A Fly in Her Ear
And so the 1997 Opéra National de Lyon production of Offenbach’s Orphée aux Enfers, now on DVD from Arthaus Musik
Offenbach’s work, a broad and bawdy satire of conventional morality (and, more specifically, Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice) is probably not on anyone’s list of favorite scores, but stage director Laurent Pelly’s fast-paced, zany production makes a compelling case for this Orphée as an irreverent celebration of basic physical love, rather than the more highbrow spiritual kind that romantic characters in opera are always liebestoding about.
A pair of newlyweds (Yann Beuron as Orphée and Natalie Dessay as Eurydice) are perfectly happy as long as they’re spending time apart, ideally in the arms of their respective extramarital lovers. When Eurydice’s beau, the vaguely menacing shepherd Aristée (Jean-Paul Fouchécort), is revealed to be Pluton, king of the underworld in disguise, she is carried off to the underworld – and her husband couldn’t be more pleased.
But Public Opinion (a delightfully straight-laced Martine Olméda), in a stylish but sensible earth-toned suit, demands that he do the right thing and pursue his wife to the underworld.
In the process, he enlists the help of a group of gods bored by spending their days napping in a pillow-covered Mount Olympus, and soon enough virtually everyone, divine and mortal alike, is dancing to the galop infernal (better known as the melody for the Can-Can) in Hell and having a wonderfully immoral time. Even Public Opinion manages to crack a smile during the curtain call reprise.
Dessay is a tremendous asset to the production, giving a genuine star turn as Eurydice. The role demands brisk, lilting coloratura without visible effort that might detract from the breezy nature of the piece, and Dessay is perfectly suited to the part. Her skill for physical comedy is amply demonstrated in scenes that allow her to sing lying upside-down, while bouncing across a room, during a Macarena-influenced line dance, and, most memorably, while receiving simulated oral sex – all without missing a note or detracting from her hilarious portrayal of a woman driven to constant philandering by boredom. Her performance is infused with cartoonish glee from beginning to end.
As the men half-heartedly battling for Eurydice’s affections, Beuron as a hunky, gentle Orphée, Fouchécort as a Joel Grey-ish Pluton, and Laurent Naori as a playfully kinky Jupiter are similarly adept at combining the light singing demands of their roles with the more pressing physical requirements of this style of comedy. Naori is particularly hilarious in an Act 2 aria that could be deadly in less able comic hands, where Jupiter disguises himself as a fly to seduce Eurydice. They move from a tentative flirtation to full-on orgasm, which arrives just as Dessay hits a triumphant high G.
Throughout the opera’s four scenes, eight dancers execute appropriately witty choreography (while the gods sleep in heaven, their dancing incorporates yawning and sleepwalking) that moves quickly enough to keep the comic momentum building. The physical production is clever without being distracting, encompassing everything from a lumpy couch and remote control for Eurydice’s gloomy exile in the underworld to a decadent Euro club, complete with slide, elevator and flames, for the final act.
The production runs just over two hours –conductor Marc Minkowski keeps the music bouncing along delightfully – during which time the audience learns absolutely nothing and has a great time not learning it. Of course, opera lovers will always cherish the deeper emotional feeling produced by arias like “J’ai perdu mon Euridice” (which is quoted twice in this work as an auditory warning that fun is about to end) but the madcap fun on display here from an adept team of artists and musicians is undeniably enjoyable as well.
Offenbach’s opera charmingly makes the case that while deep, spiritual romance is the cornerstone of much great art, there’s nothing wrong with taking some time to celebrate the simple, somewhat stickier pleasures that love has to offer as well.
I thought that was one of the best user-submitted reviews we’ve seen. I loved the review.
Thanks for a delightful review. I was vacillating over whether or not to add this piece of Offenbachia to my DVD collection (I already have “Helene” and “Gerolstein”). I’m now convinced to take the plunge — no small decision these days for someone who is both naturally penurious and currently unemployed. I think Minkowski is a terrific conductor of French opera, and I’d love to see him do a “Live in HD” performance one of these days. [He hasn't ever conducted at the Met, has he?]
Central City Opera is putting on this opera next summer, although I don’t know which production they’re using.
This DVD is available in Europe for a couple of years now. IT’S ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!
Glad to see it’s finally available in the US. I’ve had to content myself for years with the 1998 EMI recording with the same principals, orchestra & conductor (with Podles in for Olmeda)
Dessay runs the whole acting gamut from A to B. She is completely uninteresting, unless you’re into shallow histrionics. As far as ‘dancing’ to the galop infernal… the less said, the better. I would at least expect a little decadence, but what we got was a choreography reminiscent of “Mr. Roboto”. As for the cunnilingus, I do realize this is an Offenbach operetta full of debauchery… but honestly, there is funny and then there’s classless and crass.
Besides, if I *were* straight and I wanted to see some good ol’ cunning linguists at work, the last person I could ever have in mind would be Dessay, who is only a 2% off from being a full Olive Oyl. I’d pocket the money and save it for a porn DVD – at least there you have classless and crass people not trying to pretend they’re art.
Doesn’t hold a candle to the stunning and truly hilarious Gerald Scarfe production of the late 80’s…
It couldn’t possibly be as provocative as this:
If ever there was a fly in the ointment of an opera production…it is this production. It is S##T! I saw it a few years back and I hope to rid my mind of it one day. Dessay’ antics remind me of someone needing medication to calm down real quick. Sorry to rain on those whose parade is praising the stupid thing.