United Kingdom Offenbach, Barkouf: Soloists, Chorus of Zurich Opera, Philharmonia Zurich / Jérémie Rohrer (conductor). Zurich Opera, 23.10.2022. (MF)
Production:
Director – Max Hopp
Set – Marie Caroline Rössle
Costumes – Ursula Kudrna and Sebastian Helminger
Lighting – Franck Evin
Chorus director – Ernst Raffelsberger
Choreography – Martina Borroni
Dramaturgy – Kathrin Brunner
Cast:
Bababeck – Marcel Beekman
Le Grand-Mogul – Andreas Hörl
Saëb – Mingjie Lei
Kaliboul – Daniel Norman
Xaïloum – Sunnyboy Dladla (changed Andrew Owens)
Maïma – Brenda Rae
Balkis – Rachael Wilson
Périzade – Siena Licht Miller
Narrator – André Jung
Barkouf! Thanks to the title’s onomatopoeia it takes little creativeness to listen to the canine protagonist’s barks, growls and, properly, ‘woufs’ nevertheless it additionally contains this three-act opera’s characterisation as ‘bouffe’. And there may be extra. Jacques Offenbach’s opus, based mostly on Eugène Scribe’s libretto, takes us to the far-off city of Lahore the place Barkouf the canine is enthroned as ruler.
The Zurich premiere is barely Barkouf’s third ever rendering. It made its debut in 1860 on the Paris Opéra Comique, the place it was censured and locked away after solely a handful of performances, deemed too important of Napoleon III’s Second Empire.
While the rating does embody the odd harmonious and light-footed three-quarter time sing-along tunes, as we all know them from La Belle Hélène, for instance (composed 4 years later than Barkouf), the music bears additional witness to each Offenbach’s ability and genius. His virtuosity and inimitable fashion are there, his inexhaustible melodic innovations, style for parody and significant derision and the energetic vitality of waltz and polka rhythms. The orchestra additionally ventures into dissonances, orientalism within the instrumentation and even polytonality, just about exceptional – and most positively surprising – on the time. Indeed, politics little question performed an essential half in consigning the piece to oblivion, however of an equally damning impact was Hector Berlioz’s verdict, who within the Journal des Débats rhetorically questioned whether or not the composer had ‘lost his mind’. It took one other century and a half till the Opéra nationwide du Rhin in Strasbourg unearthed the piece in 2018 for a manufacturing additionally proven in Cologne a 12 months later.
The Great Mogul of Lahore, the ‘ruler of all rulers, star of all stars’ appoints Barkouf, the canine, as the pinnacle of presidency to humiliate his rebellious individuals. Unsurprisingly the Great Mogul’s plan backfires. Rather than triggering humiliation, Barkouf is cherished by the individuals, he’s celebrated as the very best ruler they ever had. The canine’s success will not be of its making alone, in fact. His barked rulings are proclaimed by the flower lady Maïma, Barkouf’s former proprietor turned official translator. Taxes are halved for the poor and insurgents condemned to loss of life by the tyrant are acquitted. Alongside all this, a fortunately ending love story unfolds too, Maïma will get to tie the knot along with her Saëb by the tip of the night.
Director Max Hopp and Marie Caroline Rössle (stage) along with Ursula Kudrna and Sebastian Helminger (costumes) ship in full on Hopp’s promise to current the viewers with a ‘fat piece of cream gateau’. Accordingly, the costumes cowl a broad vary from light pastel oriental robes to over-the-top uniforms worthy of any Roman centurio awaiting defeat by Asterix. The stage is dominated by a M. C. Escher revolving spiral staircase of gigantic proportions – on, round and beneath which the motion is ready. Being confronted with the total solid plus the generously staffed refrain in corpore on the construction conveys an nearly overly wealthy feeling of saturation.
Hopp’s directing calls for fairly some performing from the solid. No marvel, since in his earlier life as an actor Hopp was no stranger to heavy responsibility performing himself. He has labored for Frank Castorf in Zurich and in 2019 he impersonated a dozen or so roles concurrently as John Styx in Barrie Kosky’s Orphée aux enfers in Salzburg. That maybe spurred Hopp to writer narration changing the unique (and partly misplaced) dialogues. The actor Andre Jung studies, recapitulates, feedback and explains the plot because the night unfolds, now and again dissolving the boundaries between theatre and actuality when straight addressing and being addressed by the singers with precise names. Admittedly, these spoken components did add size. And Jung didn’t seem solely comfortable together with his textual content.
The solid – Offenbach requires a minimum of 4 tenors – was a little bit of a combined bag on premiere night time. Given the opera’s hitherto apocryphal life, it was a night of position debuts. Marcel Beekman (Bababeck, a essential conspirator) appeared considerably dragged down by his heavy plateau footwear however introduced moments of playful pleasure nonetheless. Mingjie Lei as Saëb and Daniel Norman as Kaliboul have been reliably comedian. Xaïloum was sung by Sunnyboy Dladla (member of the 2019 Köln solid and changing Andrew Owens, who was indisposed, at very quick discover). Although he wanted a while to adapt to the orchestra, by the tip he delivered a full-throated and fascinating efficiency.
The three feminine roles made for absolute highlights. Brenda Rae as Maïma and Rachael Wilson as Balkis have been merely splendid. Rae, a seasoned Queen of the Night and Zerbinetta, is a robust, agile and charming coloratura soprano who visibly loved the performing. Wilson’s mezzo voice has a captivating mixture of roughness and enthralling delicacy. Siena Licht Miller’s Périzade was versatile and light-weight.
Choreographer Martina Borroni is given loads of room to underscore Barkouf’s revue aspect. Her eight-musician-strong ensemble supplies entertaining interludes and makes shocking appearances as a Can-Can troupe, clad in Rio carnival gear – and remodeled right into a pack of canines (which reminds us: we by no means truly get to see the eponymous protagonist).
Finally, director Jérémie Rohrer takes cost of the night’s musical drive. The founding father of the interval devices orchestra Le Cercle de l’Harmonie leads the excellently disposed Philharmonia Zurich and the well-balanced refrain. Together they navigate the complicated and diversified rating, aptly modulating between finely swinging operetta waltzes, bel canto melodiousness and grand opera in full blast with all voices on deck.
The premiere curtain calls have been met with avid applause all through. Further performances shall be on 27 and 30 October, 4, 6, 9, 13, 17, 19 and 22 November.
Michael Fischer