Barbe-bleue

"Offenbach wrote Barbe Bleue, or Bluebeard, in 1866 after the 1864 success of La Belle Hélène ... Laurent Pelly is not new to Offenbach. He directed many of his gems for Opéra de Lyon. He has worked out how to present a lively show and to keep the flow. Michele Spotti conducts at a good pace for the bright music to optimize the tunefulness of Offenbach's style, and there is an excellent orchestral balance ... The character of Boulotte must hold the audience's attention. Héloïse Mas does not disappoint ... As Count Bluebeard, Yann Beuron has timbre and strength of voice to fit the role admirably".

Læs anmeldelse

"Recommended: Faced with a ludicrous plot and wonderful tunes, any intelligent musician simply has to play, sing and occasionally dance for all s/he is worth. This is what happens in this welcome disc of Offenbach's Barbe-bleue. Overacting is permitted at every stage ... Both cast and orchestra perform with skill and style ... Stage Director Laurent Pelly has a world-wide reputation for managing stagings that look modern but still have lightness and humour. One cannot imagine this Offenbach confection being staged better ... The performance is well-filmed and the sound well-recorded ... helps one to enjoy this unlikely operetta".

Læs anmeldelse

"Es zahlt sich aus, wenn man Offenbach-Erfahrung hat ... Pelly bringt das Kunststück fertig, gleichzeitig witzig und leicht, aber eben auch ernsthaft und düster zu sein ... Bunt, frivol und unwiderstehlich moussiert bereits die Ouvertüre, der der junge, souveräne Michele Spotti den rasch wechselnden Takt vorgibt. Ritter Blaubart kommt in der schwarzen Gangsterluxuslimousine. Yann Beuron gibt ihn grimmig und kantig, sein einst lieblicher Tenor hat inzwischen einige Charakterecken. Héloïse Mas singt die rustikale Boulotte kratzbürstig wie sinnlich ... In Lyon wird das sängerisch luxuriös ausgebreitet und herrlich musiziert".

"Yes, this is Offenbach at his satirical Second Empire peak, right between 'La belle Hélène' and 'La vie parisienne' ... on champagne form ... Beuron sings with exactly the right blend of charisma an oily menace ... That it registers as comedy is down to the exuberantly physical, wideeyed performance of Héloïse Mas, an artist who manage to combine goofiness, innocence and an unmistakable sensuality, and sings if she's playing Carmen ... In fact, everyone here seems to be on Offenbach's - and Pelly's - wavelength ... This is a score that glows, as well as sparkles, though Spotti's galops and waltz-songs are as light-footed as you could hope ... This staging is further proof that Pelly is one of the most intelligent (and entertaining) operetta directors of our time".