Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19872 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-04-28
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Formats: Box set, Classical, Color, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 275 minutes

TheStar.com, John Terauds, October 6, 2009
It may not be the right thing to say in polite company, but sitting through a lot of new music feels like sonic self-flagellation. If, as the late philosopher Bertrand Russell once said, pleasure is the absence of pain, silence might be bliss. That concern could come to a head during the 5 1/2 hours of Olivier Messiaen's only opera, a series of vignettes depicting St. Francis's hourney toward light and grace. The music is atonal. Jean Kalman's set is stark, laden with rough-hewn symbolism.

But if you give it a chance, the 26-year-old score and symbol-laden staging (by Pierre Audi) in this 2008 production from the Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam, will eventually trap you in its tractor beam. You will find pleasure in the sly musical shifts that accompany The Angel (beautifully sung by Camilla Tilling), the birds (a gaggle of young cschoolchildren) and the chorus (the excellent ensemble of the Netherlands Opera). This opera rewards the patient viewer by shifting something in the soul.

An expanded Hague Philharmonic brings just the right texture to the music, thanks to conductor Ingo Metzmacher. But the real heroes are the singers, especially Californian baritone Rod Gilfry as St. Francis. He tells us in one of the three four-minute featurettes how he managed to memorize his part by associating words and notes with particular stage movements. That is a small miracle in itself.

Painful or pleasurable, this journey is not for the faint of heart.

Gramophone, Awards 2009
Gramophone Editor's Choice DVD of the Month This is the big one, as far as lovers of underappreciated operas are concerned (well, one of them anyway). Messiaen's huge Saint François d'Assise has yet to receive a full professional production in the UK, but its champions will find much to confirm its status here. Rodney Gilfrey and Co. deliver vivid, committed performances, while Ingo Metzmacher's conducting leaves no room for doubt.

Customer Reviews

Messiaen : Saint François d'Assise
Although he liked opera and delved into the operas of Mozart and Wagner, Messiaen never thought he would compose an opera himself because he believed that he is incompetent to do so. But after receiving a request for a new opera from the Paris opera, and with the encouragement of the French President Georges Pompidou he began working on his only operatic work Saint François d'Assise in 1975. He wrote the libretto and writing of the music continued until 1979. Orchestration of the new opera extended until 1983 and in this year, the opera was presented for the first time in Paris.

This month appeared on the Opus Arte label a new DVD version for Messiaen's opera that was recorded in June 2008 at the Dutch opera in Amsterdam (De Nederlandse Opera). The opera is set in the 13th century, and deals with episodes from the life of Saint Francis of Assisi: He teaches his fellow friars, heals a leper, has an encounter with an angel, gives a sermon to the birds, hears the sound of Christ and than receives the Stigmata and dies.

The opera is an enormous creation that lasts for over four hours and was written for a mammoth orchestra that includes nine percussion players, a huge choir and nine soloists. This opera has a meditative and philosophical character and expresses a deep religious feeling. Messiaen used in the opera a variety of the composition techniques that he was using during his life like birdsong, elements of Serialism, plainchant etc. Relatively to the length of the opera, there are not too many occurrences. The drama moves on a very slow time scale and is quite static. In this aspect reminds me of Wagner's Parsifal. The third act is the more dramatic part of the work.

The vocal writing for the singers derives from the French operatic tradition at the beginning of the 20th century - echoes of Debussy and especially it reminds me of the Ravel and Poulenc's operatic music. But in the orchestral writing it is definitely Messiaen's own sound that is familiar from other works I know like the Turangalîla-Symphonie. The vocal writing for the singers is in general slow and without pathos. Expressions of the emotion are very limited and almost everything is sung with some kind of a stoic tranquility. In particular the friars singing sounds more like ecclesiastical hymns than as operatic dialogues and monologues.

In contrast with the singing, the orchestral music is extremely vigorous, and complex. There are quite a few orchestral interludes. The orchestral sound is rich and varied and there is a great use of a big battery of percussion instruments from the xylophone family (xylophone, xylorimba, marimba, glockenspiel and vibraphone) especially in the first act. In the second act there is a long scene that deals Saint Francis preaching to the birds. Here Messiaen that was also an ornithologist, expresses his love for birds music and the orchestra mimics very impressively the sounds of different birds. In this act he makes a very prominent use of string glissandi that creates a special and bizarre feeling. In the first scene of the third act, where Saint Francis receives the stigmata, the orchestral sound becomes extremely vociferous and harsh and here one can hear clearly the sound of three Ondes Martenot (Messiaen said about this instrument that it is 'very rare in an opera!').

