Caravaggio.

Suzanne Giraud about the Opéra "Caravaggio", libretto by Dominique Fernandez based on his book " La Course à l'abîme ":

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"Côté création, la saison mise sur Caravaggio (6 et 8 avril 2012), nouvel opéra composé par Suzanne Giraud (née en 1958 à Metz) sur un livret de l’écrivain Dominique Fernandez, auteur d’une biographie romancée de ce génie de la peinture italienne.

Génie qui sera incarné par le non moins célèbre contre-ténor Philippe Jaroussky, chantant ici sa première partition contemporaine."

I´m really sad to bring such a disappointing news, but this project is cancelled.

(Maybe, till 2013- 2014).

There will be two concert - performances in Metz yet. Still better than nothing.

CARAVAGGIO

SUZANNE GIRAUD ET DOMINIQUE FERNANDEZ


Un opéra tout entier consacré au Caravage, à sa vie singulière et violente au sein de la Rome pontificale du début du XVIIe siècle, au clair et à l’obscur, au cri et au sang qui jaillissent de ses toiles, tel est le but poursuivi depuis que, résidant à Rome, Suzanne Giraud fût saisie de fascination pour ce peintre.

Caravaggio fait appel à un orchestre et des voix mêlant Modernité et Baroque, dont celle du contre-ténor Philippe Jaroussky, qui incarne le Caravage.

Opéra en trois actes

Livret de Dominique Fernandez d’après son roman La Course à l’Abîme

Création mondiale
Version de concert

Direction musicale François- Xavier Roth

Michelange Merisi dit le Caravage - Philippe Jaroussky
Anna, Filide - Maria Riccarda Wesseling
Cecco, Onorio Longhi, Le Page - Anders Dahlin
Le Cardinal, L’Intendant, Le Grand Maître de l’Ordre de Malte,
Le Capitaine, Ferdinando Gonzaga - Alain Buet
Le vieillard, Orazio Gentileschi, Un Marin,
L’émissaire du Vatican - Luc Bertin-Hugault

Choeurs de l’Opéra-Théâtre de Metz Métropole
Ensemble « Les Siècles »

Vendredi 06 avr 2012
à 20h

Dimanche 08 avr 2012
à 15h

Réservation en ligne disponible à compter du
16 mars 2012.

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Thank you Artaserse,
I'd really appreciate to get to know more about the contents or the music of the opera. I read the isn't so much known about the life and death of Caravaggio.... how an I get more Infos? Do you have any idea?

Duffy

The music itself will be quite modern, but played on the baroque instruments...

Or did you mean the life, work and death of Caravaggio in general?

Here is an very interesting article about his " crimes" ( for example):

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Thank you very much...I read in the web that most of the novel on which the opera bases is fiction....perhaps I'm gonna read it anyway, just to get near the topic. I have to see if I manage it in french.

Here is the short content of the book the libretto is based on (in French - long live Google translate!)
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Sjuli
Thank you very much, it is quite interesting! I think I'm going to get myself the book, I still have five months...

Hello friends,

I've already read the book, a long time ago because I love Caravaggio and Dominique Fernandez. It's a very beautiful (and very long, too!) novel. I think it will be a real challenge for Philippe to play this painter who had a so dark side ... It will be very interesting, for sure !

Duffy,

Some books by Fernandez were translated into German, too - for example,
" Porporino oder die Geheimnisse von Neapel", " Die Rache des Medici" , "In der Hand des Engels. Leben und Tod des Pier-Paolo Pasolini", "Das Tschaikowsky- Tribunal " und " Der Raub des Ganymed" .

Hi,
a tip for all of you who are interested in travelling to Metz pour "Caravaggio".
It is probably possible to reserve tickets before the offical start on 16th March.
Try and send an e-mail to the billeterie.
Jana postedt it before, but perhaps it is better to mention it again. It'll be a concert version, no fancy costumes and no wigs ! :-)

I wish I coulD be be there! Caravaggio is a fascinating character and played by PHILIPPE !!!!

