So, Leigh, can you, in a few words, describe my character and my role in the story?
Golaud is a simple person, so he finds Mélisande very hard to understand.
He just wants to meet a nice girl, maybe, and there she is.
There must be some spark, there has to be something, in the midst of everything, that
Golaud sees.
There's got to be some love somewhere, otherwise he just wouldn't care.
There is a beautiful woman who is obviously very lovable.
– Do you find her mysterious from the start?
– I think that's one of the main thing that
drives the man mad
it's the mystery and the elusiveness of the fact that you can't get what it is...
I think for all the male characters, the danger, the big draw is the fact that
she's mysterious and elusive. For different reasons, we want to know her better.
Pelléas is infatuated with her.
Golaud wants to have her... I think you're right:
the mystery and elusiveness of her is the driving force behind the male characters'
obsession with her.
Ok, who's next?
Oh! This opera has a particularly simplistic libretto,
a total refusal of realism. How does that translate into the singing?
Answers on a plate, please, to P.O. box, Geneva Opera House.
You can tweet, as well.
I would see it to be like a play, very natural
in the way it is sung, and I think the fact there's so much symbolism in it,
which makes it vague. I think it's almost more effective just to
play it natural, sing it in a natural way and sincerely.
Not trying to sing it in a vague way. The vagueness is there, between the characters
and the words anyway, you don't need to sing it in a vague way.
If you stay true to the music, the text is so important here.
– I'd say, the symbolism is also in the audience.
The characters are more involved in day-to-day stuff.
Like the fire and Golaud would come back, with the symbolism of fire and the symbolism
of walking in the forest. The forest may symbolize other things,
but that's not for Golaud to go: "Ah! Freudian nightmare! Nice!
Abandonment issues".
– That's the thing with mystery:
we don't want to explain too much to the audience. At least for me, when I play a character like
this, I want people to feel differently. Our relationships, it wouldn't be fun if we
were told "this is what you are suppose to feel".
– It's not symbolic if you explain it.
– It's not.
– Then it becomes an emoji.
– This is a good quote!
In this production, plastic arts, choreography, and video meet Debussy's opera.
What impressed you the most? I like all of it. But that's façade. To me,
opera brings everything together. This is bringing even more than usual, because you
have dancing as an extra element all the way through. It's not just a little annex with
the ballet, to be diverted for 20 minutes.
– And it's amazing that they are controlling our feelings.
They are supporting.
– They express emotions which we don't necessarily
express directly. The choreography fills in.
– They make it stronger.
For me it's the first time I've been doing this with dancers,
and I think it's really fascinating.
– I'm an old lad, been there, seen it.
– I haven't. I like being carried around.
– Yeah it's alright for you!
– In the end scene, it's the most amazing thing!
They carry me... And I'm flying. Like Rose in Titanic.
So, Jacques, what do you like most about this music? And can you describe Debussy's music
in a few words for someone who doesn't know it?
I'll answer the second question first: Monet paintings. It's extremely clear, it's a beautiful
picture but you can't quite get a hold of the picture in some way. It's impressionist,
the same era. It's a beautiful picture, but the lines are slightly faded, I think that's
remarquable.
– Well said.
I love the fragility of the music. Each character has extremely fragile music. The music makes
the singers fragile, even Arkel. I think the whole dynamic of the piece is that you are
forced, in a way, to be fragile to how the music is written. It opens up underlying emotions
within the piece and the characters.
– I have to say, it's actually one of my favorite operas.
I find it so beautiful, and I spent so much time learning it! Seriously, I thought
I would never learn it! Because it's complicated, complex.
If you had to convince someone who doesn't know opera in general to come and see this
production, what would you say?
Pretty Norwegian girl being carried around by naked men?
That's a drill!
I would say the same actually.
– Sex and death! What every good opera is about.
I think it's a beautiful experience to watch
this and to listen to this. It's a mystery of an opera, and it's really interesting to
hear this music and to see this beautiful staging with great dancing, it's a lot of
elements. I think it will attract a younger audience.
It's the coming together of some world-leading people in their fields with Sidi Larbi (Cherkaoui)
and Damien (Jalet) and the designs of Marina Abramović, and then the music of Debussy.
– It's quite extraordinary actually.
– It's a rare occasion to see those forces together.
To me, it's quite cool because I have been speaking to a lot of young dancers and art
students and they are so intrigued by this. It can opened up for a new audience.
And just the music. There is nothing else like it in the operatic repertoire. Pelléas
and Mélisande stands alone, there is no other opera which is similar to it, it's very unique.
It's not like any of the Mozart, not in the sense that you have seen one you have seen
them all, by any means. But you can recognize Mozart's operas, you can recognize Wagner's operas.
But Pelléas et Mélisande is unique, there's nothing else like it.
This is a special time. Can you explain how this pandemic has affected your work?
Well, to be honest, we don't know. – No one does. But it's also exciting, huh?
Perhaps that's the answer: we don't know how it's going to go! We don't know how it's
going to go! So...
There may be some streaming, it might be live, it might be recorded...
– There might be audience...
– Yes there might be some audience members. Somewhere, sat. Somewhere.
– Hopefully. It would be amazing, but...
– The orchestra is going to be spread out on the whole sort of bottom seating area.
So if there are any audience members, they might be higher up.
The conductor will be very far, which will be quite a challenge
to get this already complicated music together.
– And balanced!
– The acoustic.
– It's an evolving thing!
– We do what we can. We get tested every week, I'm not visiting anyone.
It's a strange situation.
We go to work, we go home, we're not seeing anyone else.
– Thank god for the internet!
– Yeah! Thank god for Netflix!
– And Facetime!
– And Facetime, true.