Caravaggio.

And al this controversy is probably exactly the reason why he chose to take part in this endeavor. Having had girlish looks myself until my late thirties, (always had to show my passport to prove my age) I can understand completely why he is fed up and sick with this boyish and angelical image that has been built up around him.

I can predict he is sooooo going to love turning forty!

Dear Caroline:
The youthful look of Philippe, do you have anything to do with what is being discussed here?.
Please...

Yes, it seems to be about how much people hated the opera and how his genius was wasted on it. But I think it is a great way to finally get rid of that angelical image, with the boyish look and the sweet music, that he is not too happy about having, This controversial production shows him as the mature and developed artist that he is, which is so much more than the angel boy wonder. So maybe his efforts were not completely wasted....

I am surprised that you did not get that?

Ladies, ladies!
Come on we all know that leaving behind our personal taste about Caravaggio, the thing about his look will only change when he gets older. He looks boyish and even if I can understand why he is fed up, his look is not going to change because of that opera. In fact it would be a childish idea to did that opera in order to get rid of that angelical image, I think he is smarter!

BTW Caroline I don't think he is fed up about sweet music, otherwise he would never sing french melodies!! Furthermore he was already a mature and developed artist, no one can put that in doubt!

I am certainly not stating he did that opera with the sole purpose to get rid of his angel image, because personally I do not think he is an angel and I also do not think he is fed up with the music he sings. But he did CHOOSE to do this opera, it was his decision, he must have done it for some reason, nomatter how controversial it was received, and this is perhaps a nice side effect. Maybe now some of the people who used to think before that he is just this sweet angel boy capable of only singing sweet music (I mean his critics, the ones who do not like him) will think twice before making that statement again. So, regardless of how one might feel about the music itself, try to see this as something, unexpected perhaps, positive that came out of it. It shuts up his "angel"critics.

This is what I meant. Personally, but that is just my two cents, of course, I think he did this BECAUSE it is controversial. Because he wants to rub his audience the wrong way every once in a while. Because he doesn't want to be owned by his audience all the time. Because he does not want them to rule his life all the time, because he does not want to live up to this image all the time. He needs this little bit of artistic and personal freedom. Being famous, having fans, there is a downside to it.

I cannot judge about the music myself, I wasn't there. But I do trust his own good judgement. He did this for some reason, so everybody please stop breaking his you know whats over this project. He and a lot of other people worked really hard for this, and it isn't fair or nice to judge him or Mme Giraud so harshly. They both did something none of us ever could do. And I really admire their guts to do something they could predict a lot of people were going to despise them for.

But then again: just my two cents. Could be horribly wrong.

No one judges him. In fact we have all said: Felipe Bravo!!
Haven´t you noticed, Carolina?

One brief word, I agree with Pilarddcc, I really think Philippe is an adventuresome man who loves new challenges and will try them at least once. He is a fun loving guy and I believe he could not resist an experimental idea. I do not think there is anything else about angels and images in this last concert, and since he knows he has a lot of people loving him he can dare to do something unexpected. I believe in great part we have given him the confidence to try to do this since he knows he has our support . And Rosamunda, You are right , we all say

BRAVO Philippe!

(as an angelic being he loves to stretch his wings!!!

Some comments,

I attend the performance on Easter Sunday, together with 8 other Jaroussky fans...

Being a big baroquelover (what's in a name ... ), I was quite sceptic about atttending this opera and when I was there, I was puzzled and "shocked" from the beginning until the end. SO BORING (sorry !) I missed a "fil conducteur", there was no theme, it was like a cumulation of all possible instrumental technics, jumping abruptly from one scene to the other, without smooth links.... the only part I really appreciated was the aria "L'Amour vainqueur"...

I did not like the libretto, I found it minimalist.... the music hurt my ears, I was not enchanted by the music at all !
I was on the second row and in fact, it was far too close to the scene !! Nevertheless I could see Philippe quite well (my reason to attend this opera !).... I must admit that without Philippe, I might have left the place after a while (as some did !!)

