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Offenbach's operetta La Belle Hélène, which pokes fun at the Parisian upper class of a century and a half ago through tales of ancient Greece, requires a leap of imagination that this production only partly succeeds in reconciling. On musical grounds we're on sure footing. Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducts the chorus and orchestra of the Zurich Opera House with his customary flair for precise and taut rhythms and an appreciation of the composer's wit and the good tunes that are a-plenty. His multinational cast headed by Vesselina Kasarova as Helen of Troy and Deon van der Walt as her lover, Paris, are excellent, and among the smaller parts there's a lively and stylish performance from Liliana Nichiteanu as Oreste. The video direction by Hartmut Schroder and the superb sound obtained from the relatively intimate Zurich Opera House, a delightful setting for this operetta, are further assets. The production, alas, is unenlightening and perpetrates an over-the-top style that seems to be synonymous with Offenbach. The backdrop, a pink concave awning, is hideous. The costumes by designer Jean-Charles de Castelibajac are silly: Paris is dressed in lederhosen and looks like a twerp, the high priest Calchac wears a Ku Klux Klan hat, and Helen at one point looks as though she'll take to rappelling. Kasarova suggests the lure of Helen in her voice, but a beauty she's not. So it's left to Harnoncourt, who joins the company at the curtain call with a twinkle in his eye and a nifty side step, and his superb orchestra to remind us what might have been. --Adrian Edwards
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