On October 10, watch the opera Aida live from the Opéra Bastille, directed by Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat.

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Giuseppe Verdi

Aida

How to choose between love for an enemy general and love for one’s homeland? Such is the dilemma faced by Aida, an Ethiopian princess enslaved in Egypt, who also has to contend with the rivalry of Amneris, the Pharaoh’s daughter, who loves the same man as her, Radames. Yet it is proud Amneris who begs the priests to pardon Radames after he unwittingly betrays a military secret. In this work, first performed in 1871 at the Cairo Opera, Giuseppe Verdi alternates epic scenes such as the famous triumphal march with more intimate arias such as “Celeste Aida”. While the context of the work’s creation owes much to the Egyptomania in vogue in the 19th century, the themes of Aida are as timeless as they are universal. This is reflected in the staging by Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat, who, making her Paris Opera debut, emphasises the cruelty of religious fanaticism, so swift to oppress women. Production created at the Salzburg Festival, revived in co-production with the Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona

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Aida by Giuseppe Verdi, from 24 September to 4 November 2025

How to choose between love for an enemy general and love for one’s homeland? Such is the dilemma faced by Aida, an Ethiopian princess enslaved in Egypt, who also has to contend with the rivalry of Amneris, the Pharaoh’s daughter, who loves the same m

Where does Mélisande come from and what did she endure before losing her way in the forest of Allemonde? The drama unfolds in a mysterious world of dark caves and sleeping waters: Pelléas, Golaud’s half-brother, and Mélisande fall in love, arousing the jealousy of Golaud, who has married the young girl.In 1892, Claude Debussy, very much taken with Maurice Maeterlinck’s play, found it to be the ideal libretto for the musical form he had in mind: a lyric drama in which the characters would sing “like natural people”.Ten years later, this ground-breaking opera was premiered to great scandal. Wajdi Mouawad explores this fascinating work in his second production for the Paris Opera.
 A production of the Paris Opera, with the participation of medici.tv, supported by the Orange Foundation, sponsor of the Paris Opera’s audiovisual broadcasts, and by the Cercle POP, patrons of audiovisual and digital projects. © Opéra national de Paris - 2025

Arkel: Old king of Allemonde (an imaginary country) Golaud: Arkel’s grandson, a widower who has married Mélisande Pelléas: Golaud’s half-brother Mélisande: Young woman of mysterious origins, Golaud’s wife Geneviève: Mother of Golaud and Pelléas Little Yniold: Golaud’s son by a former marriage

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Pelléas et Mélisande

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Where does Mélisande come from and what did she endure before losing her way in the forest of Allemonde?The drama unfolds in a mysterious world of dark caves and sleeping waters: Pelléas, Golaud’s half-brother, and Mélisande fall in love, arousing th

Claude Debussy

Apaches, an ephemeral collective choreographic performance conceived by choreographer Saïdo Lehlouh. Leaving room for randomness, several dance aesthetics will share the stage of the Palais Garnier: classical with 19 dancers from the Ballet de l'Opéra, and hip hop, krump, electro, waacking... with 40 dancers working with the choreographer.Set to music by ex-Daft Punk Thomas Bangalter, the dancers will experience and reveal all the beauty of instinctive, spontaneous dance. Featuring 19 dancers from the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet: Diane Adellach, Tosca Auba, Keïta Bellali, Samuel Bray, Ilona Cabley, Camille Calazans, Jérémie Devilder, Saki Kuwabara, Chun-Wing Lam, Lorenzo Lelli, Micah Levine, Alexander Maryianowski, Paul Mayeras, Osiris Onambele Ngono, Elizabeth Partington, Luna Peigné, Lisa Petit, Luciana Sagioro, Rémi Singer GassnerAnd 40 dancers working closely with the choreographer: Ndoho Ange, Mehdi Baki, Ilyess Benali aka Pocket, Kaê Brown Carvalho, Hugo Burtel, Audric Chauvin, Suzanne Degennaro, Marina de Remedios, Hugo De Vathaire, Lorenzo Da Silva Dasse aka Ds, Jerson Diasonama, Sofiane « Double So » El Boukhari, Marine Esteban aka Reverse, Dylan Eusebe aka Buzz From Pluto, Théodora Guermonprez, Evan Greenaway, Linda Hayford, Aliashka Hilsum, Marvin Kemat aka Zulu, Karim Khouader aka Karim KH, Kïne aka Young Wrestler, Odile Lacides, Oscar Lassus dit Layus, Timothée Lejolivet aka Timo, Amiel Mampouya aka El mielo, Anaïs Mauri aka Silent, Mulunesh aka Wrestler X, Mounia Nassangar, Émilie Ouedraogo Spencer aka Wounded, Filipe Francisco Pereira Silva, Yonas Perou aka Cosmos, Mathieu Rassin aka Thieu, Mattéo Raoelison aka Rao, Lumi Sow, Raphaël Stora, Timotkn, Bernadette Tisseau, Clarisse Tognella, Lorenzo « Sweet » Vayssière, Aisi Zhou aka Joyce. A project led by the Collectif FAIR-E / CCN of Rennes and Brittany, in collaboration with the Paris Opera. This project received a grant from Paris 2024 as part of the Cultural Olympiad. © La Belle Télé – Opéra national de Paris – 2024