The fun part about opera IS the decor, the costumes and the wigs!

Sorry, I can't help it. You have to let yourself get fascinated by the owner of the main role himself.
That'll be a real difficult thing to do! :-)

Dear all,

I am wandering about the music of this opera, do you think it would be very hard/modern for a newcomer to opera? I am very much into Baroque music and I am not sure about spending so much money for a modern thing...

Well, I was into the later, more modern classics, and absolutely not into baroque. I got used to baroque too, so maybe it works the other way around as well?

Like my mother always said if I did not want to eat something new: If you don't try, you'll never learn.

Your mother is absolutely right, but I am trying to decide if it would be better to save for Metastasio next autumm or going to Metz...

Hello Pilarddcc,
I expect it will be a mixture. See this sentence from the website of the theatre:

"Caravaggio fait appel à un orchestre et des voix mêlant Modernité et Baroque, dont celle du contre-ténor Philippe Jaroussky, qui incarne le Caravage."

Pilarddcc,

maybe it would be a good idea to listen to some other music of Suzanne Giraud first ... probably that gives at least some idea.


Carolineleiden,

I would say that whether it actually is the fun part depends on what the decor, costume and wigs are like. I rather tend to get epileptic seizures with some costumes and wigs and then wish it WAS a concert version. (But I did like Orlando furioso, e.g.)

Duffy and Astarto: Yes, maybe I should search for other pieces from Giraud, I feel like a full, I didn't think it before...

I don't get it, is there going to be atrezzo or is going to be a concert version? I love the whole wigs stuff

Pilarddcc,
will be a concert version, but perhaps in a tuxedo?!

Or a kilt?

In order to bring something to light? Well .....sorry dear Artaserse and Jana.
I'd rather prefer the "Agrippina "wig to our young stork wearing a kilt.

OHHHH, I prefer a real opera with wigs and all the stuff...

Re: Kilts - I love Philippe's androgynous good looks, but please, NO KILT. His legs (clearly visible in Sant' Alessio) are just not up to it and I fear the flamingo effect! On a recent holiday in Scotland I came to the conclusion that there are very few men with legs good enough to wear a kilt and that the film "Braveheart" has a lot to answer for (though strictly speaking, the dress shown in "Braveheart" is the belted plaid). That said, the rare well-built kilted men with good legs that I saw were absolute knock-outs!

Artemis,
just what I was thinking about, calling him a "young stork". Perhaps one day, with more "salle des sports" and less "bibliothèque".....but till then, please have pity with with me, I'll have to see him from a very short distance in "Caravaggio"

NO KILT, Please.

By the way, Sean Connery looks gorgeous in a kilt.

Duffy,

Ooo-er, are you going to see him in Metz? I'd love to see him in a modern opera but won't be able to go to Metz as I will be on holiday at that time. I'm not particularly worried as I am sure we have not seen the last of "Caravaggio". I think a much larger scale production was originally planned for the TCE but they had to "axe" it because of needed renovations to the theatre. I hope it will re-surface later.

I look forward to hearing your report of it - + pictures and - kilts!

A.

Artemis,
yes, I'm going. Fortunately I'm on holidays, too and will spend them in Metz and in the Champagne . I can't believe it yet.....Pictures of course and perhaps, a few notes? Don't know if I dare to, quite complicated from where I'll be seated, we'll see......only with his permission.

I am still doubting, I can't find any music from that Suzanne Giraud and I am afraid it would be too much modern for me...

Um, Pilarddcc,

you find music at
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and it is modern, indeed.

Thank you Astarto, very modern indeed!

Artemis

Quote :

His legs (clearly visible in Sant' Alessio) are just not up to it and I fear the flamingo effect!

To be VERY honest, I extremely enjoyed his look as St. Alessio, even especially these long, slender, well shaped and graceful legs..... he looks like an ... (Renaissance) super - model indeed!

But I agree - for " Il Caravaggio", please, no kilt!

