Stravinsky - Le Rossignol. Poulenc - Les Mamelles de Tirésias

Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, Wednesday March 15 2023

Conductor: François-Xavier Roth. Production: Olivier Py. Sets and Costumes: Pierre-André Weitz. Lighting: Bertrand Killy.

Le Rossignol

Le Rossignol: Sabine Devieilhe. Le Pêcheur / 1er émissaire japonais: Cyrille Dubois. La cuisinière: Chantal Santon Jeffery. Le chambellan: Laurent Naouri. Le bonze: Victor Sicard. 3e émissaire japonais: Rodolphe Briand. 2e émissaire japonais: Francesco Salvadori. Empereur de Chine: Jean-Sébastien Bou. La mort: Lucile Richardot.

Les Mamelles de Tirésias

Thérèse-Tirésias / La Cartomancienne: Sabine Devieilhe. Le Directeur de théâtre: Laurent Naouri. Le mari: Jean-Sébastien Bou. Le gendarme: Victor Sicard. Le Journaliste parisien / Monsieur Lacouf: Cyrille Dubois. Le Fils / Une grosse dame: Rodolphe Briand. Une dame élégante: Chantal Santon Jeffery. La Marchande de journaux: Lucile Richardot. Monsieur Presto: Francesco Salvadori. Les Siècles, Ensemble Aedes.

Photo: Vincent Pontet, TCE

'Performance cancelled on 15th of March As a result of the national strike on pensions, the necessary staffing is not available tonight, Wednesday March 15, to allow us to maintain the performance.'

I have a special relationship, in my own small way, with Les Mamelles.  I was introduced to it as a teenager by friends in Lausanne. It was the first opera I owned on vinyl and the first, as a result, I knew by heart, from beginning to end. I could (and did) sing it - all parts - on long journeys by car. It was also one of the first I saw in a 'proper' opera house, at the Coliseum in the 70s. Knowing the text to the play (which of course I'd bought and read, in comparison with Poulenc's libretto) even helped me get into university: during the entrance interview (in those days, for Oxbridge, there were entrance exams followed, if lucky, by interviews at the targeted college) I had to talk about Ionesco's La Cantatrice chauve, and was able to compare it unfavourably, apparently convincingly enough, with the Apollinaire. When the weather's nice, I still sometimes stop by Apollinaire's grave on my way to sit and read in the Père Lachaise cemetery next door.

The cancellation is a great disappointment. This would probably have been the best cast I've ever seen in the work, which after all isn't performed often enough. People give extra marks to tragedy - mistakenly in my opinion; and, like the composer himself (I'm in good company, if limited in number), I think Les Mamelles is a better work, words and music, than Dialogues, which gets played more often but to me is closer to Poulenc by the yard.

Oh well... In theory France Musique will be broadcasting a performance on Saturday April 15 at 8 pm local time. I'll listen to that. And it seems the TCE will be making a video available on YouTube. That, in the end, will have to do.