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Apaches

Apaches, an ephemeral collective choreographic performance conceived by choreographer Saïdo Lehlouh. Leaving room for randomness, several dance aesthetics will share the stage of the Palais Garnier: classical with 19 dancers from the Ballet de l'Opér

Saïdo Lehlouh

Discover this month

To mark Paris Fashion Week, POP presents a selection of ballets whose costumes and sets were designed by leading fashion designers: from Christian Lacroix's creations for Le Palais de Cristal, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and La Source to costumes by ALAÏA by Pieter Mulier and Alejandro Palomo for The Male Dancer.&nbsp;

Entitled Roots, this programme explores those of George Balanchine who, in Theme and Variations, created in 1947 in New York, adopted Tchaikovsky’s music to pay homage to the Russian academic tradition that nurtured him. Christopher Wheeldon, for his part, draws on the heritage of ancient Greece for his ballet Corybantic Games, making its repertoire debut at the Opera. The title refers as much to the frenzy that characterised the conducting style of Leonard Bernstein – whose music informs the piece – as it does to the Corybantes, the priests of the goddess Cybele with their martial dances. Finally, Rhapsodies enters the repertoire to George Gershwin’s score. In his piece, Cape Town-born choreographer Mthuthuzeli November evokes both urban energy and his African origins.

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Roots, from 6 October to 10 November 2025 at the Opéra Bastille

Entitled Roots, this programme explores those of George Balanchine who, in Theme and Variations, created in 1947 in New York, adopted Tchaikovsky’s music to pay homage to the Russian academic tradition that nurtured him.Christopher Wheeldon, for his 

George Balanchine / Mthuthuzeli‎ November / Christopher‎ Wheeldon

Roots

Numerous choreographers have delved into Shakespeare to find dramatic material for their ballets, beginning with Jean-Georges Noverre, an ardent defender of the “action ballet” and Marius Petipa, who was the first to use Mendelssohn’s stage music. George Balanchine, who also loved the score, would prove no exception.In 1962 he created his version of Shakespeare’s comedy for New York City Ballet. Faithful to the Bard’s vocabulary whilst adding a subtle touch of pantomime, he portrays a complex love story in two acts and six scenes.Theseus, Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, become caught up in a domestic quarrel between the king of the elves and the queen of the fairies which results in the intervention of the mischievous Puck and his magic potion along with a troupe of amateur actors. The denouement is celebrated in the form of a grand virtuoso entertainment.One of George Balanchine’s rare narrative ballets, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is entering the Paris Opera Ballet’s repertoire. The sets and costumes for this production have been designed by another magician of the stage, Christian Lacroix. The Étoiles, the Premiers Danseurs and the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet, with the participation of the Paris Opera Ballet School students Paris Opera Orchestra and ChorusA co-production of Opéra national de Paris and Telmondis With the participation of France Télévisions, NHK With the support of the Orange Foundation, patron of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts And with the support of the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée.Director: Vincent Bataillon © Opéra national de Paris - Telmondis - 2017Picture: © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

<ul><li>Titania: Queen of the Fairies</li><li>Oberon: King of the Fairies</li><li>Hermia: In love with Lysander</li><li>Lysander: Beloved of Hermia</li><li>Helena: In love with Demetrius</li><li>Demetrius: Suitor to Hermia</li><li>Hippolyta: Queen of the Amazons</li><li>Theseus: Duke of Athens</li><li>Bottom</li><li>A weaver  </li><li>Puck</li><li>The first Butterfly</li><li>Divertissement’s Principals</li></ul>

