In Versailles, Molière’s “Kidnapping from the Seraglio”.

Abduction from Seralj in French: why not, because it is an opera with abundant spoken dialogue, and especially since the translation of the arias does not come from nowhere. This is due to Pierre-Louis Moline (1739-1820), a playwright born in Montpellier, to whom we owe the libretto for the Paris versionOrpheus and Eurydice Gluckist. His work is so well composed that we quickly forget the German original, because the rewriting of the text was free enough that Molière’s language flows naturally into Mozart’s melody and rhythms. However, since Moline’s translation of the dialogue is lost, Michel Fau and his assistant Sofiène Remadi offer a new one, in the spirit of the 18th century, so scrupulous that it emphasizes the burning topicality of certain topics – Blondin’s feminist speech would not be out of place in the mouths of our modern Amazons.

A soprano made of flesh and amber

In order to bring the company to completion, we fortunately assembled a 100% French team in which no one is unworthy. Especially not Constancy of Florie Valiquettea flesh-and-amber soprano, with a full midrange and pyrotechnic treble that allows her to face with aplomb all the variations in intensity that the terrifying ambitus demands ” Martern go Arten ” (who becomes ” I knew how to make you angry “). Previously, her first aria showed her a little reserved, with a line that deserves more nuance; but ” Traurigkeit » (“Far from you, in slavery”) testifies to the nobility of the tone, decorated with shadows and lights, which perfectly evokes the plight of the character.

In contrast, Belmont of Mathias Vidal characterized by astonishing projection, scalpel-cut words and a commendable penchant for dynamic modulations. What is missing from this startled lover ? Hint morbid in phrasing, abandon in elegiac passages, sometimes agility in vocalization. Despite its slightly nasal color, Pédrille d’Enguerrand de Hys he stands out from the game, as much by the liveliness of his temperament as by his unmistakable firmness in heroic splendor” Frisch zum Camp » (” In business, as in war “).

Soft porcelain

If we knew Osmin with a more cavernous bass, Nicolas Brooymans seduced by a testosterone-laden tone, an honest balance between lightness and presence that keeps the incarnation from sinking into caricature. But for the noble ending of the song, this well-kept secret that Mozart demands, the prize goes Gwendoline Blondelwho is not only meant for Blonde by her last name, but above all a bone china soprano, enameled all over with a rainbow of colors and feelings, with the added bonus of an unstoppable talent for comedy.

Directed by Gaetan Jarry, the Royal Opera House orchestra (as well as the choir) confirms its progress, despite its strings deserving of a little more roundness and softness. If the oriental percussion spices in the Overture are dosed a little stronger, the instrumental design remains both subtle and sharp. Subsequently, this reading confirms a natural inclination towards theatrics, the correct mixing of tension and flexibility in the accompaniment of melodies, and the right proportions in the changes atmosphere.

Imaginary East

Michel Fau he signs the direction and portrays Bach Sélim, who is anything but monolithic, whose internal conflicts we perceive from the very beginning, so much so that the final pardon does not fall like a hair on the soup. The show certainly doesn’t look like it’s from noon to two in the afternoon – that’s not the style of the house. But at every moment he reveals great finesse in painting characters and situations, in addition to his absolutely undeniable aesthetic qualities.

If David Belugou’s costumes, in the fashion of the stylized 18th century, seem to transform the characters into Meissen figurines, the magus of painted canvases Antoine Fontaine designed a sumptuous Moorish decor, with a large fence in the foreground surmounted by a pedestrian bridge on which the performers can move, which in some scenes cause an ingenious occupation of space. When the fence is opened, we discover the interior of the palace, the walls of which will be gradually drawn closer and the ceiling lowered to better signify Constance’s imprisonment. The concluding apotheosis of Sélim, soaring towards the hangers on his flying carpet, wittily and poetically ends this delicate tale of One thousand and one nights.

Abduction from Seralj Mozart (in French). Versailles, Royal Opera House, May 22. Performances until May 26.