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A Musical Revelation and an Affront Vienna
MuseumsQuartier
09/18/2023 - & September 20, 23, 25, 28, 2023
Gaetano Donizetti: Les Martyrs
Roberta Mantegna (Pauline), John Osborn (Polyeucte), Mattia Olivieri (Sévère), David Steffens (Félix), Nicolò Donini (Callisthènes), Patrick Kabongo (Néarque), Kaitrin Cunningham (Woman), Carl Kachouh (Christian)
Arnold Schönberg Chor, Erwin Ortner (chorus master), ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, Jérémie Rhorer (conductor)
Cezary Tomaszewski (stage director), Aleksandra Wasilkowska (sets & costumes), Jedrzej Jęcikowski (lighting), Krysztof Kaczmarek (videography), Barbara Olech (choreography)
R. Mantegna, J. Osborn (© Werner Kmetitsch)
Stage director Cezary Tomaszewski must have thought the title of Donizetti’s opera referred to those who ventured to see this rarely-performed opera. If this was his intention, he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.
The production, which can only be described as de mauvais gout, is reminiscent of mercifully forgotten low‑budget television productions from Eastern bloc countries circa 1960. These may indeed have been the inspiration for Polish stage director Tomaszewski with set and costume designer Aleksandra Wasilkowska. Hopefully, they cost Theater an der Wien no more dollar‑for‑dollar than those hideous productions did in the sixties.
To call the sets and costumes ugly would be an understatement. The pink bodysuits of the “Christians” and the orange and pink “Papageno” shirts with what looked like plumage but may have been a stylized version of Roman armor were truly hideous. They may have been acceptable for a high school production of Die Zauberflöte, but they were an insult to the paying public of this major city.
The rarely-performed opera is nonetheless a major work in Donizetti’s œuvre. Originally written in Italian as Poliuto for the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the sovereign of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies decided against it as it depicted the life of an actual saint, Polyeuctus. He felt the lives of saints did not belong on the operatic stage. This decision precipitated Donizetti’s decision to move to Paris, which thankfully yielded some of his best operas, written specifically for that city.
Written in Italian for the vocally declining French tenor Adolphe Nourrit, Donizetti made the title role more demanding as he had the phenomenal rising star Gilbert Duprez for the Paris creation. This is the famous Duprez who was capable of reaching a high C sharp from the chest. In the present production, American tenor John Osborn is Polyeucte, and undoubtedly the motivation for many to fill the theatre.
Osborn didn’t disappoint, as he is one of a select group of tenors who can manage this difficult role. In addition, his French diction is exemplary. Rarely have I heard a non‑native speaker with such clear diction. He excelled in his Act III aria “Mon seul trésor, mon bien suprême, tu m’es plus chère que moi‑même”. However, the opera’s most famous aria, “Oui, j’irai dans leurs temples ! Bientôt tu m’y verras”, was a letdown, as Osborne did not manage the “Dieu m’inspire” high C sharp, be it full throated (voce di petto) à la Gilbert Duprez, or even in falsetto à la Adolphe Nourrit.
Italian soprano Roberta Mantegna was highly anticipated as Pauline. She is a soprano I have always enjoyed hearing and seeing on stage, as her voice is truly distinct and she’s able to communicate emotions marvellously. Her voice is still powerful and attractive, but she was out of her depth as Pauline. Her French diction left a lot to be desired. This deficiency contrasted with Osborn’s superlative flair for the Gallic.
The ridiculous dresses she wore did not help. One was an oversized nightgown with an upside down image of a female head below her crotch that made her look like a circus act, and the other, a huge doll’s dress that made her look enormous and clumsy while she was neither. One could feel her discomfort throughout the performance. Nonetheless, her Act I prayer to her dead mother, “Toi qui lis dans mon cœur, o ma mère”, was well executed and moving.
