opera notebook
some operas I have seen on videoÉdouard Lalo, Le Roi d'Ys (1888)
libretto by Édouard Blau
Opéra National du Rhin, Strasbourg, 2026
- Conductor: Samy Rachid
- Director: Olivier Py
- Set & Costume Designer: Pierre-André Weitz
- Margared: Anaïk Morel
- Mylio: Julien Henric
- Rozenn: Lauranne Oliva
As the long overture of the 2026 Strasbourg Le Roi d'Ys is played, the company acts out a scene in mime to accompany the orchestra. This involves a deep-sea diver cradling a fish, two hunky guys partially clad in leather sparring with each other, a couple of women fondling a lighthouse … the whole exercise made me leery of the show to follow.
Fortunately, as soon as they started singing, Le Roi d'Ys became much more straightforward. The set is suggestive, full of looming shadows, and the costumes are sort of empty-the-shop eclectic, but the staging is conventional enough and nothing distracts from the energetic music. Special praise goes to Julien Henric, who sings Mylio in a lovely, clear tenor voice.