(Foto Daniele Ratti-Mattia Gaido)

The Teatro Regio de Torino presented a stage production (a concert performance took place in Montpellier in May 2022) of the “world premiere” of the “tenor” version of Thomas’s “Hamlet.” The role was transposed for the famous French baritone Jean Baptiste-Faure a few weeks before its premiere, as no suitable tenor was found to sing Hamlet’s part (the original tenor cast for the part fell seriously ill). With the recent discovery of the original score, the theater opted for bringing back the vocalism of Hamlet’s role to its original intentions, with the extraordinary tenor John Osborn and a wonderful new production directed by Japoco Spirel.

The production was brilliant, meaningful, and with luxuriously realistic sets, something rarely seen today. The action is set inside the decadent hall of a 19^th century palace, designed from a claustrophobic perspective, which was transformed into different rooms, including the morgue for the prelude or Gertrude’s room, by descending walls. The idea of presenting a “morgue” had deep emotional impact and reinforces the gothic and dramatic style of the production. We can see Hamlet mourning his father’s body and in the last scene with the morticians (gravediggers in the original opera) this space takes on a dramatic and “uncomfortable” feel. There could be multiple interpretations of the palace full of doors with old paintings falling down, but it was clear that although the sets and costumes were built thinking about realism, the designs were made for dramatic and emotional purposes. The big scenes with the full choir and soloist (like the coronation or the pantomime scenes) create a strong sense of claustrophobia due to the narrow and diagonal design of the sets. The use of giant puppets for the pantomime was clever and effective, and all the dancers dressed as brides and grooms for Ophelie’s big fourth act scene are really effective. The appearance of Ophelie’s ghost in the very last scene is also magnificent. The presence of Hamlet and Ophelia as children and the giant, wooden toy horse that Hamlets rides for the ending have mesmerizing impact. There were some many details that transformed this production into a ghostly, psychological tale. The costume and light designs by Giada Masi and Gary McCann respectively reinforced the dramatic and psychoanalytic line of the production. It was really a magnificent work through and through.

Extraordinary Players

Tenor John Osborn incarnated the tortured prince incredibly. Osborn is no stranger to French and “grand-opera” repertoire. He has sung roles including Meyerbeer’s “Robert le Diable” and “Le prophete,” and is therefore used to singing four-hour roles. So Hamlet was perfectly within his reach. The roles features four arias, three duets, and several ensemble scenes. Osborn proved his stamina, finishing the role with a fresh voice. His phrasing and use of dynamics, plus his perfect French diction, enabled him to match perfectly to Thomas’ style. There’s always a sense of sweetness in his timbre and his long legato phrases. His singing is a constant contrast between forte and mezza voce/pianissimo. He was extremely delicate and lyric in his duet with Ophelie: “Ah! Doute de la lùmiere.” But he could be very aggressive and strong on “Vaine couronne, à bas” or his duet with Gertrude in Act three, and then sing soaring and effortless diminuendo on “Aux soupirs d’amour” in the third act duet, while navigating in the treacherous passaggio. His famous aria “Être ou ne pas être…” was sung with pathos. The uncomfortable tessitura of the role was no problem at all for Osborn, who interpolated several ringing high Cs during his famous “Wine aria.” His incarnation of the role was strong and emotional.

Ophelié was portrayed by the rising soprano Sara Blanch. She had already sung the part in Oviedo in 2022, which is quite surprising considering this opera is rarely performed. She has a lyrico-leggera voice with a velvety timbre, clean coloratura, and sparkling high notes. As in most roles appropriated by soprano leggeras, they were originally written for Lyric voices with coloratura abilities. Some might include high notes, although they have usually been interpolated by sopranos. Blanch’s voice, because of her dark round sound and strong projection, matched the demands of the role, which features a tessitura in the middle of the soprano range. Blanch was sweet and lyrical and sang the Act two aria “Adieu dit-il,ayez foi” with determination, sorrow, and dynamics. Her high notes, High B, high C, and high C sharp, were bright, secure and effortless. The highlight of  her performance was her long “mad scene” in Act four, where she showcased her clean coloratura, her bright staccato high C sharp, and her acting abilities. Her performance in this scene was full of contrast between hysteria, happiness, sadness, and remorse. She could easily change from crying to laughing, imprinting the scene with truth and commitment.  The aria was stopped in the middle by a strong ovation from the audience after a perfect section of coloratura and she was warmly rewarded by the audience after the aria and at the curtain call. This young soprano, who has already caught international attention, is rising very fast and would probably be one of the greatest voices of this generation.

Mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine sang the role of Gertrude. She posses a potent and dark voice, perfect diction, and a tremendous sense of idiomatic style. She sang her lamenting aria from Act two, “Dans son regard plus sombre,” with fluid long legato lines and even timbre. That said her voice showed signs of strain from A flat upwards and her high B flat at the end of her duo with Hamlet in Act three turned out to be strident and with dubious pitch. Her upper register was strangled in general.

Alaister Miles was very convincing in the short but dramatically important role of “the spectre of the king.” His interventions were very short, and the tessitura was very comfortable.

Riccardo Zanellato was a lyrical Claudius, singing a beautiful Act three aria, “Je t’implore,ô mon frere,” with a beautiful phrasing despite his modest projection. He seemed more secure in the high register as he sang a strong high F on the line, “Apaise la colére,” but chose the option of finishing the aria on the optional central E-flat rather than on a low E-flat. He played a strong build character full of fears and remorse.

The tenor Julien Henrich sang the small role of Laertes. The role consist of a small aria and a few spare lines. It has a central tessitura, although it moves around the passaggio quite often and with soft orchestration. Henrich sang with his beautiful rich timbre and long legato lines his “Pour mon pays” and delivered a bright secure B flat.

Jéremié Rhorer was in charge of the Orchestra e Coro Teatro Regio Torino. He offered a strong performance, focusing on the density of the orchestration, but with exquisite detail on the timbrical details of Thomas’ score. The orchestra sounded bombastic and heroic during the “Wine aria” and the big concertante at the end of Act two, but also delicate and lyrical for Hamlet and Ophélie’s duet or  the section where Ophelié drowns. The balance between the voices and the orchestra was perfect and all voices could be heard clearly throughout.

This was ultimately a beautiful and meaningful stage production of the “world premiere” of the tenor version of “Hamlet,” featuring an excellent cast of stylish singers.