Le songe d'une nuit d'été

A Midsummer Night's Dream_trailer

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Numerous choreographers have delved into Shakespeare to find dramatic material for their ballets, beginning with Jean-Georges Noverre, an ardent defender of the “action ballet” and Marius Petipa, who was the first to use Mendelssohn’s stage music. Ge

George Balanchine

Roland Petit’s first piece for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1965, Notre-Dame de Paris brings together all the ingredients of a grand spectacle. The ballet was inspired by Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, with its colourful characters: the beautiful Esmerelda, the touching Quasimodo, the machiavellian Frollo and the cynical Pheobus.With colourful and graphic costumes by Yves Saint Laurent and sets by the painter René Allio that recreate the splendour of the Parisian cathedral, the choreography, sustained by the ensemble of the company’s dancers, translates all the expressive power of characters plunged into a saga of love and death.To mark the tenth anniversary of the choreographer’s death, the Corps de Ballet revives this magnificent fresco in dance on the stage of Opera Bastille. The Étoiles, the Premiers danseurs, the Premières danseuses and the Paris Opera Corps de BalletA coproduction of the Paris Opera and Telmondis, with the participation of France télévision With the support of the Orange Foundation, patron of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts, and the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image animée.Director: François-René Martin © Opéra national de Paris – Telmondis - 2021

<ul><li>Quasimodo: the bell-ringer</li><li>Esmeralda: the Bohemian</li><li>Frollo: the archdeacon of Notre-Dame</li><li>Phoebus: the captain of the King’s Archers</li></ul>

Notre-Dame de Paris

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Roland Petit’s first piece for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1965, Notre-Dame de Paris brings together all the ingredients of a grand spectacle. The ballet was inspired by Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, with its colourful characters: the beautiful Esmerelda,

Roland Petit

Four contemporary choreographers come together for a programme that leads the Opera’s dancers to a new form of modernity where bodies vibrate with intensity.To open the evening, James Thierrée takes over the public areas of the Palais Garnier and introduces us to his dream-like world. Canada’s Crystal Pite returns with The Seasons’ Canon, a dazzling creation that thrilled audiences at the Palais Garnier last season. Spain’s Iván Pérez occupies the stage of the Opera for the first time with a creation for ten male dancers. To conclude the evening, Israel’s Hofesh Shechter, often lauded for his telluric, trance-evoking dances, offers a new version of his piece The Art of Not Looking Back.

 Les Étoiles, les Premiers Danseurs et le Corps de Ballet

A co-production of the Paris Opera, BEL AIR MEDIA and ARTE France With the support of the Orange Foundation, patron of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts, and the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animéeDirectors: Cédric Klapisch, Miguel Octave © Opéra national de Paris – Bel Air Media / France 2018Picture: © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

Soirée Thierrée / Shechter / Pérez / Pite

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Performance of The Seasons' Canon by Noureyev at the Palais Garnier, from 23 September to 12 October 2023

Four contemporary choreographers come together for a programme that leads the Opera’s dancers to a new form of modernity where bodies vibrate with intensity. To open the evening, James Thierrée takes over the public areas of the Palais Garnier and in

Crystal Pite / James Thierrée / Hofesh Shechter / Iván Pérez

The Seasons' Canon / Frôlons / The Art of Not Looking Back / The Male Dancer

A legendary and fantastical Persia becomes the backdrop of the thwarted love triangle uniting the hunter Djémil, the beautiful Nouredda - engaged to the Khan- and Naïla, the water sprite.In his first creation for the Paris Opera Ballet, Etoile dancer Jean-Guillaume Bart revived an almost-forgotten ballet of the repertoire, originally premiered in 1866 at the Paris Opera.In a close collaboration with playwright Clément Hervieu-Léger, Jean-Guillaume Bart gave back to La Source its original freshness.He created a wonderful danced tale, poetic and virtuosic, enhanced by Christian Lacroix’s flamboyant costumes and Eric Ruf’s evocative stage set. The Etoiles, the Premiers Danseurs and the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet The Paris Opera OrchestraA co-production of the Paris National Opera - François Roussillon et Associés - 2011 With the participation of France Télévisions, the support of the CNC and the Orange Foundation, sponsor of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts.Director: François RoussillonPicture: © Anne Deniau / OnP

