also the expression of the suffering, of all that a man can experience and deliver in a vocal performance always perfect, flawless in terms of diction and phrasing, inimitable in pronunciation, overhelming in expression.
Sonya Yoncheva shined as Juliette. The Bulgarian soprano has also demonstrated her good complementarity with the French-Sicilian tenor in the duets, where the communion of both partners is the basis to make the success of the overall exercise. Yoncheva today confirmed that she was a leading performer on the international stage.
Audience galvanized in Madrid’s temple, greeting a masterpiece sung by those who can be considered as among the best French opera’s performers in the world. Standing ovation at the end, endless applause for all the artists, the director, chorus and soloists, all congratulate each other.
Natalia Dantas
Traduzioni francese e inglese dalla Pagina Ufficiale di Roberto Alagna su Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobertoAlagna.Tenor?pnref=story
FOTO: Javier del Real e Twitter Sasha@shasherka