Dinorah = Rocío Pérez
Hoël = Régis Mengus
Corentin = Philippe Talbot
Jäger (huntsman) = Seth Carico
Mäher (harvester) = Gideon Poppe
1. Schäferin (shepherd) = Nicole Haslett
2. Schäferin (shepherd) = Karis Tucker
Enrique Mazzola, conductor
Deutche Oper Berlin
Chorus master - Jeremy Bines
Concert in French
This page was last updated: March 17, 2020
In French, and surtitled in German, English
Surprise, surprise, my second row is now first row since this is an opera konzertant. The Orchestra and chorus in plane view upon the suspended stage. Reading the text high in the air means looking up, up, up. And the soloists are to close to see them without looking up, otherwise I can only see their legs.
Rocío Pérez in her green dress is magnificent as Dinorah. Only, I am on the right side of theatre which means I am on the wrong side to see her clearly but at least I do not need to look upwards just sideways. Rocío Pérez sings and acts the role. And this is an opèra comique with dialogue. A happy ending and the dialogue in French sounds great unlike the mumbles in Staatsoper's Medée.
Yesterday's Oberthal, Seth Carico was the huntsman. Yesterday's Jonas, Gideon Poppe was the harvester. Yesterday's opera Le Prophète means that I cannot like the huntsman since Seth Carico was so convincing as Obethal. Gideon Poppe was just the cutest tenor ever.
The big tenor role of today was Philippe Talbot who was the coward Corentin who with drinking found the courage to go treasurehunting with Hoël. Hoël was sung by Régis Mengus. He was the man who deserted Dinorah which made Dinorah mad, and he deserted her for treasurehunting, He knows that the first who touch the treasure will die within a year. So that is his reason to take Corentin with him.
Unfortunately or not, Dinorah meets Corentin, the talk about the treasure reminds her of the song about the unfortunate fate to the first ho touches the treasure. So now Corentin does not want to be first. He wants another to take his place, Hoël. Then Dinorah meets the two men and Corentin thinks she is the perfect victim, she is just a madwoman. Hoël disagree, he find it distasteful and cowardly to put a woman to risk. He does not recognize Dinorah and when he does he thinks it is a trick from Satan to hinder him to get his treasure. Tragedy strikes in the bad weather Dinorah loses her footing and the river takes her.
Last act. Act 3. Hoël thinks Dinorah is dead. She is cold to touch and does not stirr. Régis Mengus carried Rocío Pérez in his arms and puts her gently on a chair. He sings of his sorrow that he will die unless Dinorah will come back to her senses. He regrets the desertion, the treasurehunting. Now he want only Dinorah. She awakes. They are in the same spot where a year earlier Hoël deserted Dinorah when the lightning took Dinorahs home. Now the white house is again there. She thinks it was all a dream, and he hopes so much that Dinorah will always believe it a dream. But where are the bridal wreath and where are the pilgrims. Against all hopes then the pilgrims starts singing. They are relieved. Corentin comes back to Hoël after he has been in the village to get help for Dinorah, he asks about the treasure. Hoël says Dinorah's heart is the treasure. HAPPY ENDING!
