
SEATTLE — No other French opera embodies the designation “grand” associated with the magnificence of French opera at its height in 19th-century Paris as does Hector Berlioz’s epic Les Troyens. In this masterpiece, for which he wrote both music and libretto, Berlioz showed the love he held for Virgil, Shakespeare, Gluck, Mozart, Beethoven, and other classicists and reached the creative peak he so desired throughout his career. “I am sure that I have written a great work, greater and nobler than anything done hitherto,” he wrote in a letter to his close friend, patron, and prime encourager, the Princess Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein.
But due to the ambitious nature of the two-part, five-act, six-hour work based on Virgil’s Aeneid, Berlioz only lived to see an 1863 production of Part 2, Les Troyens à Carthage, consisting of Acts 3, 4, and 5. Les Troyens was not presented with the first part, La prise de Troie, until 1890 in Karlsruhe, Germany, 21 years after the composer’s death.
On Jan. 17, tapping the success of its 2023 concert presentation of another French masterpiece, Saint-Saëns’ Samson and Delilah, Seattle Opera presented Les Troyens in Concert: Les Troyens à Carthage, an abridged concert version of Berlioz’s original tragédie lyrique. The audience delighted in this opportunity to immerse themselves in the sheer musical ecstasy of the work, beautifully supported by 80 Seattle Symphony musicians and the 60-voice Seattle Opera Chorus.

Helming the performance was Seattle Symphony conductor emeritus Ludovic Morlot, a French native highly acclaimed for his 2023 Samson and for his 2018 Seattle Opera debut in Berlioz’s enchanting final opera, Béatrice and Bénédict. Morlot, also known for his memorable renderings of other Berlioz repertoire as music director of the Seattle Symphony, brings singular insights into the splendor of Berlioz’s music.
An outstanding cast collaborated with Morlot in this extraordinary effort. Taking on the fiendishly difficult leads in their role debut were J’Nai Bridges as Dido and Russell Thomas as Aeneas. They scored twin triumphs as the legendary tragic queen and the betraying warrior who ultimately is forced to choose between love and duty.
Having entranced audiences as the irresistible Delilah in her Samson company debut, Bridges, a local heroine with origins close to the Emerald City, gave a powerful interpretation of the noble Queen of Carthage. In addition to her vocal beauty, she vividly captured the trifecta of fury, wretchedness, and resignation that embodies the multifaceted character in her final scene. In a voice full-throated but not overly heavy. Bridges added an appealing translucence to her performance.
Miami native Russell, a Seattle Opera Young Artist in the 2002-2003 season, returned to the company for the first time since performing in Nabucco in 2015. The sheer beauty of his sound was more than sufficient to capture the role impressively, and his lush, generous voice showed astonishing clarity and strength in the role’s punishing tessitura. His immense aria, “Inutiles regrets,” challenging in every sense for the most heroic of tenors, gave Russell the chance to optimize his absolute power, beauty, and arresting intensity. He never faltered, increasing his brilliance all the way to the breathtaking climax, with Vickers-like robustness.

Among the cast of Seattle Opera regulars were two notable debuts. Known for her work as a recitalist and soloist with major symphony orchestras, mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor performed superbly as Dido’s sister Anna. Her rich, lyrical sound was perfectly suited to the role, and she was dramatically convincing and a delight to watch. Tenor John Matthew Myers made a striking impression as Iopas, negotiating the high-flying tessitura of his key aria with beauty and skill.
The returning supporting players, familiar to Seattle audiences, were bass Adam Lau as Narbal, bass Andrew Potter as Panthée, soprano Tess Altiveros as Ascanius, and baritone Richard L. Hodges as both Mercury and the Ghost of Priam. Despite their relatively short time onstage, they all provided exceptional support to the principals, alone and in the ensembles. Both Potter and Lau won audience appreciation for their low notes; Lau wins special kudos for his consistency in holding forth in the dauntingly low register for an extended period.
Berlioz’s grand opera requires an enormous effort from immense choral forces. Chorus master Michaella Calzaretta summoned from her troops the requisite vastness in their Carthaginian sound. The “Royal Hunt and Storm” sequence combined high drama with vocal splendor.

Arranging and abridging Berlioz’s opera into concert form was in itself a monumental task. Morlot’s adaptation was seamless; even those familiar with the opera in its complete form would be hard-pressed to find fault with the result. Though most of the magnificent ballet music was necessarily missing, the “Danse des esclaves” was a perfect choice as the opening for Part 2.
The conductor also was impressive in command of the Seattle Symphony, with whom he established a close relationship in his years as their music director. Morlot’s wide-ranging gestures, whether gentle and sensitive, robust and forceful, or persuasive and eloquent, drew an exemplary performance of the technically difficult, physically taxing score. The iconic “Hunt and Storm,” one of the grandest tours de force in the orchestral repertoire, was mesmerizing. The momentous French horn solos, which almost amount to a concerto in their prominence and demands, were exquisitely played.
Directed by Anderson Nunnelley, the singers mostly projected razor-sharp drama, though having Dido and Aeneas perform their passionate love duet from opposite ends of the stage was a puzzling choice.

Lighting designer Robert Aguilar’s displayed creative flair in silvery, shimmering foils at the apron of the stage to represent the North African sea in all its permutations, changing the colors according to the dramatic action. The result was a magical atmosphere that was not distracting.
Seattle Opera’s Les Troyens in Concert proved an auspicious beginning to the new year and to the tenure of new general director James Robinson. But special recognition goes to the stellar contribution of Morlot, who more than fulfilled his Herculean task of distilling a colossal work to its essence.