By Gust Cambré
In April 2015, Ensemble Pygmalion under the direction of young Raphaël Pichon produced the first DVD recording of Jean-Philippe Rameau's Dardanus at the Opéra Nationale in their hometown of Bordeaux. Michel Fau, who was responsible for the staging, described the opera in a promotional video by record label Harmonia Mundi as "extravagant, radical and full of kitsch, but a noble kitsch that is actually a style in itself". A description with which he perhaps not only wanted to refer to the opera itself, but also to his own interpretation of it. Although Rameau and his librettist Charles-Antoine Leclerc de la Bruère faced considerable criticism after the premiere of Dardanus in November 1739, there was musically little wrong with the original. The criticism at the opera's premiere was therefore mainly directed at the weak libretto in terms of content. Apart from the content, Pichon and Fau managed to immortalize a magnificent musical and visual performance of Rameau's Dardanus on DVD. This version of Dardanus was for me the third complete work I heard performed by Ensemble Pygmalion, after Michaël Haydn's Requiem and Bach's Matthew Passion. This interpretation of Dardanus also meets all (high) expectations and does not disappoint. Ensemble Pygmalion, like its conductor, is young and dynamic, and through its versatility is one of France's hottest ensembles. Conductor and ensemble succeeded together in creating a light, dynamic performance and beautiful ornamentations. Especially the delightfully colorful and ornate harpsichord sounds beautiful and fits perfectly with the extravagant character of the opera. Even effects such as thunder and lightning during the storm in the fourth scene of act four are executed superbly and make the experience of the story all the more interesting. Not only the musical performance but also the costumes and staging make the total package particularly pleasant and accessible. What certainly stands out is the choice for extravagant and kitschy, but historically inspired costumes combined with unnaturally looking wigs instead of realistic ones. This makes the story seem to take place more in a fairy tale world than in reality, something that perhaps was not the composer's intention but may be more appealing to a modern audience than a historically accurate performance. Certainly an opera with not too heavy a theme, such as Dardanus as well, fits in the right circumstances well in a more modern guise. Particularly the second scene of the fourth act with the trio of the three 'dreams' and choir (on the DVD around 2h11min) was brought out remarkably beautifully, both visually and vocally and musically. The actors fit their roles splendidly one and all, but Karina Gauvin (Venus) appeals to me less than the rest of the cast. As a fuller-figured woman, she fits excellently in the role of the love goddess Venus, especially when aspiring to the beauty ideal of the 18th century. However, her vibrato is so excessive that it distracts from the music and makes it exceptionally tedious to listen to. Certainly in baroque (operas) such vibrato is in my opinion less appropriate than in, for example, operas from the 19th century. Also Gaëlle Arquez is, as an attractive young woman, an excellent choice for the role of Iphise. Like Karina Gauvin, she also uses a strong vibrato, but it is less disturbing because the pitch fluctuation is less pronounced than with Gauvin. Iphise certainly emerges as the strongest female character, perhaps partly determined by her important role. Katherine Watson (l'Amour) in my opinion has the most pleasant voice and is vocally the strongest. Also the voices of the three male actors, namely tenor Reinoud Van Mechelen as Dardanus, baritone Florian Sempey as Antenor and bass Nahuel Di Pierro as Teucer (and Ismenor), fit particularly well with their characters. They all three fulfill their role(s) sublimely, which is why there is little to fault in their performances. Apart from a few minor comments, there is little to fault in this first DVD recording of Rameau's Dardanus. Ensemble Pygmalion under the direction of Raphaël Pichon provides beautiful music while Michel Fau with excellent costuming takes care of the visual pleasure. The actors, as mentioned, fit wonderfully in their roles and sing, at least most of them, with the greatest finesse. The combination of a versatile ensemble and a dynamic conductor on the one hand and iron-strong actors on the other hand makes this version of Dardanus a must-watch for every lover of Rameau's work, baroque opera in general and yes, even the 'diehard' Lullists among us should give this performance a chance.- WHAT: Dardanus by Jean-Philippe Rameau
- WHO: Performer: Ensemble Pygmalion conducted by Raphael Pichon
- VOICES: Reinoud Van Mechelen (Dardanus), Gaëlle Arquez (Iphise), Florian Sempey (Antenor), Nahuel De Pierro (Teucer and Ismenor), Karina Gauvin (Venus)
- RELEASE: Harmonia Mundi – HMD 9859051.52[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1j394jbdDM[/embed] [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtxv6lLWenk[/embed]