Irene Dubrovskaya as Giulia in La Scala di seta.

Review by Henning Høholt

La Zcala di Seta, applaus
. foto Henning Høholt

PARIS/FRANCE: Théâtre des Champs Élysées is continuing its Rossini opera seria this season with a concert version (but very much live staging  in this good concert version. Irene Dubrovskaya did a brilliant show as Giulia, the woman that is the central role in Giachino Rossinis Opera farce La Scala di Seta from 1812
. She was the central figure visually and vocally, and was leading all the show on stage, and her voice was brilliant for the role, with beautifully and very safe coloratura
. A great pleasure.

Dubrovskaya was followed up closely by the young handsome tenor Bogdan Mihai as Dorvil, a beautiful voice, also with a first class coloratura. The very active and versatile baryton Christian Senn good as Germano.  Further more Rodion Pogossov as Blansac, Carine Séchaye as Lucilla, and Enrico Casari as Dormont. They had a lot of fun on stage, and the audience enjoyed it very much. Furthermore it sounded beautiful and swinging, a lot because the young singers enjoyed it, and the Orchestre National d´Ile de France well conducted by Enrique Mazzola. who also participated in the “play” between the singers did it so well. Furthermore Alessandro Amoretti at the cembalo and as cooperating joke aker especially together with Christian Senn, so much fun they had on stage
. And in addition by the unexpected details, that they hadn´t prepared or rehearsed on. A great couple.

Please enjoy the applause of La Scala di Seta, inclusive encore finale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed7GDvYeiXI

This season Théâtre des Champs Élysées has a Rossini seria, some operas in full versions, and some opera concertante. It is being appreciated by the audience, and heartly to say, I feel that sometimes the quality, and the entusiasme, is better than at Opera des Paris.

A very good Rossini evening, with excellent soloists and orchestre. Foto: Henning Høholt

The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées is a theatre at 15 avenue Montaigne. The theater is named not after the famed Avenue des Champs Élysées, but rather after the neighborhood which it is situated in, the Quartier des Champs Élysées in Paris.

Opened in 1913, it was designed by French architect Auguste Perret and founded by journalist and impresario Gabriel Astruc to provide a venue suitable for contemporary music, dance and opera, in contrast to traditional, more conservative, institutions like the Paris Opera
. It hosted the Ballets Russes, Sergei Dhiaghilev, for its first season, staging the world première of the Rite of Spring, with music by Sergei Stravinsky, on Thursday May 29, 1913, thus becoming the celebrated location of one of the most famous of all classical music nots.

The building includes an exterior bas relief by Antoine Bourdelle, a dome by Maurice Denis, paintings by Édouard Vuillard and Jacqueline Marval, and a stage curtain by Ker-Xavier Roussel. The building houses two smaller stages, the Comédie des Champs-Élysées theatre on the 3rd floor, and the Studio des Champs-Élysées on the 5th floor.