Jacques Offenbach, Orphée aux enfers

Jacques Offenbach is known to the opera lover primarily for his splendid opera Les Contes d'Hoffmann, but in his time he is above all a figurehead of the Opéra Bouffe, a genre for which he even establishes his own theater, the Bouffes Parisiennes. Orphée aux enfers, La belle Hélène and other operettas are masterpieces from Paris during the Second Empire. They are brilliant pieces, in which irony is the dominant tone and the satire on Parisian bourgeoisie occasionally puts him in a difficult position. But he does give the genre of French operetta its international reputation. Offenbach is born in Cologne as Jacob Offenbach, the son of a cantor. In 1833 the Offenbach family moves to Paris but he never completely loses his German accent. Offenbach is one of the first to clearly criticize the genre of grand opéra, by simply reflecting on what he himself is engaged in. This makes the relativization of his own work so multifaceted and Opera Zuid has understood this very well. The classical story of Orpheus and Eurydice is turned upside down in Offenbach's opéra bouffe. Orpheus and Eurydice are not at all an inseparable couple but on the contrary would rather do anything to get away from each other! The gods lend a helping hand, especially the initially appearing as virtuous shepherd Aristée, who ultimately is none other than Pluto who drags Eurydice into the underworld and imprisons her.

From pastoral to demonic

"Shameless, hilarious and a bit brutal". That is how Opera Zuid describes their new production in their program brochure. Opera Zuid plays the right card of parody and irony from the first scenes. L'Opinion Publique in chic cocktail dress and ostentatious may first point the audience to her role: approach the "ancient tragedy" with respect! That she may later reveal herself as a proud (!) drag queen is one of the topical allusions by director Benjamin Prins. The satire on "classical" opera (and art in general) becomes apparent as soon as the curtain rises for the first act and is nicely carried through to the end. The décor looks somewhat kitschy at first sight, but it refers to the decorative panels of baroque opera theater. Besides irony on ancient theater, it also offers the opportunity to quickly switch to the beautiful scene of Olympus with the gods in ridiculous robes and likewise hairstyles enthroned according to their ranks and then to the eerie black hellhole where Pluto imprisons Eurydice and the foolish little sheep from the beginning are absolute devils. In the last scene, the décor contains references to the arts of almost the entire Western history, from ancient Greek statues to a surrealist chess figure. Pluto looks eerie gothic and punk, Jupiter wields his "lightning bolt" at every turn. His appearance as a fly to be able to approach Eurydice shows as an "ancient" god his little flaws (me too is not far away) and John Styx (Olivier Hernandez) apparently gets to keep hell neat as a "technician" of Opera Zuid (logo on his t-shirt)! Indeed, at times hilarious! © Joost Milde © Joost Milde © Joost Milde © Joost Milde © Joost Milde

Double layer

Orphée is presented as a "classical" violinist, who has eyes mainly for his instrument (the violinist in the orchestra pit delivers a fine performance incidentally). As a nod to Gluck's Orphée, in the second part he literally quotes J'ai perdu mon Eurydice. As protagonists, Orphée and Eurydice remain representatives of the lyrical aspects of opera. Especially Eurydice has tender and nostalgic passages that contrast with the busy ensembles. The alternation of the fragments makes up the richness of the opera and emphasizes the double layer of the work: the caricature remains at the same time an opera of quality. We experienced this in Opera Zuid's performance. The performers are completely absorbed in their roles and play with enthusiasm. Amel Brahim-Djelloul sings Eurydice with a beautiful lyrical voice in moments full of melancholy but also with strength in her curiosity and resistance. Only the highest notes were occasionally a problem. Pluto (Mark Omvlee) had no trouble with his various tenor tones as her false and malicious seducer. The voice of Roger Smeets as ambiguous Jupiter lacked luster and he convinced more as an actor than as a singer. Thomas Morris clearly enjoyed himself as Opinion Publique. Enrico Delamboye conducted Philharmonie Zuidnederland with flair and finesse. The sensitive passages offered a welcome respite between the funny and lively moments. But the orchestra sparkled especially in the passages that sound rhythmically and rousing. The infernal galop and the cancan burst into the hall, where the audience on the same rhythm scandalized their exuberant and well-deserved applause! WHAT: Jacques Offenbach, Orphée aux enfers WHO: Benjamin Prins [director], Enrico Delamboye [conductor], Amel Brahim Djelloul, Mark Omvlee, Roger Smeets, Francis van Broekhuizen, Mathys Lagier, Thomas Morris Philharmonie Zuidnederland, Theater Choir Opera Zuid WHERE: Schouwburg Tilburg WHEN: Tuesday 23-5-2023

More performances until 22 June see: www.operazuid.nl