I agree with you Mr. Artaserse, but then he was very boyish and that was his charm. Maybe by now, in his thirties...I would love him even without clothes He is adorable whatever he wears!

Pilarddcc, Artaserse,
what I liked the most, concerning the costume was that it showed he was walking pigeon-toed with the right foot, I could have eaten him up for that.

Pilarddcc, Mr Artaserse, Duffy, artemis, carolineleiden et al,
I laughed at your posts/\ And I thought you are not the only ones to view him a a young stork, many of his spanish friends called him Piolin, which is the little canary Tweetie Bird? On account of his slender legs as well as tweetie's looks!!!!!!!I just thought you would like to know!!! I don't mind the kilt, or kiltless, either way is good for me!!

How do you know that, Tuffy? Do you have a secret source? This such a nice nickname but I'm not sure he loves it however it is very sweet! I must say, maybe it is because we were born in the same year, I don't see him so boyish and effeminate. I find him very atractive and hot. You know in Spanish we say "para gustos, colores" so to speak, everyone has his own taste!

Duffy,

"He was walking pigeon-toed with the right foot" - too much information!! I could eat him up for a variety of reasons, none of which involve pigeon toes.

Mr. Artaserse,

I'll be good now and stop going off-topic.

Pilarddcc wrote:

I must say, maybe it is because we were born in the same year, I don't see him so boyish and effeminate. I find him very atractive and hot.

Hehe, I find him very boyish, and I'm only 5 months older than him. And I find him very attractive, too.

And a last off-topic opinion on Alessio's costume: I liked it because it showed his naked arms... Ohimè! (Hey, girls and guys, nobody has paid attention to the very holy story???)

Dear Julia!

I don't think so, everybody was falling in love with him...

SJuli

Yes, the arms!!! Of course!!! Not only the HANDS - as beautiful as ....as.... Il Paradiiiisooooo!!! (You see, I paid attention at the very holy story! )

My favorite scene is this here....OMG....ladies and gents....( I´m such a bad boy).

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Were those two Lemos and Cencic?

carolineleiden,

Yes and No, it's José Lemos and Damien Guillon. Cencic was Alessio's "Sposa" - and he was brilliant! Xavier Sabata was Alessio's mother - also superb.

OMG. The nicknames this forum has come up with for that poor man....

Tweetiebird, Flamenco, Stork. On YT somebody actually asked who "the castrato" was!

But also terms of endearment no grown man would prefer to hear...

Schnucki, Philou, Little Tesoro...Piepmatz!

But also a little more complimentous:

Prince Philippe, The Green Eyed Devil

He looks so charming in Sant'Alessio, very childish and it was only 5-6 years ago!

Caroline: é da mangiarlo di baci! But we keep other nicknames for ourselves [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] it won't be right to share this dark passengerin public [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Pilar ddcc, No secret source! I just had a spanish friend who used to know him a few years ago!!Ha Ha!!!!However he is called he is still the beloved Philippe, a man with a special charisma and attractiveness, besides talent, who for some reason awakes these feelings of love and protectiveness, accompanied by wanting to kiss him.
Carolineleiden, I agree with you!! The names we give this loved one!!Ohime!!!It is just that he is so cuddlable and not so many artists are like him!!!Mercy!!!!

"Cuddlable".

I know men who would be extremely offended if a woman called them that.

For those that do not know Anders Dahlin, who is the tenor that "Caravaggio" is going to sing with Philip, I leave this link:

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He will sing the triple paper of Cecco, Onorio Longhi and the page boy.It is a baroque magnificent tenor, which he has sung with W. Christie, Christophe Rousset, John E. Gardiner, etc., and in addition it is very handsome.

The version of " Hail! Brigth Cecilia " (H. Purcell) of Marc Minkowski it is absolutely precious, and between the soloists the haughty Richard Croft is and a basso that I am charmed with it, Luca Tittoto.

Thank you for sharing! I didn't know him. His voice is beautiful!