Trailer:
Another superb production of an unusual work and one that, not surprisingly, I have not seen on stage. Being by Franz Konwitschy it would, in the conventional mind, fall into the ‘Regietheater’ category which is too often a shorthand for ‘a production I hate as it is not set exactly historically accurately at the time depicted in the work’. For me the term means ‘a production which has thought interestingly about the nature of the work and what themes and ideas are important in it’ and which then finds a style and time where these central concerms can be most effectively addressed.
The conflict between Christian and Jews is the central concern of this work and there was one simple and very effective way that this was shown on stage (in a modern production, it must be said). The only visible difference between the two groups was that the Jews had yellow golves and the Christians blue. Very simple. Very effective. And one that clearly shows there is far more that joins the two groups - common humanity - than separates them. The differences are minor. That’s it. In Act IV this idea was marvellously and pwerfully used when Eudoxie amd Rachel, meeting in prison washed their hands of the colour and both realised that they had their essential humanity on common (as well as the same man they loved!)
It was the (Christian) chorus/the mob who were really showed the darkest side of this divide being a baying mob demanding punishment for the Jews and their viciousness was well shown in the blackly satrical way they behaved and the devices used by the direcdtor to suggest this - for example mocking Rachel and Eleazr in Act 1 by dressing them in Santa Claus robes and scraps of paper being used to show them having their head thrust into water, the pettiness of this idea made a smart and powerful parallel to the midset that allows it. The ridiculousnes of such ideas, oddly, made them more powerful and this blackly satirical approach was a common thread in this production.However this was not one-sided as the character of Eleazar is far from being perfect - he is vengeful, provocative and, in the end, quite ruthless is using people (notably Rachel) to ensure that he is utterly principled no matter what it costs.
The set was simple and efective, dominated throughout by a glorious rose window that took up the entire back of the stage - the beauty of this image being a constant contarst to the viciousnes of what was happening in front of it and in its name. A series of metal bars/cages made up the essence of the set with other objects added as necessary including a staircase in the final act leading upwarsd to the death-place of Rachel and Eleazar.
Another feature of the production was the way the action spilled over into the audoitorium at times (is this a common feature of K’s productions; I seem to recall a Don Carlos at the Vienna Staatsoper where the Auto Da Fe scene started in the house and auditorium and was also depicted on stage on video screens…)
In Act 1 a triumphant flag-waving chorus spilled over into the stalls and got the audience involved in the action (nothning sensational, just giving them flags to wave, so making them complicit in the action). This device was also used in the Eudoxie/Prince Leopold duet in Act 2 where while the Prince was emoting with oepratic sincerity, he was being mocked by Eudoxie standing in the audience (it worked much better seeing in the dramatic context rather than this plain description might suggest). However ot did make their coming together at the end of the scene slightly tricky… The device was also used for Eleazar star aria ‘Rachel quand du seigneur…’ which again pulled the audience into sympathy and identification with his dilemma. The fact that the audience were involved at different times on both sides of the dramatic situation (the Jewish and the Christian) was a very smart and effective device I thought.
The characters were well depicted - the Prince as somewhat baffled by what he is ending up doing and Eudoxie (often amusingly) played as a slightly hysteric extrovert - although her stunned stillness at the end of Act 3 was very powerful and helped to round the character.
The end of Part 1 (Act 3) with the magnificent choral music was slightly odd -the entire chorus, wearing multi-coloured gloves to presumably suggest that all are complicit in the actions - became a bomb-making production line, done in a very smartly stylised way - but I was not convinced that this fitted/made sense in terms of the production. It was a great idea on its own and made a superb closing but even so…
The offstage trial at the start of Act 4 was very effective, taut and tense with top quality music and the childlike celebrations of Eudoxie and Rachel when realising their common humanity was sweetly touching and in style consistent with the darker blackly satirical moments of earlier. I also much liked the way that Cardinal Brogni did a good part of his appeal to Elezar before he appeared - almost as if it was something he was only thinking fo doing and was just trying out - and then when Eleazar appeared, it became what he was actually doing. Rather smart I thought. And as said before, having Eleazar go into the auditorium for much of ‘Rachel, quand…’ was very effectively involving.
In Act 5 (surprisngly short I thought) the chorus manitained their viciously celebratory nature of what they had been doing and so it left us with somewhat ambiguous feelings at the end.
Éléazar Roy Cornelius Smith
Rachel Corinne Winters
Princess Eudoxie Nicole Chevalier
Prince Léopold Enea Scala
Cardinal de Brogni Riccardo Zanellato
Ruggiero Leon Košavić
Conductor Antonio Fogliani