Pierre
Neige, divorciada y madre de tres hijos, visita con frecuencia a Émir, su abuelo argelino que vive en una residencia de ancianos. Neige quiere y admira a este pilar de la familia, con quien se crió y quien la protegió de unos padres conflictivos, y es que las relaciones entre los numerosos miembros de la familia son complicadas y a menudo rencorosas... Menos mal que Neige cuenta con el apoyo y el humor de François, su ex marido. Cuando muere el abuelo, se desata una tormenta en el seno familiar, creando una crisis de identidad en Neige, quien decide querer comprender y conocer su ADN.
Director
This 1991 production by the Lyon National Opera presents a welcome opportunity to revel in a uniquely Gallic confection rarely seen outside France. It's also a chance to enjoy one of Offenbach's most inventive, melodic scores in which the starring musical role and many of the best tunes go to the orchestra, here conducted by Jean-Yves Ossonce. This is no accident: the operetta was originally created for a company of actors who relied on pastiche and the composer's help to get them through their "numbers". Not so these singers, of course. As Metella, the languorous courtesan who is responsible for the unravelling debacle, Helene Delavault is in meltingly good voice for her show-stopping rondeau, "A minuit sonnant commence la fete". Her sparring suitors Gardefeu (Jean-Francois Sivadier) and, particularly, Bobinet (Jacques Verzier) combine marvellous visual comedy with fluid singing and there is some dazzling vocal work from the supporting cast. It's a long piece, but hugely enjoyable.