And now to the new DVD from Amsterdam:

Pierre Audi, which is one of my favorite opera directors, directed the opera in Amsterdam. Like in Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen that he directed in the Dutch opera ten years ago, the colossal orchestra sits in center the stage and everything actually occur around it. The decor is made of a system of scaffolding and other items and has an abstract character that is quite hard to describe. There are a few other simple additional elements like trees or a big pile of metal crosses. Everything is symbolic and hinted. Normally with Audi, the costumes are made of crude and simple wool, and have a raw look. In Amsterdam Saint Francis gives his sermon to the birds that are actually children that are painting birds...

The Hague philharmonic orchestra is conducted by Ingo Metzmacher and undoubtedly he controls brilliantly this massive forces. The Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera contributes impressively in particular in the first scene of the third act when Saint Francis receives the stigmata. What an overwhelming piece of music this is!

The leading role St. Francis is sung by baritone Rodny Gilfry. This is an extremely difficult and exhausting role. He sings for almost three hours. In the interview with him that exists in the DVD he tells that this role was almost impossible to memorize and this is the most difficult role in his entire career. For my taste he is very impressive in particular in the last scene. Another excellent singer is soprano Camilla Tilling in the role of the angel. She has a beautiful voice with pure high notes. British tenor Tom Randle is very good as Frère Massée. Dutch baritone Henk Neven is an excellent Frère Léon. And one should mention Hubert Delamboye singing in the short but significant role of The Leper.

To sum up: This is a powerful rendition of a great opera, but it takes a lot of concentration and patience to enjoy it.
Highly recommended for those who like this kind of music.

Gilfry Astounds as Saint Francois
Messiaen spent eight years creating Saint Francois d'Assise, his only opera and one he probably understood that (for an host of reasons) would prove something of a trial for both performer and audience. But, man of faith that he was, he also must have sensed that, for anyone willing to go along with him for the ride (and it is as inexorable one as any I've been on) - there is much to love, and yes, rejoice in. Now, after 25 years, the work has finally made it onto commercial video and the three disc set for OpusArte could not be more welcome than they are right now.

As much as I love Messiaen the beginning of this score has always been something of a tough row to hoe. I have a mild impatience at the sameness of the orchestration with which Messiaen begins, a seemingly endless, unrelenting twofold `smear" created by the striking of a loud chord, followed by a downward glissando: Yahhhhhhhh---da! This sort of falls into a universal rhythm that returns throughout the opera: a couple of sung (often unaccompanied) words, followed by that "yaahhhhhhh-da!" This effect is then punctuated by a fury of wild rhythmic punches from the entire orchestra, winds, brass, bells, strings, percussion - all of it comes blasting past your ears at once. Ah, but if we stick with it we find a "miracle" just waiting to happen - and happen it does. Having heard this score many times over the past 25 years, my reaction has almost always been the same: prickly annoyance until Messiaen and his forces beat me into submission resulting in one of those "aha!" moments. (How very religious!)

In the title role, Rod Gilfry provides his own miracle. It is one of the greatest assumptions of a role I can recall witnessing. I never once felt Gilfry to be playing Francois so much as inhabiting entirely Messiaen's vision of the beloved saint, and making him his own. While other Francois (including Jose van Dam, the creator of the role) have been equally firm of voice and capable of singing this remarkably difficult music, Gilfry crosses a line they did not. Into this often austere music, he injects a Francois as full of joy as he is contemplation and seeking, his face a remarkable mask, mirroring seemingly endless expressions - not one of them false or forced. Through voice and visage he practically "beams" Saint Francis out to us.

Firm of tone, equal in almost all registers, Gilfry's delivery of Messiaen's own text mixes the "matter of fact" declamation of his predecessors, tempered with a beauty of sound combining elegance with great emotion. I believed in Francois and his journey . . . in his every effort to humble himself to the greatest degree possible, to rid himself of every fear and doubt so as to be brought closer to his God. It is a remarkable journey.

We see his first weakness when, to his great embarrassment he admits his repulsion for lepers. He prays God to purify him . . . change him, so he may learn to love the lepers. That prayer is answered by the arrival of the pathetic, suffering Leper to whom Francois immediately offers comfort and peace to. While The Leper howls of his pain, Francois shares how suffering is a trial so we may, in some small way, comprehend the suffering of Christ, making His sacrifice and love all the greater. The Leper continues, sharing the suffering he endures at the hands of other monks. The Angel (Camilla Tilling) appears from high above the stage, her pure and gentle message: God loves him. Francois interprets the Angel's message for him: Your sorrow is in your heart, and God is far greater than your heart." Here is some of the score's first, "traditionally" beautiful music and Messiaen could not possibly have used it to finer effect - the result is overwhelming.