Italian baritone Mattia Olivieri was a de luxe Sevère. He astounded with his polished French diction. Despite his ridiculous outfits, he somehow managed to keep a straight face and even act with conviction. He was a credibly robust Roman general, despite a Marvel hero suit for an outfit, basically tights and a cape. His baritone is beautiful and virile, and his singing stylish and elegant. He’s also an excellent actor, despite the stage director’s idiotic choices, such as being injected with drugs by effeminate mignons in mid‑aria. His Act II aria, “Amour de mon jeune âge, toi dont la douce image”, was a masterclass in refined French singing. At the end of the opera, his imploring of Pauline, who has chosen martyrdom with her husband, was poignantly heartfelt.
The secondary roles were well cast. The two basses David Steffens and Nicolò Donini were more than competent in their respective roles of Félix, Pauline’s father and Roman governor of Armenia, and Callisthènes, High Priest of Jupiter. Alas, their ridiculous costumes were another matter! Despite a powerful voice, David Steffens exuded little authority in a pink dress and Papageno’s plumage. Nicolò Donini looked utterly ridiculous in drag, wearing a red wig and red nightgown. Nonetheless, the ensembles, such as the Act III finale “Je crois en Dieu, roi du Ciel et de la Terre,” were impressive thanks to the vocal mastery of the six principles.
The notion of political correctness or even outright dignity doesn’t seem to have reached the producers of this opera. Afro‑French tenor Patrick Kabongo, playing Néarque, was dressed in a kind of tarboosh, worn by the Senegalese zouaves serving in the French army in Colonial times. His lips were painted shocking pink making him look like the African boy featured in the controversial Colonialist‑era inspired hot chocolate Banania advertisements. Why such an indignity? Is he supposed to be a Moor or somehow affiliated with the Turks? How could this be when the character Néarque is a persecuted Christian? The outstanding young tenor was a good actor despite this undignified masquerade. He did his best in the role of Polyeucte’s friend and guiding light to embrace the Christian faith. Endowed with a bright and pleasant voice, his diction was exemplary, something that even many French singers do not possess. To sing properly in the language of Molière requires an altogether different technique from singing Italian, with its open vowels. Watch out for this young tenor! Kabongo is a stylish performer who will soon be singing leading roles on the world’s major stages.
As this work was written for the Paris Opéra, Donizetti had to add a ballet to the score. This was to the dismay of the public at the present performance as the choreographer Barbara Olech seemed obsessed with homoeroticism. The ballet featured six young male dancers made to look excessively effeminate via makeup and lascivious moves, shaking their posteriors and contorting their abdomens–a truly hideous spectacle.
Donizetti’s French opera is more Meyerbeer‑style grand opera than Italian bel canto. Firstly, the choice of historical topic with religious persecution mimics Robert le Diable (1831), Les Huguenots (1836), and Le Prophète (1849). It also employs Meyerbeer’s formula of five or six great singers of different registers, which makes mounting Meyerbeer’s operas or Les Martyrs a difficult enterprise. As this Theater an der Wien production assembled six singers of the highest calibre and an excellent conductor with a feel for nineteenth century French music, it’s a pity they opted for such a mediocre production.
The ugly sets and costumes were a minor affront compared to Tomaszewski’s idea to link this opera, which takes place in Roman times, to the 1915 Armenian genocide. Projections about the genocide were shown to us during the overture and the between‑act scene changes. Pauline, the daughter of the Roman governor of Armenia, is now Aurora, a victim of the genocide. As a backdrop to the action, four Armenian victims of the genocide are raped, tortured and brutalized throughout several of the opera’s scenes. This only created a distraction from the actual plot, and confused the audience, most of whom had to be experiencing this rare opera for the first time. While this is one of the only operas set in Armenia, the original plot of the opera was devoid of genocide. Recreating torture and rape scenes does not pay homage to the victims of the genocide; it’s a tasteless, sensationalist affront.
Ossama el Naggar
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