La Muette de Portici, Emma Dante, and the ghosts of the past

La Muette de Portici, Opéra Comique in Paris, April 5 2012 

Conductor ..... Patrick Davin 

Director  .....  Emma Dante

 Fenella ..... Elena Borgogni 

Alphonse ..... Maxim Mironov

Elvire ..... Église Gutiérrez 

Masaniello ..... Michael Spyres 

Pietro ..... Laurent Alvaro 

Borella ..... Tomislav Lavoie 

Selva ..... Jean Teitgen 

Lorenzo ..... Martial Defontaine 

Chorus and Orchestra of Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie 

Olivier Py recounts masterfully Les Contes d'Hoffmann

This DVD is a recording of the much praised Olivier Py's revisited production of Les Contes d'Hoffmann, shown last year in Geneva. I saw it only now, on DVD, and I can understand the rave reviews the production received from both the critics and the general audience.

It is a very traditional theatrical style but it is very well done. If you already experienced one or more productions directed by Olivier Py, you will recognize his peculiar manner to organize the sets through a system of moving scaffoldings, a structure that allows him to quickly change the scene and avoid any slowdown of the dramatic action. His clever way to fit the scene transformations with the text result in a flawless flow of the show. The traditionalists may be upset by Olivier's aesthetics, but they will be more than happy to see that he never drifts away from Jules Barbier's libretto. Personally, this is the only aspect of this show I don't fully appreciate -- lack of the surprising element.