We left at the interval...

Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, Friday April 3 2026. Conductor: Thibault Noally. Soprano I: Amandine Sanchez. Soprano II: Apolline Raï-Westphal. Soprano III: Clémence Olivier. Alto I: William Shelton. Alto II: Mathilde Ortscheidt. Alto III: Morgane Boudeville. Tenor I (Evangelist): Valerio Contaldo. Tenor II: David Tricou. Tenor III: Gaël Martin. Baritone (Christ): Alexandre Baldo. Bass I: Sebastian Noack. Bass II: Matthieu Walendzik. Bass III: Jérémie Delvert. Les Ambassadeurs-La Grande Écurie. Photo: Wikimedia Commons I hadn't heard a Matthäuspassion since Ton Koopman conducted a performance at the Châtelet over 20 years ago, so I bought tickets for this one, at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées.   It was a mistake.  If I really wanted a Saint Matthew, I should no doubt have gone the night before to Versailles, where Raphaël Pichon had Julian Prégardien as his Evangelist and Stéphane Degout, no less, as Jesus. But the night before I had Belgian guests to feed.   ...

Opéra Comique, Paris, Wednesday January 4 2012 Conductor: Jérémie Rhorer. Production: Marcel Bozonnet. Choreography: Natalie van Parys. Sets: Antoine Fontaine. Costumes: Renato Bianchi. Amadis: Philippe Do. Oriane: Hélène Guilmette. Arcabonne: Allyson McHardy. Arcalaüs: Franco Pomponi. Urgande, 1er Coryphée: Julie Fuchs. La Discorde, 2ème Coryphée: Alix Le Saux. La Haine, L’Ombre d’Ardan Canil: Peter Martinčič*. Soprano solo: Ana Dežman*. Tenor solo: Martin Sušnik*.  * Soloists from the chorus of SNG Opera in balet, Ljubljana “Period instruments, painted canvases, historically informed acting and choreography will all contribute to this major discovery of our repertoire,” says the Opéra Comique’s website in my translation, more accurate than their own. It would be odious indeed to make comparisons with Atys , revived in the same house last year. You might wonder, as the man on my left did, aloud, whether the Royal Opera in Versailles, then the Salle Favart in Paris, are the...

Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, Monday May 9 2011 Conductor: Christophe Rousset. Ann Hallenberg, mezzo soprano. Les Talens Lyriques. Works by Broschi, Johann-Christian Bach, Porpora, Giacomelli, Hasse and Leo To avoid a single, solemn ceremony, we were told in a speech at the start of this concert, when celebrating their twentieth anniversary, Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques have chosen to tour a beautifully crafted concert of 18th-century gems, including a generous (the unfortunate singer might well say gruelling) selection of arias composed for Farinelli, who – because of the film - played an important part in the group’s performing history. I’m not usually a great recital fan, either on disc or in concert, as I find a whole evening of arias a bit like eating a box of chocolates in one sitting. But in this case, having, for one reason or another, recently been mightily impressed by clips of Swedish mezzo Ann Hallenberg on YouTube (after recently being mightily...

Châtelet, Paris – March 14 2005 Ton Koopman, conductor. Evangelist: Jörg Dürmüller. Jesus: Ekkehard Abele. With Cornelia Samuelis, soprano; Bogna Bartosz, alto; Paul Agnew, tenor; Klaus Mertens, bass. Breda Sacramentskoor boys’ choir. Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir. All’s well that ends well Remember Beecham on Bach? "Too much counterpoint," he declared, "and what is worse, Protestant counterpoint!" Counterpoint doesn’t come more protestant than with Ton Koopman. His group’s instruments aren’t just “original” or “historic;” they’re positively primitive, as if any improvement on the ur-design has been rejected and every gut string lovingly hand-crafted by a vegetarian in Birkenstock sandals. The approach is ascetic. They play as if their regular diet is bread and water (dry, unleavened bread at that) and they’re now observing lent – which I suppose they are. During the chorales, you can imagine the words in simple cross stitch or poker-work, hung on a distempe...

Théâtre des Champs Elysés - December 3 2004 Conductor: Emmanuelle Haïm. Veronica Cangemi, soprano. Le Concert d'Astrée. Bach: Suite n° 3 en ré mineur BWV 1068; Cantata Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen BWV 51. Händel: Concerto grosso op. 6 n° 1; Il Delirio Amoroso . Grazie, obbligato. If I begin another review with the words “comparisons are odious” I no doubt run the risk of being chased off this blog forever. But at last night’s Bach and Händel concert at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, both the programme and the circumstances invited comparison. The former, by placing Emmannuelle Haïm and her young orchestra squarely in the lineage of Les Arts Florissants and Les Musiciens du Louvre. The latter, because Veronica Cangemi was replacing Natalie Dessay, who has cancelled her engagements for a second operation to her vocal chords. Well, Le Concert d’Astrée is not Les Arts Florissants. Händel at his most taxingly virtuoso, live, is not Monteverdi in the studio. And Veronica Cangemi is no...