The Opéra National de Paris is set to present a new production of Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette” this June. The production, which opens on June 17 and runs through July 15 at the Opéra Bastille (the first time the opera gets showcased at the theater), will be directed by Thomas Jolly. Carlo Rizzi will conduct two different casts. The first {…}
(Photo by Agathe Poupeney / Opéra national de Paris) It has been a rocky start to Paris Opera’s production of “Ariodante.” Its premiere faced a strike of the backstage staff, and the second performance was canceled due to political manifestations. Therefore, the press could only see the show weeks after its opening. Händel’s opera, however, is very much worth the {…}
On April 20, 2023, the Opéra National de Paris’s general director Alexander Neef took the stage of the Bastille to announce unexpected changes to a performance of “Ariodante.” The performance, which was set to premiere in a production by Robert Carson, was instead presented in a concert version. Prior to the performance, Neef took to the stage to make the {…}
It has not been the easiest time for soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams. Her debut at Paris Opera has been, to say the least, controversial. On the one hand, she is pushing for redefinitions of what art is and how we should face the standard operatic repertoire. On the other hand, the audience’s reaction has been, in her own words, “passionate.” {…}
The Opéra National de Paris has announced it will invest 7.2 million euros in fixing the Palais Garnier’s façade. Per an official press statement issued by the company, the need for renovations are the result of pollution and other climate-related wear and tear to the materials and structure of the façade. The project will be undertaken by Oppic (l’Opérateur du {…}
Paris Opera’s “Carmen” staging was sold as the same production staged last November, yet everything was different. Adding one or two gestures here and there can almost completely change the characters’ psychology. Calixto Bieito’s staging remains impressive and provocative. He emphasizes the importance of true meaning to the detriment of the exploitation of empty forms. The impact of such a {…}
The Opéra National de Paris has announced that for the first time in its history, the company will be organizing an auction in support of its projects. The auction will be organized by Paris Opera’s Outreach Association (AROP) and the auction house Sotheby’s. The auction, entitled “ Soutenons l’Opéra, Enchérissons pour la création (Let’s support the Opera, Bid for creation)” is {…}
The Opéra National de Paris is set to present Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” starting on Feb. 18, 2023. The opera will be directed by Andrei Serban and conducted by Aziz Shokhakimov. The production features set and costume design by William Dudley with lighting design by Guido Levi. Ching-Lien Wu is the chorus master for the Paris Opera Chorus. Brenda Rae {…}
This review is for the performance of January 21, 2023 Unearthing the bodies of “Il Trovatore,” La Fura dels Baus and Àlex Ollé found the first great war. This is not a literary metaphor used by this pedantic critic, but what actually was presented in the stage. Large tombs are raised and lowered into rows of graves on the stage {…}
This review is for the performance on Jan. 17, 2023. Having lived in Paris for a while, I can say I have more than once seen a stage director booed. Once, a conductor was vaguely disproved of by few operagoers. But until tonight, I have never seen a soprano booed so virulently as Parisians jeered Mary Elizabeth Williams’ Isolde. Why {…}
The Opéra National de Paris is set to showcase “Peter Grimes,” opening on January 26, 2023. The opera is directed by Deborah Warner, whose production premiered at the Teatro Real de Madrid in 2021. Conductor Alexander Soddy, who worked as the music director at the Nationaltheater Mannheim between 2016-22, will make his Paris Opera debut in the pit. Headlining the {…}
