It was a freezing and raining afternoon in Paris in March, I came to the elegant Opéra Comique for a gothic and amusing opera, “La Dame Blanche (The White Lady)”.
C’est la plus belle qualité des Français que s’exprime dans cet opéra, une certaine légèreté mélancolique, qui sait la tristesse de toute chouse et qui pourtant sourit.
(This opera expressed the most beautiful quality of the French. It reveals a lightness of melancholic sadness, yet blends with a slight of laughter. )
– Richard Wagner 1881
Composed by François-Adrien Boieldieu, the most important and famous opera composer in France during the end of 18th and the early 19th Century. His elegant and agile style of music, Boieldieu was made him seen as the heir of Mozart.
Boieldieu was especially famous for the comic opera, which was a type of opera-style originated from folk culture. Compared to the traditional opera, opera comique has more conversational recitatives. Plus, the story is usually about the daily life of local people. And “La Dame Blanche” is a perfect mixture of the romantic comedy and gothic style, which is spelling a dose of fantasy and phantom.
An opera that is related to the people.》
1825, the year when “La Dame Blanche” was created was the period when Charles X passed the law of compensating the aristocrats for their loss during the revolution.
Since the end of the French Revolution, people had been in love with the dramatic dramas that contains sudden twists and turns, as well as high entertainment and especially- the political involvement.
The libretto of “La Dame Blanche” written by Eugène Scribe is not complicated and is related to people’s life. He was inspired by two of Walter Scott’s popular novels, Guy Mannering and Le Monastère.
The story tells about an abandoned castle of Avenel’s in Scotland in 1759 that is going to be auctioned. It’s a confrontation between the aristocrat, a wicked and ambitious steward of the castle who had become wealthy, and the villagers.
On the other hand, Anna (played by Elsa Benoit) is trying to stop the auction from happening. She is a girl who was taken care of by the Avenel a long time ago. In order to confront Gaveston (played by Jérôme Boutillier), the steward, she disguises herself as the protector of the castle” White Lady” from the folk tale and tricks the amnesiac soldier, George to help her.
An aria that sets the treacherous atmosphere.》
One of the arias that I enjoyed the most is the “D’ici voyez ce beau domaine (Seeing the beautiful estate from here)”, Ballade performed by Sophie Martin Degor. Hearing the pounding of the music from the beginning, it gave me a sense of haunted feeling. What is happening? What is about to show up? It was a crucial moment when the eccentric story of the White Lady is brought out.
The haunting voice of the mezzo soprano was so tender, yet, decisive about how the White Lady sees and hear everything that George should not treat this as a joke.
“Prenez garde! La Dame Blanche vous regarde, La Dame Blanche vous entend.”
(Beware! The White Lady sees you. The White Lady hears you.)
Intriguing voice attracting the audience to the scene.》
I was charmed by the voice of Philippe Talbat, the tenor who sang as George. I wouldn’t say that I felt in love with his singing at first sight; however, Philippe’s voice was like the still water that runs deep and long. Even though his singing voice sometimes disappeared within the orchestra or the chorus, it was soothing and pleasant to listen.
Philippe’s voice perfectly performed an amnesiac soldier who was fearless and optimistic even if he is not able to remember.
“Mais j’avais une amoureuse; où donc est-elle? J’entends, je comprends. Ah! Quel plaisir d’être soldat!”
(But I have a lover, so where is she? I understand, I comprehend. Ah! What a pleasure to be a soldier!)
When he was singing his first aria, I could feel a slight twist of the emotion from the singing which was starting to shake my heart when I hadn’t noticed.
Happy ending after all.》
The opera comique usually ends with a happy ending where people sing catchy aria together. I adored how delightful the flow of “La Dame Blanche” was. It was a fascinated opera to watch before a night out-
yes, I’m the type of person who enjoys attending the performance during the afternoon more than the evening.
