Since 1986, Belgian Philippe Boesmans has been composer-in-residence at Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels and has had four operas produced there. Julie is based on
Strindberg's 1888 play Miss Julie, with a German libretto by Luc Bondy (who directed the production), and Marie-Louise Bischofberger, and was premiered there in 2005. This recording comes from that production. In every way, it stands up to the high standards for which the theater is known: scrupulous musical preparation, remarkably polished performances on the part of the singers and orchestra, and careful attention to the dramatic elements of the opera. Boesmans' music is very much in the modernist tradition, but it is so finely calibrated to illuminate the drama that it's likely to seem easily accessible to the attentive listener. His vocal writing is not traditionally melodic, but it seems like such a visceral, spontaneous expression of the characters' feelings that it sounds entirely natural. Swedish mezzo-soprano
Malena Ernman is nothing short of phenomenal in the title role. Her performance is magnetic and dramatically nuanced, and her voice is like a force of nature: deep, pure, resonant, and unmannered. The electricity between her character and Jean, her father's valet, played with comparable finesse and power by baritone
Garry Magee, is practically palpable.
Magee has a warm, attractive instrument, but the vocal subtlety of his performance persuasively conveys Jean's casual cruelty and amoral self-absorption. As Kristin, the estate's cook and Jean's fiancée, coloratura soprano Kerstin Avemo's delicacy is a perfect foil for
Ernman's free-thinking, larger-than-life Julie. Vocally, though, she completely holds her own, and when she directs the fury of her indignation and contempt at Jean and Julie, she's even a little scary.
Kazushi Ono leads Chamber Orchestra of La Monnaie with absolute assurance through Boesmans' complex score, drawing sounds of unearthly spookiness from the ensemble. The sound of the live performance is clean, atmospheric, and natural. The performance is also available in DVD format from BelAir Classiques. Julie should be of strong interest to any fans of powerfully dramatic opera, whether modern or traditional. Highly recommended.