Orlando Furioso, Théâtre du Champs-Elysées

The first thing you need to know if you ever go to the Théâtre du Champs-Elysées is that the seats upstairs are ridiculously small. The place was built for a more petite age, and unless you are snake-hipped and have short legs, or are a child up to twelve, you will be crippled by the end of the evening. Even before the opera began Megan was sitting on the steps, and I was standing. It saved embarrassment to know that we weren’t the only ones.

If you go there to see Vivaldi’s Orlando Furioso, one thing you don’t need to know is the plot. A loves B who loves C and so, D casts magic spells and E goes mad for most of act III. The end. The important thing is the singing, a thought which comforted us when we saw the French surtitles.

Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Orlando) has a big contralto voice, bright and even throughout her whole range. She deserved the ovation for her act I aria ‘Troppo è fiero’, and the cheers and stamping that greeted her curtain call at the end. Jennifer Larmore was a fiery Alcina, ripping off ornamental runs like the spells she put half the characters under.

But we were there for Philippe Jaroussky, probably the first legendary voice of the 21st century. Jaroussky sang the small role of Ruggiero, but his stage presence and his extraordinary voice made his three arias stand out. His melancholy ‘Sol da te, mio dolce amore’ was perfect in every way. The review in Friday’s Le Monde simply said, ‘The Ruggiero of Philippe Jaroussky, miracle of poetry incarnate, is very beautiful.’

Jean-Christophe Spinosi conducted his Ensemble Matheus, their customary clarity and balance a joy to listen to. It has been said that we are in a golden age for baroque opera. It’s probably true. Pity about the seats.