The Leper thanks Francois for his kindness but Francois admits, "I have not loved you enough" and, raising the diseased wretch's head to his own, kisses him, encircling him in his arms. Here, Gilfry's face radiates pure love and tears well in his eyes - and suddenly: The Leper is healed. I found myself so completely overwhelmed a break was necessary before continuing with Act II.

Though Act II runs just shy of two hours, its three scenes played out almost before I realized they were over. The first two scenes are dominated by the presence of The Journeying Angel and his interactions - dazzling and beautiful - with Frères Massée, Elie and Francois. The 3rd scene (Tableau 5) is the famous "sermon to the birds" and here the stage becomes filled with color, children, puppets on a set filled with crudely made trees of 2X4s on which Frères Massée, Francois and the children write the names of (and draw) the birds of which they sing. The children take to some fanciful street art which later creates a magical special effect at the end of the scene.

Director Pierre Audi sets the massive stage alive - placing the enormous Hague Philharmonic center stage, set among acres of scaffolding, platforms and an enormous open dome above the stage from which the chorus sometimes sings, (and which fills magically with stars upon Francois' death). Stacks of of wooden crosses separate the orchestra from the central playing area, a raised platform between all the scaffolding. Angelo Figus' costumes are elaborate takes on ancient liturgical looking robes, of stunning yet crude construction and looking of skins and feathers. Each Monk's is rich with color, tied with wrist-thick ropes and envelop each brother like a living sarcophagus. Upon receiving his stigmata, and in preparation for his death, the barefoot Francois sheds his final robe (rich, black) to finish the "opera" clad only in a simple white gown, symbolic of his attainment of grace and purity. It's a simple, yet powerful effect.

As a great fan of Tom Randle. it was especially nice to see him cast in the important role of Frères Massée, injecting (along with the children) a bit of levity into some otherwise very lofty proceedings. His voice still marvelously expressive and he remains (for me) one of the very best actors to be found in opera.

Not as beautiful of voice as Randle, but also marvelously expressive is Hubert Delamboye as The Leper. His transformation scene is powerful and the sense of joy shared by him and Francois upon it one of the opera's most powerful and emotional scenes.

Smooth voiced, Henk Neven is affecting as Frère Léon, as is Donald Kaasch Frère Elie (if a bit wide of vibrato).

Maestro Ingo Metzmacher does the near impossible keeping together the massive forces of the cast, the Hague Philharmonic and De Nederlandse Opera Chorus in what can only be deemed as an absolutely thrilling reading of Messiaen's magnum opus. The wildly divergent sounds they are required to achieve - muscular, bold, provocative come through loud and clear, but they also provide many moments of truly rapturous beauty. This is evident nowhere more so than the final chorus, - staged magnificently. As Francois "disappears" the chorus rises to the front, like witnesses of a medieval pageant - but also providing the voice of God - as a blazing, golden light suffuses everything, and the stars twinkle above all through the dome - a window to heaven - in what is perhaps the loudest crescendo in all of western music. The effect created here is truly otherworldly. breathtaking and sui generis - feeling both like a coupe de theatre - and a holy rite.

I must again single out Rod Gilfry's performance. Onstage for four plus hours (and in all but one scene) he provides consistently beautiful singing, a commitment and intensity that is - from start to finish - nothing short of remarkable. He IS Francois.

p.
[...]

Finally On DVD!
Saw the production in 2002 in San Francisco after gearing up with the Nagano/Salzberg production on CD that had just surfaced at the time on DG. That box set contributed to many's fascination with the brilliant Messiaen.

Gorged on this opera a few times in a great breakthrough production with Sir Willard White as Saint Francis. The whole thing was incredible beyond words. Hoping to see the production commercially available - but never materialized.

Been waiting since then for any DVD of this Opera to become available, but began to think it would ever be released -- even though the piece had some momentum at the time. Even if it was released, was afraid it would fall short of the potential due to the complexity of the production and difficulty to the performers.

However, this DVD is in a class by itself, I concur with the other reviewers "TC" and "Paolo" - who have done a great job detailing the accomplishment.

Having this release in the catalog at this quality and level of commitment is a major achievement -- a thrill -- moreover OPus ARTE and Pierre Audi have reached a pinnacle that may never be matched on DVD ever again.