Zoroastre

I never buy a programme when I go to the theatre or the opera because I believe that, if you can't work out what a performance is about just by watching it, it can't be much of a performance. Fortunately I did read the synopsis of Zoroastre on Wikipedia before I watched it, otherwise I would not have the slightest idea what was going on.

Apparently Rameau's librettist Louis de Cahousac was a keen freemason and the opera is a thinly-disguised advertisement for freemasonry. In this respect it bears some similarity to Mozart's Magic Flute. In this production from the 18th century Drottningholm Theatre all the goodies wear white and all the baddies wear black rather in the manner of a western.

The plot, such as it is, pits the good magician Zoroastre and the Princess Amélite against the evil sorcerer Abramane and Amélite's scheming sister. The Wikipedia synopsis gives the impression that the opera is much more exciting than it really is, with Abramane whizzing around on his flaming chariot. The production does utilise Drottningholm's flying chair here but it is a rather creaky effect. Otherwise the production takes place on a bare stage.

Rameau's music, on the whole, is soporific. I quite enjoyed the duet at Zoroastre's and Amélite's wedding performed by Anders Dahlin and Sine Bundgaard but there are no big arias. As in most Rameau operas, there is a lot of dancing and Rameau seems to reserve his best music for these dances. He seems to be very unimaginative both musically and dramatically compared with, for example, his contemporary Handel.

This is a visually attractive staging, lit from above, emphasising the female singers' décolletage. So, on the whole, this production can only be recommended to dedicated titmen.

There may be an overuse of shaky overhead shots when arguably there didn't need to be any in the first place, and while the choreography is much more thoughtful and comfortable-looking than that of the Castor Et Pollux production also on DVD not all of it seemed relevant to the drama.

However, this is a fine production from Drottningholm, and one of the better Rameau performances overall on the Rameau Opera Boxed Set available. The production values are faithful in look to its period setting, and even the smallest of details are paid very close attention to. The costumes and sets look beautiful and the lighting likewise. The staging is thoughtful and draws you in, the Black Mass sequence is genuinely chilling, and so does most of the camera work. The orchestra are outstanding(helped by the resonance of the sound quality), playing stylishly and with firm but always pleasant tone, and Christophe Roussert's conducting(one of the highlights of the Castor Et Pollux DVD) shows a highly musical and involved conductor with an evident love of the score, very like William Christie actually.

And the performances are top-drawer, with top marks going to Anna Maria Panzarella, who sings with command and relish and makes a highly emotionally complex role(from glee and hate to pathos and love) always thrilling to watch. Sine Bundgaard has a somewhat nervous start but very quickly improves into a performance that is really quite moving and attractively sung. Anders J Dahlin's tenor voice shows a flute-like beauty and flexibility and he personifies good nobility. Evgueniy Alexiev seems to be enjoying himself as Abramane and his more robust voice is actually very well suited for the role. The imposing Lars Arvidson, possessing a rich but period-appropriate bass voice, takes on two roles and does so with intelligence and foreboding.

Overall, a fine performance of Zoroastre apart from the overhead shots and some choreography. 9/10 Bethany Cox