Haydée ou Le Secret

Auber and his music pop up every now and again but are practically obscure with not that much preserved on DVD or record. Even Meyerbeer has (marginally) more productions of his operas on DVD, and they are from personal view much more difficult to stage and sing.

It is a real shame that Auber and his music aren't better known. While none of his operas will be considered up there with the best ever written, they are still well worth the time. 'Haydee ou Le Secret' is one of his most charming and entertaining story-wise, with the telling of it never feeling dragged out or over-stuffed, the characters are easy to engage with and the music is not only lovely but it is also memorable.

Once again Théâtre Impérial de Compiegne, directed under Pierre Jourdan, revive a rarely performed (some even obscure) French opera, which seems to be somewhat of a quest of theirs, and make a simply delightful production out of it. To me, their production of 'Haydee ou Le Secret' is one of their best available.

The very traditional production looks beautiful and appealingly old-fashioned (not always considered a good thing, but in this case it's part of the charm). The DVD itself does very little to hinder that, in fact it is one of the better DVDs of Théâtre Impérial de Compiegne's productions available. The video directing captures the action well but is also careful not to intrude too much and the picture is clear and not as dark as grainy as some other DVDs of Théâtre Impérial de Compiegne's "French Opera Revival" productions. The sound quality is also well-balanced and resonant.

Pierre Jourdan's stage direction is filled with action, while not once feeling chaotic, overly-busy or too much. It also succeeds in telling the story compellingly and clearly, with much charm and heart, and the drama is arresting. The characters are portrayed and directed with depth and subtlety.

Despite the chorus being a touch too small, the chorus regardless still sing very nicely indeed and look constantly involved. The orchestral playing is buoyant and lively, but also has tonal beauty and musical nuance. The conducting of Michel Swierczewski shows clear evidence of fondness for the opera, because a lot of life is brought to the drama while also being sympathetic to the performers and adhering to musical detail with much expression and nuance.

While her Haydee is not quite as great as that in 'Dinorah' (another fine production from Théâtre Impérial de Compiegne also given a DVD release), Isabelle Phillippe displays a beautifully produced top and a warm if not quite as powerful middle, and she beguiles as an actress. Ann Sophie Schmidt radiates in charm and she gives some of the production's most musical, flexible and gleaming singing. Bruno Comparetti may not have the most beautiful of voices, but it is still a good and very listenable one with flexible technique and rich expression. He is also a tenor who can act, having seen a number of tenors over the years recently who either can't or forget to, with his dream/mad scene being particularly vivid.

Matthias Vidal has a more appealing voice, and he sounds lovely with no obvious strain to be heard. He gives the role a lot of liveliness, with some of the most energy of anybody on stage. Paul Medoni is suitably sinister as the villain.

Overall, delightful production and a great way of making an unjustly neglected opera (and composer) better known. 10/10 Bethany Cox