Jérôme Varnier / Reviews

In a sparsely filled room at the Opéra de Strasbourg, Peter Konwitschny's staging of Halévy's La Juive offers a convincing vision of this Grand Opera, well served by a high-quality vocal set. The bass Jérôme Varnier ( already appreciated in the Grand Opéra Les Huguenots in Nice ) lends his deep voice to Cardinal Brogni, whom he makes endearing despite his past crimes and his severe condemnation of Leopold in Act III, so much does he show tenderness for Rachel whose true identity he does not know, and of compassion for Eléazar to whom he offers his friendship at the beginning of the book. The bodily clumsiness of the spindly singer has something to do with the humanity that emanates from this head-bending character. His brilliant voice in the bass and harsh in the midrange has a pleasant timbre. During the a capella passage of Act III, he finds the required notes with accuracy and emotion. Finally,Nicolas Cavallier portrays both Sergeant Albert and Provost Marshal Ruggiero with a wide and powerful voice, perfectly projected with perfect French articulation.

From February 3 to 12, the OnR is giving Halévy's La Juive in Strasbourg before it is given at La Filature in Mulhouse on February 24 and 25. This rare work on the lyrical stages is nevertheless a worthy representative of the great French opera. Chance of the calendars, this production comes less than a year after that of the Opéra de Lyon directed by Olivier Py which absolutely delighted us . It is therefore with joy that we found Rachel Harnisch in the role of Rachel, but what about the rest of the Strasbourg production? If Rachel Harnisch had left a vivid memory of her Lyon performance, she seems even better here, with perfect pronunciation, an incarnation of the role of an intense truth and a song that manages to find a beautiful balance between power and expressiveness. Ana-Camelia Stefanescu , who embodies Princess Eudoxie, lacks a little bit of projection but her investment is not in doubt, her pronunciation is good, the highs are present and it is not easy to appreciate the richness of this voice finally deprived of the great air of the character “My sweet lord and master” (we will come back to this later). Robert McPherson 's Leopold is very convincing, but we would appreciate more restraint in the often excessive projection. Nicolas Cavallier, for his part, is a fairly solid Ruggiero who also takes on the role of Albert. Finally, Jérôme Varnier offers a Cardinal Brogni of rare quality whose deep bass voice descends to the abyss of the score without ever bending or seeming tense, thus offering the full range of emotions that can be drawn from this character.

As for the set, it is the reign of youth, except of course the old Faust very well interpreted by Antoine Normand . If Jérôme Varnier already holds an impressive number of roles, the two main protagonists are younger and are starting great careers. For all three, these are quite remarkable roles (for Mephisto in Avignon last June). Thomas Bettinger , in the title role, displays undeniable musical qualities. The voice is warm, powerful and well led, perfectly suited to Gounod's writing, the perfect articulation, and the natural stage play. The procrastination of the character is well rendered, and the duets with Marguerite very harmonious from all points of view. Jérôme Varnier, for his part, is a Mephisto served by a physique that immediately distinguishes him. Tall, thin and slender, he plays with his arms to imprint his will, except when some cross paralyzes him like vampires in the cinema. On the voice side, perfectly assured bass and a velvety midrange are put to the service of a supple and intelligent phrasing. But his freedom of acting on stage is sometimes a little hampered when he looks too much at the conductor, which has an impact on his voice, whose articulation is not always perfectly intelligible.

Opera in five acts, Faust by Charles Gounod (1818-1893) contains all the ingredients of a drama: manipulation, love and betrayal. Premiered at the Théâtre Lyrique de Paris on March 19, 1859, this work is inspired by the myth of Faust written by Goethe in 1808. A romantic work par excellence, it contains famous French melodies such as the chorus of Act IV "Gloire immortelle de nos aïeux", the air of Mephistopheles in the second act "the golden calf", or even the air of Marguerite in the third act "Ah I laugh at seeing myself so beautiful in this mirror" (made famous by Castafiore in the comics Tintin). It is undoubtedly Jérôme Varnier (Mephistopheles) who is the cornerstone of this distribution. His dark and captivating voice, his effective and credible playing earned him hearty (and deserved) applause at the end of the performance. Rather rare in bass voices, its virtuosity is absolutely striking: with the tempo it imposes from the first bars, the spectator might believe that the Golden Calf (Act II) is in fact a bull launched at full speed! Going from a charming Mephistopheles (as with Marthe in Act III), to a threatening Mephistopheles (as with Marguerite in the church scene in Act IV), Jérôme Varnier embodies a Devil in all his splendour: mocking , manipulative and terrifying.

A powerful masterpiece not to be placed in everyone's hands, Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie reflects the character of the composer, rebellious and rebellious. In 1983, we had just sensed the dark grandeur of a work brought to incandescence by an inspired conductor (Gardiner) and a Jessye Norman in a tunic swollen by the Aix summer mistral; unfortunately the sails had since been singularly reduced under less expert hands, Christie alone blew from time to time on the embers of the masterpiece and managed to revive its grandeur. Prince charming experienced in other repertoires, Sir Simon Rattle leaned in 2018 on the beautiful lyrical tragedy at the Staatsoper in Berlin. The production of this November 9 at the Philharmonie de Parisreunited with a similar cast with respect to the lead roles and again brought in the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra in full force. The British conductor has made a choice between the different versions of the work (creation of 1733 and subsequent revivals), he favors the versions with the richest orchestration such as the duet of the second act "Be satisfied with a victim". augmented by virtuoso violin lines. Unsurprisingly, the tenor Reinoud Van Mechelen embodies an ideal Hippolyte, a mixture of gentleness and authority respecting to the letter the subtlety of Ramist writing. More casual as regards the rhythmic precision of which the harpsichordist Philippe Grisvard follows the deviations with infinite art, the main roles however hardly lack imagination and sense of color, in the first place Anna Prohaska whose sometimes whimsical mood , the sounds taken from below or detimbrated rub shoulders with sublime highs and a sense of color worthy of a great jazz vocalist, especially in the ariette "Rossignols in love" of a vertiginous sensuality, the infinitely expressive incarnation of the baritone Gyula Orendt, Thésée by turns intense or ghostly, and of course Magdalena Kožená whose flawless technique compensates for a range that is a little too clear for this role (especially with the pitch a tone lower), and whose dramatic sense is impressive. Pluto of a splendid metal and with an impeccable vocalization, Jérôme Varnier manages to nourish a somewhat conventional role with a beautiful psychological intensity and a magnetic presence. Tiny detail, we could have exempted the skilful musette player from touching the tambourine to avoid some delays in the most brilliant dances… Never mind, a new wind is blowing on the great French Baroque.

