La Belle Hélène
Jacques Offenbach
Ending the season on a high note, with an opera-buffa and Offenbach's gem: a great way to ease into the summer break.
Gaëlle Arquez | Hélène
Pauline Texier | Parthénis
Camille Poul | Léæna
Marie Lenormand | Bacchis
Cyrille Dubois | Pâris
Marc Barrard | Agamemnon
Eric Huchet | Ménélas
Philippe Ermelier | Calchas
Aliénor Feix | Oreste
Raphaël Brémard | Achille
Sahy Ratia | Ajax premier
Florent Karrer | Ajax deuxième
Léna Dangréaux comédienne | Vénus
Alexandre Bloch | direction
Orchestre National de Lille
Chœur Septentrion
Booklet updated by Lionel Rougerie
Sung in French with French subtitles
From the evening of its premiere on December 17, 1864 at the Théâtre des Variétés, La Belle Hélène met with a success that has never been denied since. It must be said that the story of the young shepherd, Pâris, who received from Venus the possibility of being loved by the most beautiful woman in the world and who thus provokes the general emotion of the female population is irresistible, so much so that the hilarious parodic tale of the librettists Halévy and Meilhac is talented and the richness of Offenbach's musical invention at its peak. The success of the work can be summed up neither in the buffoonish verve nor in the pastiche of Meyerbeer-style grand opera, but in its melodic richness, in this musical poise that balances distancing and emotion, derision and sensuality, which are all qualities that make La Belle Hélène a pure moment of pleasure, to be enjoyed in full without restraint.
COPRODUCTION Théâtre des Champs-Elysées / Les Grandes Voix
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