This 15th edition of the operetta festival, like the previous ones, is promising. Master André Chauvet, municipal councilor in charge of the Opera, gave a beautiful image of the operetta: “Operetta is celebration!”
Be careful not to take his remark in a pejorative and reductive sense; celebration here means exuberance and joy. The speakers, all passionate about lyrical art, each gave enthusiastic definitions of operetta.
The director of the Nice opera mentioned Camille Saint-Saëns: “Operetta is the daughter of opera.” Operetta bursts with colors, costumes, and sets. The singing and elocution (speaking occurs in an operetta) are just as demanding as in an opera. Operetta was at the end of the 20th century the show reserved for year-end celebrations.
This lyrical art, also called comic opera, is an ideal approach to introduce young audiences to the opera and allow them to enter the opera world and continue this wonderful exploration of the lyrical stage.
Melcha Coder, whose name is so closely associated with this festival—her festival—presented the works showcased this year. “The Singer from Mexico” is both a historical evocation of the Mexican revolution and a tribute to Luis Mariano, creator of the role of Vincent. A masterful work with 380 costumes.
According to Macha Coder, the show reserves a nice surprise with Cricri, whose role is held by a young artist, Julie Morgane, a new Arletty, she would say atmosphere? We met another young voice, Reine Marie Koch, making her debut on the Nice stage—a crystalline voice we are sure to hear again in other lyrical productions.
Are there differences between the operetta and the musical? In any case, they must not be significant. “Hello, Dolly,” an evocation of Broadway, the captivating America, Gene Kelly is not very far off.
Then, as all beautiful things must come to an end, a festival also takes its bow.
It is on the Danube with Viennese tunes that on October 8th, the 15th operetta festival will conclude, dropping the heavy red velvet curtain, not for a farewell, but for a goodbye with new surprises in 2017. Feminine voices will be highlighted on Wednesday, October 12th at the Mediterranean University Center.
A concert conference hosted by young voices, future divas, a beautiful conclusion to this festival which has become an essential event for lovers of lyrical art over the past fifteen years.
Thierry Jan
