 |
| Messiaen: Saint François d’Assise - Philippe Sly - Salzburg Festival (Photo: Monika Rittershaus) |
Messiaen: Saint François d’Assise; Philippe Sly, Lauranne Oliva, Sean Panikkar, Russell Braun, director: Romeo Castellucci, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor: Maxime Pascal; Salzburg Festival at the Felsenreitschule
Reviewed 9 August 2026
An evening like no other: a selfless & compelling performance from Philippe Sly illuminates a production of Messaien's mammoth opera that was by turns mesmerising & frustrating as director/designer Romeo Castellucci sought a physical counterpart to the music's transcendence.
Mounting Olivier Messiaen's Saint François d’Assise remains a bold undertaking. Premiered at the Paris Opera in 1983, it had to wait until 1992 for a further production at the Salzburg Festival, with the festival reviving it in 1998. The sheer length and complexity of the work, allied to the numbers of performers required allied to the striking subject matter (how does one stage a long scene where St Francis receives the stigmata?) and the challenge of the huge title role (Jose van Dam sang it both in 1983 and 1992) all mitigate against the piece. Yet if a company dares, then the rewards are remarkable.
For 2026, the Salzburg Festival has returned to Messiaen's Saint François d’Assise with a new production directed, designed and lit by Romeo Castellucci at the Felsenreitschule. Dramaturgy was by Christian Longchamp, and choreography by Yasmine Hugonnet. Maxime Pascal conducted the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra with the chorus of the Vienna State Opera off-stage throughout.
Philippe Sly was St Francis, with Lauranne Oliva as the Angel, Sean Panikkar as the voice of the Leper, Russell Braun as Brother Leo, Leo Vermont-Desroches as Brother Masseo, Aaron-Casey Gould as Brother Elie, Willard White as Brother Bernard, Marius Aron as Brother Sylvestre, and Ivan Lyvch as Brother Rufin. Additionally, there were twelve dancers (six angels, six Franciscan brothers), plus twenty actors along with sheep, a dog and a pea-hen.
The orchestra was in a cramped pit with percussion in two banks either side of the auditorium. I could not see where the Ondes Martenots were placed, played by Nathalie Forget, Augustin Viard, Cecile Lartigau. The full width of the stage was used and often Castellucci's dramatic lighting was such that details were difficult to discern. The opera is in eight scenes lasting a total of over four hours of music. In Salzburg the work was played with two long intervals making a total of over six hours in the theatre.
 |
| Messiaen: Saint François d’Assise - Salzburg Festival (Photo: Monika Rittershaus) |
Whilst Messiaen's dramaturgy is relatively clear, the opera leaves a lot of space for directorial intervention. Judging by Castellucci's dramatic yet idiosyncratic staging, his view of St Francis is somewhat less sanguine and less unquestioning than Messiaen's. For much of the first two acts, Philippe Sly's St Francis seemed borderline disturbed, whilst the final two acts were very dark indeed (both emotionally and physically). In fact, Castellucci seemed to have taken the decision not to stage Messiaen's music. If the orchestra and chorus poured forth Messiaen's vision of heavenly joy, then Castellucci depicted the earthly travails that are its counterpoint.
Much of the iconography was puzzling, though I gather from other reviewers that much was part of the director/designer's lexicon. The opening scene (not in Messiaen's opera) saw Philippe Sly's St Francis stripping naked. Then The Cross subjected Francis and his new brothers to all manner of rain and dirt. For Lauds the brothers baked real bread in real ovens, so that by the end of Act One the smell of newly baked bread was wafting through the theatre. And the activity enabled Philippe Sly to play with dough and cover himself in flour! The scene with the Leper involved Sean Panikkar (onstage and singing) but with the Leper incarnated by an actor (apparently uncredited in the programme book). This must have been a challenging scene to rehearse as the actor stripped naked as Sly's St Francis washed him (all over) and kissed him.
In Act Two, the angel (Lauranne Oliva) was rather sinister. In The Journeying Angel the brothers were making pottery, whilst the Angel destroyed the pots. And more mysterious still was the moment when the Angel painted her leg and hand gold. Then in The Angel Musician the Angel's viola was buried in sand whilst the Angel and her companions removed their wings. Cue copious quantities of (very red) Angelic blood, but also some sheer magic in the orchestra for the heavenly melody that Francis hears. The Sermon to the Birds began with St Francis and the brothers mopping up the blood like relics whilst Sly's St Francis strapped the excavated viola to his back. There was also the brothers' painting of their legs blue.
 |
| Messiaen: Saint François d’Assise - Philippe Sly - Salzburg Festival (Photo: Monika Rittershaus |
In Act Three, the staging turned dark. The Stigmata began with Sly's St Francis seeming to dig his own grave, then the eath rose up (in the form of eight actors) leaving Sly's St Francis semi-naked and covered in dark matter. There was no light here, that was all in the glorious transfiguration depicted in Messiaen's music. For the final scene, Death and the new life, all remained dark. Rather touchingly the Angel and the Leper reappeared with the Leper washing Sly's St Francis's body ready for death. There was no cross, just darkness and the earth complemented by the dance of joy in Messiaen's music. After St Francis's death, his body was brutally retrieved and left naked (as the opening scene) whilst a flock of sheep appeared on stage, all the while the chorus (frustratingly still off stage) sang with heavenly joy.
