LA BELLE H'L�NE: HAMBURG OPERA (PRIESSNITZ)

Jacques Offenbach's La Belle Helene (1864) has always been one of it's composer's most successful works. '>>' It's first, slightly scandalizing performance in Paris was quickly followed by productions in Vienna, Berlin, London, Milan and New York. '>>' A satire of middle-class values, this opera bouffe - told through the story of Paris and Helen, and her abduction by the Trojan prince disguised as a shepherd - pillories narrow-mindedness in society. '>>' Adopting a pro-active stance, director Renaud Doucet and designer Andre Barbe treat the piece as a great show with numerous choreographic elements, relocating the action of Offenbach's classical spoof and setting it on a cruise ship in the 1960s, when Flower Power, love and drugs were all the rage. '>>' La Belle Helene is a firework display for ears and eyes... (Hamburger Morgenpost), opulent and amusing (Bild), and, in the title role, Jennifer Larmore convinces with her fantastic vocal performance. (Das Opernglas)