Hindemith – Cardillac
ONP Bastille, Wednesday September 28 2005 Conductor: Kent Nagano. Production: André Engel. Sets: Nicky Rieti. Costumes: Chantal de La Coste-Messelière. Cardillac: Alan Held. Die Tochter: Angela Denoke. Der Offizier: Christopher Ventris. Die Dame: Hannah Esther Minutillo. Der Kavalier: Charles Workman. Der Goldhändler: Roland Bracht. Anführer der Prevote: Stephen Gadd. Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra National de Paris. Though only 90 minutes long, Cardillac is said to be the Paris opera’s most expensive production this season. If that’s the case, it will presumably be the biggest loss-maker, as I’ve never seen so many empty seats at the Bastille. But those who were there cheered it enthusiastically, and word had soon gone round, after the dress rehearsal, that it was a splendid staging. Well, it was certainly spectacular. The overall aesthetic was art déco , contemporary with the work, and the Bastille’s huge stage managed rapid scene changes from the glamorous foyer of a 20s hotel, ...