Hippolyte et Aricie is presented this evening in a concert version like its creation at the private mansion of Rameau 's patron , Alexandre Le Riche de La Pouplinière in 1733, but the composer having reworked his work several times, it is the last version which is retained this evening (1757) and the opera is presented without a prologue, shortened by a few stories, preserving however Phèdre's monologue from Act III “Cruelle mère des amours ”. The rich timbre of soprano Evelin Novak marks her character as a high priestess with a certain authority and her vocalizations remain intense when she appeals to the vengeful gods. She also interprets the song of the matelote with precision and charm. The cavernous voice with the impressive resonances of the bass Jérôme Varnier who interprets Pluto offers a balance of intensity alongside Thésée. However, placed behind the orchestra (like all the soloists), his voice struggles somewhat to cross the orchestral mass in the aria " Qu'à servier mon courroux". Each speaking for an aria, Slávka Zámečníková leads the troupe on the hunt with a projected voice and Liubov Medvedevacelebrates the happy ending of a supple voice with delicate high notes.

The first of this revival, which will include six performances, is marked by the entry into the pit of the institution's new director, Louis Langrée, placed for the occasion at the head of the Orchester des Champs-Élysées. The chef's great dramaturgical sense and his knowledge of the French repertoire favor a beautifully crafted reading, embellished by a certain art of nuance. We must warmly congratulate Les Elements, a choral ensemble that delivers moments of incredible delicacy. The nine voices together are very satisfying. Thus Nicolas Legoux's Polonius, elegant baritone that we will find luxuriously distributed in this very small role. Thus, again, of the two accomplices, in turn Marcellus and Horatio then gravediggers, encamped with advantage by the tenor Yu Shao and the bass Goeffroy Buffière. Thus, finally, the extremely clear and powerful Laërte by Pierre Derhet whose line is skilfully conducted. If we are much less convinced by the performance of Sabine Devieilhe in Ophélie too confidential and simpering a nothing, we applaud Laurent Alvaro in a Claudius of healthy firmness. After the cancellation of the Diotima Quartet concert last week due to a positive Covid-19 test by one of its members [read our columnof January 18, 2022], then the avalanche of pitfalls experienced by the Opéra national du Rhin, which nevertheless managed to ensure the premiere of the French creation of Die Vögel [read our column of January 19, 2022], the mezzo-soprano Lucile Richardot in turn reveals a contamination that we wish him to be asymptomatic. She is replaced by Géraldine Chauvet who lends Queen Gertrude a finely shaded timbre, capable of conveying the character's anxiety [read our chronicles of Reigen and Dialogues des carmélites]. Finally, two singers captivate the audience: Jérôme Varnier as a dark Specter, also served by an elongated physique with a serious face; Stéphane Degout, baritone-miracle of the title role, as he has often proven and still proves. The artists all display an exemplary diction in the service of a prosody that is not always simple, however. Special mention to Édouard Hazebrouck, one of the voices of the Elements, who, in the central pantomime, embodies a Gonzaga all of deceived loving sweetness.

Ambroise Thomas' opera Hamlet offers a large-scale musical score. To create it, the composer devoted about 8 years of his life to it, a time that is not negligible. Performed in cities around the world – New York, Barcelona, ​​Berlin or Brussels – this opera captivates with its proposals. One of its singularities is the highlighting of the psychology of the characters. The political intrigue, very present in the original play, gives way to the feelings, to the neuroses that torment Hamlet and those close to him. If the psychology of the characters becomes the guiding thread, these are particularly touching thanks to the vocal capacity and the acting of the opera singers. Stéphane Degout interprets a baritone Hamlet which passes without difficulty from sadness to anger, from madness to drunkenness. He embodies his character in such a way that all his emotions are felt through his body, piercing him from all sides. Beside him the Ghost of the Fire King has a truly ghostly appearance. This is accentuated by the deep and slow voice of Jérôme Varnier which detaches and makes each syllable last. His way of posing his voice, his “non-melodic” score transforms him into a man straight out of his grave, into a successful specter. All the characters are richly interpreted, but there is one that particularly stands out from the others. Sabine Devieilhe offers a grandiose Ophelia whose sensuality and love she has for Hamlet are enriched by her soprano voice, her dazzling vocalizations and by her body which expresses all its fragility, its sweetness, its sadness. On stage, she dazzles with her simple presence. In this opera, she becomes a central character and Act IV is entirely dedicated to her. Only one on stage who transforms her into someone captivating, a siren whose song catches the listener. Ophelia eventually becomes that mermaid she talks about in a song – “The mermaid passes and drags you under the azure of the sleeping lake.” – and will end its life at the bottom of the water.