Les Indes Galantes

Jean-Philippe Rameau’s 1735 opéra-ballet is already represented by an excellent 2014 production by the Opéra National de Bordeaux (VL-11/15). This mounting from the 2016 Munich Festival of the Bayerische Staatsoper is equally compelling. While both are musically superb--this version is conducted expertly by baroque specialist Ivor Bolton--they are quite different in their treatment of this tale of love reigning triumphant in four different "exotic" locales: the Ottoman Empire, Peru, Persia, and America. The Bordeaux version opts for a bizarre amalgam of period literalism and modernist updating, complete with some strategically-placed nudity. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Munich staging is more abstract, set in a parochial elementary school where the contest between love and war is played out in venues including a museum (for the Ottoman sequence, with glass display cases substituting for prison cells) and a chapel (where the Peruvian high priest is the Catholic chaplain). These are striking backdrops for the singers and dancers--who include a group of soloists who often take on multiple roles, the Balthasar-Neumann-Chor, and a dozen members of the Dancers of Eastman. The costumes are mostly simple and conventionally modern and the expert camerawork nicely captures the intricacies of Cherkaoui’s imaginative choreography. A choice between the Munich and Bordeaux productions would be difficult, but each allows Rameau’s brilliant work to shine. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)