L'Enfant et Les Sortileges

There may be some bias, but Ravel's 'L'Enfant Et Les Sortileges' very quickly came very close to my heart after performing the role of La Princesse in March.

'L'Enfant Et Les Sortileges' has a perfectly executed mix of humour, tenderness and charm in one of the most imaginative librettos in opera. The characters are strange and magical, with a titular character who grows from an immature rascal to someone heart-wrenchingly remorseful. The mix of moods achieved so well in the story is also matched perfectly in Ravel's music, the Fire, Princess and Mister Arithmetic scenes especially while Dance of the Frogs is a wondrous piece of orchestration and the final pages with the reconciliation with Maman has emotion searing from every note.

It really is an opera that deserves to be performed more. That it isn't is not to do with the quality of the opera, but more to do with the large cast of characters, how difficult it is to stage (not just the balance of charm, humour and pathos but also a mix of dream-like and nightmarish that can either be bland or over-exaggerated) and the demands of the roles (especially if singing multiple roles, many of them are very physical and while the Fire and Princess roles are demanding others like Mr Arithmetic and the Grandfather Clock are written with Tessituras that are a stretch even for a tenor or baritone singing them). While it's difficult to sing and play, to the listener or to an opera goer it's actually very accessible and one of my favourite works from Ravel.

This couldn't be a more perfect production. It's different, with the utilisation of ballet, choreographed by Jiri Kylian, which is staged to the music pre-recorded, courtesy of the Lorin Maazel recording (which to me is the best 'L'Enfant Et Les Sortileges' on record, one of Maazel's best recordings and one of the best recordings of any French opera). A bold move, and one that works brilliantly, actually solving potential problems in staging and performing it, like very short costume changes.

Visually, it is an enchanting production. There is a little gloom in the back-drop and lighting, but this added to the atmosphere and was appropriate in bringing out the more nightmarish elements. Made more interesting by the heavily embroidered and highly colourful props and costumes which contrasts really well, giving a dream-like fantasy quality. Especially loved the look of the frogs, Fire and Mr Arithmetic.

The choreography matched the story exactly in sheer imagination, class, atmosphere, charm, humour and pathos. The fire scene is especially spellbinding, while that of Mr Arithmetic/the maths lesson is both hilarious and disturbing, the Princess scene is rightfully tender and intimate, the teapot and china cup scene has much wit (like the cup's tilting). The reconciliation scene at the end did make me shed a few tears, also apt, and Dance of the Frogs was charmingly done. In fact, the only questionable touch was the perplexing presence of Maman during Dance of the Frogs which didn't add anything, however with everything else so phenomenal and that it's pretty nit-picky it was ignorable.

Musically, the production is also beyond praise. The orchestra play ravishingly, bringing out every colour and emotion with so much verve (the Fire, Grandfather clock and teapot and china cup scenes), playfulness (the cats), nuance (the Princess, squirrel and final scenes) and twisted edge (Mr Arithmetic). The chorus are youthful and exceptionally well prepared, actually able to keep up with the fast and quite difficult tempo of the Mr Arithmetic scene, singing with elegant charm with Shepherd and Shepherdess and being remarkably moving in the final scene. Maazel gives some of his most inspired conducting here, no other recording of the opera gives the final pages the amount of feeling or tenderness Maazel evokes, or the disturbing hilarity of the Mr Arithmetic scene, seamless impressionist atmosphere in Dance of the Frogs or the snappy energy but warning tone of the scene with Fire.

Performances from the quite young cast are uniformly very good and often outstanding. Francoise Ogeas is a hugely engaging L'Enfant, there is a real growth to the character and Ogeas sings with natural warmth and still manages to fully convince as a child. Jeannine Collard is authoritative as Maman and a delightfully witty teacup and enticing Dragonfly. Jane Berbié fares very well in the armchairs duet with the sonorously voiced Heinz Rehfuss (who is also very good as the tree), and fares even better as a charming Shepherd, playful and seductive female cat and a touching squirrel.

Camille Maurane brings plenty of character to the Grandfather Clock, though the role of the male cat sits more comfortably in his voice, blending very well with Berbié. Sylvaine Gilma, with her light, vibrant and very flexible tone sings with poignancy as the Princess without having too much of a woe-is-me quality, and sparkles as the nightingale with a particularly entrancing starting trill, but she is particularly excellent as Fire, the Colouratura sharply and thrillingly attacked and she brings a fiery threatening edge. Michel Sénéchal brings great humour to the teapot and frog, but is hilarious as Mr Arithmetic, coupled with his vocals and the dancing in the production this is not a maths teacher you want to mess with. Colette Herzog charms as both the Shepherdess and the bat.

The production looks great on DVD, with the video directing being expansive and intricate (considering that the Mr Arithmetic scene is not as cluttered as it has been staged more reliance of close-ups actually wasn't a problem, it would have been if there were more people on stage), the picture clear and the sound resonant, so the visual and aural impact of the production can be enjoyed fully throughout.

Overall, couldn't have asked for a better production of this great opera. 10/10 Bethany Cox