Opéra Royale de Versailles presents Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s lyrical masterpiece, David et Jonathas, regarded by many as one of the miracles of Baroque opera. The role of David is sung by Belgian countertenor Reinoud Van Mechelen, that of Jonathas by French soprano Caroline Arnaud, and the role of Saül by French baritone David Witczak. The conductor of the Marguerite Louise Chorus and Orchestra is Gaétan Jarry, Founder of the ensemble, and direction is by Marshall Pynkoski, Founding Co-Artistic Director of Opera Atelier and Co-Founder of the company’s MOAO program.
David et Jonathas, an opera in five acts with a prologue, was written by Charpentier in 1688. The libretto, by Father François Bretonneau, is based on the Old Testament story of the friendship between David and Jonathan. It was first performed at the Collège Louis-le-Grand in Paris on February 28th, 1688.
The story – which Opera Magazine describes as “a powerful masterpiece” – recounts the tragic tale, as told in the Book of Samuel, of the deep friendship between David and Jonathan, the son of King Saul. Following his victory over Goliath, David is forced to seek refuge in the Philistine camp, even though the Israelites celebrated him as a hero. He and Jonathan agree a truce, but King Saul, mad with jealousy, is convinced of David’s betrayal, and David, fearing that his defection will lead him to war against the Israelites and his friend Jonathan, flees the Philistine camp. Despite the truce, the two armies inevitably go to war with each other, ending with the defeated King Saul taking his own life, and his son Jonathan dying in David’s arms.
The role of David is taken by Reinoud Van Mechelen, who – as a regular soloist of Les Arts Florissants – has appeared at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, the Edinburgh Festival, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican Centre in London, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, the Philharmonie and the Opéra Comique in Paris as well as at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. He has also performed with Baroque ensembles such as Collegium Vocale, Les Talens Lyriques, Ensemble Pygmalion, Le Poème Harmonique and the European Union Baroque Orchestra. Recent performances include an appearance as Jason in Charpentier’s Médée at Zurich Opera, Belmonte in Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio with Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and Gérald in Delibes’ Lakmé with the Munich Radio Orchestra.
Caroline Arnaud sings the role of Jonathan in this production. Having performed with Baroque ensembles such as Les Talens Lyriques and Ensemble Pygmalion, she has also appeared as The Night in Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, Emilie in Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes, Rizzolina in Banchieri’s La Barca, the Servant in Aubert’s La Forêt Bleue and Marie-Antoinette in Chevalier St George’s Le Nègre des Lumières. More recently she has appeared in Charpentier’s Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers at the Concertgebouw de Bruges, as Daphnée in Charpentier’s Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers with Les Talens Lyriques in Basel, and the soprano solo in Campra’s Requiem and Rameau’s Motet In Convertendo at the Philharmonie de Paris.
David Witczak, who takes the role of Saul, has an operatic repertoire which includes Pluton in Telemann’s Orpheus, Alessio in Bellini’s La Sonnambula, Fiorello in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Seviglia, Curio (and cover for Achilla) in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Shaunard in Puccini’s La bohème, Ajax I in Offenbach’s La Belle Hélène and Masetto in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. He is a member of Ensemble Marguerite Louise and Ensemble Alia Mens.
Also in the cast are François-Olivier Jean as Pythonisse, Antonin Rondepierre as Joabel, Geoffroy Buffière as Samuel’s ghost and Cyril Costanzo as Achis.
Choreography is by Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, performed by the Ballet of the Opéra Royale, stage sets are by Antoine and Roland Fontaine, with costumes by Christian Lacroix and lighting by Hervé Gary.
The magnificent Chapelle Royale is part of the Palace de Versailles – one of the greatest works by architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel. The concert hall was commissioned by Louis XIV, and built during the reign of his heir, Louis XV, to celebrate the marriage of the Dauphin, the future Louis XVI, to the archduchess of Austria, Marie-Antoinette. The largest concert hall in Europe at the time, it was a great technical achievement and impressive feat of decorative refinement, inaugurated on May 16th, 1770, with a performance of Lully’s Persée.
Gaétan Jarry leads the Marguerite Louise Chorus and Orchestra in three performances of Charpentier’s David et Jonathas at the Chapelle Royale at Versailles, from 16th to 18th May. Further information and details of reservations can be found on the Opéra Royale website.
The production is sung in French with French surtitles.
The original production was recorded for the Château de Versailles Spectacles label and filmed on Arte.
Information sourced from:
Opéra Royale programme notes
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