Ambroise Thomas: Hamlet

In addition to viewing the present disc several times, I have also had the oppotunity to view the Live from the Met Simulcast of Hamlet from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera of New York on March 27, 2010. This allowed us to see the Met's staging in 2010 of the same production of the opera as presented at the Gran Theatre del Liceu Barcelona in October 2003 and recorded on this DVD disc. Much of the feeling for the drama was the same as was the Hamlet of Simon Keenlyside. Several of the other cast members were different and often changed the impact of the presentation.Simon Keenlyside is a Shakespearian Hamlet. The intensity of his acting together with his superb French diction and singing carry this opera to heights only a few dramatic actors can achieve for the play. Everything moves as he moves and you know as Shakespear knew that the end was inevitable. This is why in the Met broadcast he had to die before the curtain fell as occurs in the play rather than the composers' ending of the crowd hailing Hamlet as now king. (In the Liceu presentation on this disc it is unclear what will happen but he seems alive as the curtain falls).The Ophelie was different in the two presentations and made a great difference. In the Met Simulcast Natalie Dessay was scheduled to play opposite Keenlyside, but became indisposed shortly before opening night. In her place was Marlis Petersen who was to appear later in the season as the Met's Lulu. Ms Petersen certainly had no time to develope the role (although she had sung it before)so she didn't quite fit in with the rest of the cast. She did a commendable job and certainly has the technique and art the role requires. She has a somewhat knifelike edge to her voice betraying an inner strength that will better suit Lulu than Ophelie. But to really appreciate the drama and pathos of this innocent maiden shattered completely by the fortunes of life listen to Ms Dessay in this recroding. Her redition would bring tears to stone. It is truly one of the great moments in Opera, it is so utterly beautiful.On the plus side for the Met presentation was the Gertrude of Jennifer Larmore. It is the mother-son interaction of the "closet" scene that is pivotal to the drama. Her second act arioso "Dans son regard plus sombre" proved what a great singing actress she is. That face can convey terror, fear and malice in equal measure as her voice projects it. The Gertrude of Uria-Monzon in this recording is adequate but restrained.Both the Met and the Liceu were excellent presentations of this excellent production. It shows, as in Tales of Hoffmann, that a less than stellar opera can shine if great talent is combined with inspired production and direction.

Most opera fans think of Thomas's Hamlet as an uninspired, underwritten opera with one superb aria for Ophélie that deserves a place on a French Arias disc, but nowhere else, especially not in a full production, which would be boring and pointless. I used to think the same myself until I watched this DVD, and understood almost at once that Thomas's spare, highly disciplined music is meant above all to illuminate the text. In a long commentary on this work, written around the time of the Met production, Anthony Tommasini expresses the same understanding.Perhaps it would work with no other artist than Simon Keenlyside, whose Hamlet is an uncanny incarnation of Shakespeare's hero, breathtaking in its power to convey so many shades of Hamlet's conflicted personality. I cannot praise it enough. Dessay is similarly gifted, her initial exchange with Hamlet being especially remarkable, with subtle changes in vocal and facial expression that perfectly express her love for Hamlet and her struggles to understand him. She sings her famous aria with great nuance. Two superb artists at the peak of commitment and interpretive power.The production itself is less remarkable, though for the most part acceptable as background. Exceptions are the half-bald Gertrude and the grotesque lump of toweling that Dessay must hitch to her waist at a certain point. I also think I've seen enough operatic sofas for a lifetime. But you may find that you can come to ignore these idiocies and comprehend at the level of the heart as well as the head, that, at least here, Thomas was a superb composer in the French tradition that gave us Debussy and Poulenc: the focus is on the text, the music illuminates it, great singing actors interpret it, and you've got a Hamlet that will endure, no matter how infrequently produced. This is art and it does what art is meant to do: move the emotions and effect a heightened sense of tragic meaning and, perhaps, catharsis. I've never watched a DVD that moved me so much and simply would not let me look away.

For sometime I've been hearing a lot about Natalie Dessay; however, only owning a few audio recordings with her, I really didn't see what all the fuss was about. After viewing/hearing this performance of Thomas' Hamlet, I see why she is considered one of opera's brightest stars. Her performance as Ophelie is sublime. This role is usually a mere display of coloratura excesses. With Dessay it turns into far more than high notes and vocal runs-she not only sings the role magnificently, she sings it with great dramatic intensity (something that is very rare with the so-called coloratura soprano). I guess she would be called a great "singing actress" in the very best sense of the phrase. Her performance really "moved" me. (The audience that this performance was taped in front of was also impressed with her to a point that they were in a state of delirium from her first aria and by the "Mad Scene" they too had also gone completely "mad".) Simon Kennlyside also gives a riveting performance.Simon's voice, at this point in his career, might be a size too small for Hamlet; however, that is soon forgotten because of the dramatic intensity he brings to the role. He sings poor depressed Hamlet wonderfully. The "confrontation scene" with Uria-monzon (as his mother) is fantastic! I'm sure his voice will "grow" into the role.This production does NOT try to recreate the era; however, it is beautiful to observe-wonderful contrasting colors on a rather bare stage allowing the singers to display their dramatic qualities to the fullest-no this is not "the Bard" but it IS opera at its most exciting!

Opera interessante. Ottima la direzione d'orchestra le voci; interpretazione intensa di Simon Keenlyside. Natalie Dessay è un'Ofelia dolce e struggente

Nathalie Dessay est au zénith de son art. L'opéra de Ambroise Thomas ...non ! mais Bernard Shaw avait déjà tout dit à ce sujet!

Well I am a bit biased, but Ophele does get all the best arias, and Natalie Dessay is absolutely brilliant in the part. I have been a fan for many years from The Daughter of The Regiment and Manon up to the present date, I have all DVD operas except one ( which was an awful presentation). Her voice still gets better, a little mellower than in her earlier years,She gets to wear in act 2 a long flared silver evening coat which is most becoming.In her mad scene she is somewhat more disheveled with some remarkable effects, and her madness aria is really extra special.I would not like you to think that I have ignored Simon Keenlyside, he is an excellent actor as well having a most expressive voice, I could not imagine anyone better in the part.Beatrice Uria-Monzon as Gertrude is a powerful mezzo, whose voice commands attention.The other three main male characters are all up to standard, and worthy of mention are the two gravediggers in their act five duet.The costumes are rather a strange mix, some seem to be modern casual, but the chorus ladies wear crinolin evening dresses, and the chorus men have long dark macs over silverarmoured breastplates. At Opheliuas funeral the chorus make a very good lob of beautiful melody which Thomas has given them.The sets are not exotic, but rather crude, suggesting the venues for the action, but it does work quite well.Thomas writes some highly symphonic music, with all the orchestras big guns at full volume, but also presents sympathetic orchestrations where appropriate, and in the one or two lighter moments sounds rather Offenbach.The brief glossy booklet, gives casting and timings, not easily legible wit black writing on a blue background. Disappointingly there is no synopsis.I commend this production to all opera seria lovers

Obra poco conocida entre nosotros. El Hamlet de Thomas és una joya musical y la interpretació espléndida encabezada por la gran Nathalie Dessay en sus mejores momentos. Tuve la ocasión de ver esta misma representación en directo. Inolvidable.

Worth buying if you love music. The staging is poor... dark and difficult to see what is happening...however Natalie and Simon are outstanding.