Musically, Messiaen combines steady, declamatory chant with vivid and highly mobile orchestral fireworks. The orchestra was huge (quadruple woodwind), but used with great sophistication in terms of colour palate and material. This was the first time I had experienced the work and by the end I was starting to find the vocal lines a little too dogged, or perhaps this was my tiredness talking. But Castellucci never seemed to allow Sly's St Francis to be transfigured.
Philippe Sly's performance, however, was all encompassing and whole-hearted both musically and dramatically, from stripping naked to embracing the dirt, dark and strangeness of Castellucci's vision to sustaining Messiaen's musical vision of St Francis for over four hours of music. It was astonishing. Selfless is the wrong word, because there was a lot of Sly's self in the performance, but he embrace the entirety of the role wholeheartedly.
 |
| Messiaen: Saint François d’Assise - Lauranne Oliva -- Salzburg Festival (Photo: Monika Rittershaus |
Russell Braun made a dignified, supportive Brother Leon, St Francis's first disciple with Leo Veermot-Desroches as the engaging Brother Masseo who had a lovely disquisition on birds before St Francis's sermon. Aaron-Casey Gould was a wonderfully bad-tempered Brother Elie, whilst Willard White was a dignified yet chipper Brother Bernard, the only brother to answer the Angels questions on pre-determination correctly. Marius Aron and Ivan Lyvch were the smaller roles of Brothers Sylvestre and Rufin. Lauranne Oliva's Angel managed to combined the mysterious and the sinister. In both her scenes in Act Two she kept us guessing about the Angel's real intent. A masterly performance.
There were many moments when it wasn't individuals that matter, but the collective. There was indeed something selfless about the way singers, dancers and actors came together as a dramatic ensemble.
In the pit and on the side balconies, the orchestra was tireless and outstanding. There was never a moment when this music seemed to strain the technique of the players, they always responded easily and flexibly to the direction by Maxime Pascal. He brought a remarkable amount of clarity and detail to this complex score. To my ears it was an outstanding and exemplary performance.
 |
| Messiaen: Saint François d’Assise - Salzburg Festival (Photo: Monika Rittershaus |
This was an evening like no other. Romeo Castellucci created a complex and thought-provoking spectacle that complemented and commented upon Messiaen's score rather than illuminating it. It was left to Maxime Pascal, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Vienna State Opera Chorus and the cast to really illuminate Messiaen's musical vision. But over all it was the astonishing figure of St Francis embodied by Philippe Sly, deny self to illuminate.
 |
| Messiaen: Saint François d’Assise - Philippe Sly - Salzburg Festival (Photo: Monika Rittershaus |
The blog is free, but I'd be delighted if you were to show your appreciation by buying me a coffee.
Elsewhere on this blog
- Salzburg Festival
- Darkness visible: remarkable performances from Jonathan Tetelman & Asmik Grigorian in Bizet's Carmen directed by choreographer Gabriela Carrizo - opera review
- Life on Mars: Ersan Mondtag's futuristic vision of Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos - opera review
- Mozart's Cosi fan tutte: director Christof Loy & a strong cast demonstrate that less is more - opera review
- Virtuoso tour de force of triviality: Barrie Kosky's production of Rossini's Il viaggio a Reims - opera review
- Bright Young Things to the fore: Liam Steel's production of Strauss' Die Fledermaus at Opera Holland Park revels in 1920s London setting - review
- BBC Proms: A meaty, not to say tough programme, Sakari Oramo, Guy Johnston & BBC Symphony Orchestra in Britten's Cello Symphony, Turnage premiere & Sibelius - concert review
- Beyond the Gothic melodrama: Opera Holland Park revives Verdi's Un ballo in maschera with Elin Pritchard, Matteo Desole, Dario Solari - opera review
- BBC Proms: Virtuosity & discipline from John Wilson & the Sinfonia of London in Respighi's Roman trilogy & Walton's Cello Concerto - concert review
- Buxton Festival
- Francesca Caccini's score, & Vache Baroque's performance, surprised & captivated: La liberazione di Ruggiero - opera review
- Musically, an evening of complete enjoyment: Olivia Fuchs's playful 'Love Island' setting for Handel's Amadigi di Gaula - opera review
- More than a concert: Mozart's La clemenza di Tito brings out the work's real drama - opera review
- Home
No comments:
Post a Comment