I used to travel to Frankfurt regularly for business some
years ago and more often than not I also used to visit on those trips Frankfurt
opera. Now there has been a longish gap in those trips, but after seeing “The
North Star” by Giacomo Meyerbeer in the Helsinki Music House in the autumn, I
simply had to travel to Frankfurt in the beginning of my winter holiday to see
his ”L’Africaine”. Franfurt Opera House may not be the most exciting looking
building in the world, but it suits operas well.
The story of L’Africaine is (too) full of happenings. The
main character is Vasco da Gama, who is in love with Ines, who also loves him. Vasco
ends up in prison, because he manages to anger the leading elite and Ines saves
him from prison by marrying his contestant Don Pedro. Don Pedro leaves for the
trip towards the unknown that Vasco actually wanted to take. He takes with him
the slave Selika, who – surpise, surprise – is also in love with Vasco and is,
by the way, a daughter of an African king. Vasco follows Don Pedro. In the end
(and lots of things happen meanwhile and there is quite a big bunch of other
people involved) all the travellers are killed but Vasco and Ines. Some more
twists and turns later Selika helps Vasco and Ines escape and then commits
suicide. And all this squeezed to just under five hours.
In this version the story had been moved to outer space
and the Africans had been made blue aliens. It actually worked rather well,
when you managed to forget the occasional conflicts between what you saw and
what you heard (space suits versus sound of waves on sea). I have seen much
crazier opera adaptations in Germany, so this was nothing compared to them.
Meyerbeer’s music was again wonderful and when I walked
back to the hotel after the opera, the music still echoed in my head. The opera
could have been slightly shorter, but music was beautiful
The stage design and costumes design were all about space
(both by Rainer Sellmaier) and they were both ok. Though I do have to say that
the blue leotards of the aliens didn’t actually flatter any body type.
The casting of the opera was magnificent. There were no
weak links. I liked a lot Kirsten Mulligan, who sang the role of Ines, but my
absolute favourite was Irene Roberts, who sang the role of Selika from the
side. The actual Selika – Claudia Mahnke – had fallen ill, so on the stage she
was substituted by Caterina Panti Liberovici (very well, by the way) and the
role was sung by Irene Roberts. And she sang incredibly well this difficult
role. I was spellbound and so was the rest of the audience, too. I am quite
certain that this will not be her last Selika.
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| Frankfurt Opera House |
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| The performers |
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