Take a work that carries a message of hope, unfolding across the world – thus speaking to each and every one – in a timeless era. Introduce singers of unparalleled talent, deeply imbued with the essence of the work’s message. Elevate the whole under the direction of a conductor who understands every nuance of the piece and commands, with remarkable ease, the means to lead their orchestra to deliver its finest performance. Care must be taken to employ the best tools to achieve the most exquisite result: what could be more fitting than using instruments whose timbres most closely resemble those the composer himself envisioned? The analogy may raise a smile, yet we find none more apt: a fusion of elements that contributed to an evening of infinite beauty, paying tribute to a work, alas, too little known. Having tasted such a marvel at its premiere, our memories can only be all the more joyous.

Let us begin with the conductor. A mastery that illuminates the work, revealing with infinite grace the subtle intricacies that weave its universe – far beyond music alone. A delicacy that ensures the crystalline beauty of so many moments remains untouched, refusing any undue harshness in the stroke of the baton. A power, yes, whenever the score demands, but a power that does not break, does not constrain, but rather unveils without destroying. Through nuance, the myriad shades of colours, the interplay of tonalities, emerge – never excessive, always exact. To master the greatest is to master the subtlest, and here, all finds its rightful place with measured precision… Schumann himself regarded Das Paradies und die Peri as his crowning achievement, and Laurence Equilbey brings its grandeur to light, reviving, nearly two centuries after its composition, the unblemished emotion of a masterpiece too seldom heard.

The wave of enchantment follows its course and reaches the stage, with a Peri at the forefront who herself performs a miracle: stepping in at the last moment to replace Johanni van Oostrum, Mandy Fredrich unveils the delicately silvered charm of her timbre. Her performance intertwines both a driving energy – propelling the Peri forward as she courageously undertakes various trials to reach the gates of Paradise – and a fragility that is pure sensitivity. Alongside him, Sebastien Kohlhepp – an artist of rare completeness in today’s musical landscape – delivers a performance of theatrical and vocal precision worthy of the highest admiration. With such a profound appropriation of the narrative and a disarming natural ease, we arrive at the inevitable conclusion that he does not merely interpret the narrator: he is the narrator. A cornerstone in the comprehension of the story, he shapes the musical tableau with a voice of remarkable warmth, whose radiant presence effortlessly fills La Seine Musicale and materialises the sublime, an achievement only a truly refined talent can attain.

Agata Schmidt, with her generous vocal resources, her well-placed, bronzed timbre, rich and enveloping, embodies an alto of pulsating emotion, despite her extreme restraint… Perhaps it is precisely this measured delicacy that heightens the subtlety of her interpretation and magnifies the beauty of her singing. Samuel Hasselhorn is one of those singers who affirm that the raptures once experienced by audiences in the presence of legendary figures of the operatic repertoire remain not only possible today but assured. His singing, marked by crystal-clear enunciation, intelligibility, and an astute understanding of the libretto, allows for exquisitely nuanced vocal modulations. Add to this the elegance of his bearing and his profound dignity before the audience, and one finds an artist of rare refinement. We eagerly anticipate seeing him soon in the role of the barber Schneidebart at the Staatsoper Berlin in Die schweigsame Frau.

From Clara Guillon, we retain an interpretation imbued with a certain gravity, yet radiant with a luminous voice, much like that of Lancelot Lamotte. They are rays that illuminate the stage, and, from a strictly vocal perspective, despite all the tribulations we may endure (even the irrevocable) remind us that this work, above all, is a bearer of true optimism. Victoire Bunel, whom we had the joy of hearing this season at the Opéra Comique in Le Domino Noir, now offers us the opportunity to discover her artistry in a different register, where the splendour of her voice and interpretation shine in all their brilliance. The crowning touch: the Accentus choir, evoking a celestial legion of angelic voices, repeatedly moving us with profound emotion.

En somme: go, do not hesitate! It is not every day that we have the privilege of indulging in a rare masterpiece, adorned with such assured and meticulously honed qualities.

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Cast: Peri (Mandy Fredrich) · Tenor (Sebastian Kohlhepp) · Alto (Agata Schmidt) · Baritone (Samuel Hasselhorn) · The young Girl (Clara Guillon) · The Angel (Victoire Bunel) · Gazna (Julien Clément) · The young Boy (Lancelot Lamotte) · Accentus choir · Insula orchestra.

(For further informations) Link to the Insula Orchestra website: Das Paradies und die Peri (2025 production). The next performances will take place on May 16 and 17 at La Seine Musicale (staged version) and on May 30 at the Musikverein in Vienna (concert version)