Philippe had a hard job (he told me in Amsterdam that is was a very difficult job for h!im). After the opera, when talking and taking time for pictures and signatures (lovely and patient as he usually is.. !), he admitted that it was frustrating for him to have only two performings.... after having invested so much time in investigating about Caravaggio and learning the lyrics... but he had enjoyed singing this contemporary music !

Indeed, he had to take risks bringing this very difficult opera, but he succeeded magnificently well ! He was as well the angel and the demon, as well by phyisical as by auditive expression.... He is a great great actor !

The other singers did not impress me that much, altough I think that tenor Anders Dahlin deserves congratulations ! Very nice performance, very convincing ! Mrs Wesseling's performance wat good as well, but I did not appreciate the 2 other singers that much. They were singing without expression, just some words, no feelings were transmitted...

At the end, I clapped but only to support Philippe. CONGRATULATIONS !

but.... VIVE LA MUSIQUE BAROQUE POUR MOI;;;;;

Baroquelover: I suscribe each word of your rewiew! I was third row with my boyfriend, maybe you see us we looked like that the whole process...I clapped like you to support Felipe!

A long-standing holiday commitment prevented me from attending "Caravaggio" so I've really enjoyed reading your reviews now that I'm back. The opera sounds, well, er, "interesting" although maybe a bit too "modern" for my taste - although I do love the Dalbavie Sonnets so I have nothing against modern music per se. That he was prepared to commit to such a difficult undertaking says much about Philippe as an artist and I will certainly go to see it if it is performed again.

I did laugh at the comments about the libretto - "pif, paf, pouf" sounds as though it rightfully belongs in an Offenbach operetta - I can just see some Offenbach-style soldier strutting around to "pif, paf, pouf, ratapataplan"!

I'm afraid that poor libretti is a bit of a tradition in opera (and I say this as a huge life-long opera buff) and very few libretti of even some of the greatest operas stand up to much close scrutiny - much of Verdi is laughable in this respect and one can only thank God for the music. And don't get me started on the (in my opinion!) turgid old drivel that passes for a libretto for much of Wagner - ho-jo-to-ho, indeed! The libretti of even my beloved Handel manage to say very little at great length by virtue of repetition - David Daniels affectionately parodies this wonderfully when he sings "Old Mother Hubbard" in the style of Handel - I think there is a version floating about on You Tube.

Offhand, the only composer I can think of who gets libretti worthy of his music is Richard Strauss -and, of course, Mozart had a worthy librettist in Da Ponte - but I'd be grateful if anyone could give me some other examples ...

A.

In addition to Mozart and Strauss, perhaps Monteverdi (L'incoronazione di Poppea) or the fantastic Otello Verdi´s?
Almost all libretti are adaptations of works of a writer, made ​​by professional scriptwriters. But Fernandez is the author of the novel, what would it be too much to hope that he would write a good script? Maybe their intention was to trivialize such a powerful story?.
I can find no justification.

Rosamunda,

Thanks! Yes, of course, "Poppea" - how could I possibly forget when the Teatro Real DVD was the first thing I looked for when going through my mail on my return from holiday?! Busanello's libretto has a subtlety that later librettists would have done well to emulate. And, of course, Otello's libretto is based on my all-time favourite Shakespeare play - Verdi's "Falstaff" is superior for the same reasons - although the librettist does fall a bit short of the mark with his "Macbeth" - one of Shakespeare's most popular but elusive plays ...

A.

I couldn't help going there and taking a photo for those who have read the book and see the opera!


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So you know, Pilarddcc: Despite everything I've lashed out against Fernandez and Giraud, has been very exciting for me the photo: VICOLO DEL DIVINO AMORE, and has given me a little melancholy.
Thanks for remember the forum.

I'm glad you liked it! In fact, part of the charm of reading Caravaggio was the fact of knowing the place where the story was developed. I knew also the cardinal's palace, it is the il palazzo di Piazza Firenze, now it is the Dante Institute! It is a charming area of Rome