(Photo credit: Philippe Gisselbrecht)

On October 4 and 6, the Metz Opera Theatre, in collaboration with the Fondazione Teatro di Piza and the Fondazione Pergolesi Spondini di Jesi, and with the support of the Italian Consulate in Metz, presented Puccini’s “La Rondine,” an interesting choice for this pocket opera whose programming has always been eclectic. All the more so as this work, whose libretto by Giuseppe Adami is as subtle as it is well-calculated, and whose music is fresh and charming, taking its inspiration from Viennese operettas, is rarely staged these days. This Austrian and, why not say it frankly, conservative character, in which all the protagonists stay alive and their aspirations are shattered in favor of good- natured social stability, is the heart of the opera.

As with their production in Pisa last year, French director Paul-Emile Fourny, Italian set designer Benito Leonori and Italian costume designer Giovanna Fiorentini have chosen to illustrate this static universe by setting it in the 1950s.

The first act takes place at an evening party for a wealthy bourgeois couple. Their living room is divided into a front stage for the guests, and a back stage as a familiar theater for the drama that Prunier is writing at the time. The hairstyles of Magda’s friends are even high and caricatured, emphasizing in contrast the natural hairstyles of the main characters. The second act takes place at the famous Bal Bullier, and the last on the beach in the South of France, near Nice. All three are framed by ruined arcades, showing that the war from 1914 to 1918 has already ravaged Europe. A tendency towards exaggeration slightly spoils this production. Thus, the pastel tones of the third act, showing a sunset, underline the kitsch of its Viennese inspiration, while the excessive number of extras and the ballet by choreographer Graham Ernhardt-Kotowitch, adding nothing of note to the second act, are regrettable but not shocking.

The choice of singers was more problematic.

Italian tenor Christian Collina’s Prunier, whose freshness and lightness of touch are lacking in strength, was easily covered by the orchestra during the grand Puccinian flights of lyricism in the first act, as were Magda’s friends, played by French sopranos Apolline Hachler, Lucile Lou Gaier and Adelaide Mansart, particularly during their encounter with Ruggero. Fortunately, his light tenor came into its own in the following acts, when the orchestra
played more softly.

And while French lyric soprano Gabrielle Philiponet as Magda de Cicry displays solid lower voice, her high notes sound somewhat sour throughout the opera, especially in the first act. That said, she was able to regain control of her role during her duets and her came through with greater clarity in these moments.

French soprano Louise Foor’s Lisette, whose acting tended toward over-animated, especially when speaking directly to the audience, provided Prunier with a clear, frank female double. Their duets lent a touching comic quality to the work, with their interweaving of short arguments and amorous impulses, contrasting with the illusory happiness of the Ruggero -Magda couple.

By contrast, French baritone Jean-Luc Ballestra’s firm voice as Rambaldo was much more appreciable, with its iron lower notes, particularly during his confrontation with Magda in Act two. It’s a pity his role doesn’t allow him to deploy his vocal range further.

Above all, French tenor Thomas Bettinger as Ruggero made his mark with his frank, deep brassy sound, despite his lack of a smooth legato. He would have been particularly appreciated during his final aria, in which he envisions a future, a family and even a happy life with Magda.

The greatest asset of this performance was the orchestra, which, under the direction of Italian conductor Sergio Alapont, blended Viennese colors with the fluidity of the Italian orchestra for very pleasing pastels. It goes without saying that the Metz Opera Theatre orchestra, with only 66 musicians, works on a reduced scale. Some of the instrumentalists, such as the harpist and the xylophonist, have even been installed in the side boxes around the orchestra pit. The success of the particularly smooth, charming and seamless conducting was therefore all the more appreciable.

All in all, it was a highly enjoyable performance, not to say a relief. From act to act, the production seemed to eliminate anything that might have weighed it down, to focus on the two parallel love stories, thanks to the disappearance of Magda’s friends or Prunier’s evolution into a kind of melodious singer-talker.