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La Source 

La Source_trailer

La Source

A legendary and fantastical Persia becomes the backdrop of the thwarted love triangle uniting the hunter Djémil, the beautiful Nouredda - engaged to the Khan- and Naïla, the water sprite. In his first creation for the Paris Opera Ballet, Etoile dance

Jean-Guillaume Bart

Both similar and different, two French composers and two choreographers of the New York City Ballet – Georges Balanchine who founded it and Benjamin Millepied who was trained there- are the heart of this evening.Georges Balanchine set his first creation for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1947 to an early work by Bizet, Le Palais de cristal, as a tribute to the company and the French ballet tradition.A refine work intrinsically connected to music, this piece is a model of academic virtuosity, unfolding in the wonderful case designed by an artist of colours and lights, Christian Lacroix.With Daphnis and Chloe, Benjamin Millepied offered his third creation to the Paris Opera Ballet, reviving the myth with the help of his friend Daniel Buren.Inspired by Balanchine, the choreographer drew his inspiration on the rhythms and colours of a “chorographical symphony” by Ravel for orchestra and chorus.These masterpieces of French music are conducted by Philippe Jordan who accompanies, for the first time, the dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet. The Étoiles, the Premiers Danseurs and the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet The Paris Opera Orchestra and ChorusA co-production of the Paris Opera, Telmondis and Mezzo With the participation of France Télévisions - With the support of the Orange Foundation, patron of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts and with the assistance of the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animéeDirector: François Goetghebeur © Opéra national de Paris – Telmondis - Mezzo - 2014Picture: © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

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George Balanchine / Benjamin Millepied Evening_trailer

George Balanchine / Benjamin Millepied Evening

Both similar and different, two French composers and two choreographers of the New York City Ballet – Georges Balanchine who founded it and Benjamin Millepied who was trained there- are the heart of this evening. Georges Balanchine set his first crea

George Balanchine, Benjamin Millepied

Le Palais de Cristal / Daphnis et Chloé

With a modern and figurative stage set, intertwining Sibelius' Violin Concerto with a musical creation by Celeste Oram, Pit takes the audience into a sensual, tribal and dramatic universe.Both trained at the Batsheva Dance Company under Ohad Naharin, Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber present Pit, their first creation for the Paris Opera Ballet.Born in Iowa, Bobbi Jene Smith joined Batsheva in 2005. In 2014, she embarked on a career as a choreographer, creating works for the Martha Graham Dance Company, the L.A. Dance Project and the Royal Danish Ballet. Born in Israel, Or Schraiber joined Naharin’s Company in 2010. He has directed, choreographed and acted in several short films.Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber share a strong attraction to the world of cinema, and they starred and danced in Aviva in 2020. The Paris Opera Corps de Ballet and the Paris Opera OrchestraDirector: Tommy Pascal © Opéra national de Paris

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With a modern and figurative stage set, intertwining Sibelius' Violin Concerto with a musical creation by Celeste Oram, Pit takes the audience into a sensual, tribal and dramatic universe. Both trained at the Batsheva Dance Company under Ohad Naharin

Bobbi Jene Smith, Or Schraiber

To mark Paris Fashion Week, POP presents a selection of ballets whose costumes and sets were designed by leading fashion designers: from Christian Lac

Ballets and haute couture creations

Watch on POP some of the shows you will discover on stage throughout the new 25/26 season!
Picture: © Agathe Poupeney

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This programme entitled Contrasts opens with two pieces by Trisha Brown. O złożony / O composite, created in 2004 for the Paris Opera Ballet, was an opportunity for the Company to experiment with “post-modern dance”. With this season’s addition to the repertoire of If you couldn’t see me, a solo danced back to the audience, the Opera is reinforcing its link with the emblematic New York avant‑garde choreographer, who died in 2017. In Anima Animus, British choreographer David Dawson not only explores the masculine and the feminine, but also plays on the contrasts between technical virtuosity and lyrical poetry whilst employing classical vocabulary. Finally, Imre and Marne van Opstal, brother and sister from the Netherlands, present their first work for the Paris Opera: Drift Wood. The symbol of driftwood, representing resilience, adaptability and abandonment, also reminds us of the beauty of nature and the passage of time.

O zlozony / O composite (saison 10/11) avec Clairemarie Osta et Josua Hoffalt

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Contrasts, from 01 to 31 December 2025 at the Palais Garnier

This programme entitled Contrasts opens with two pieces by Trisha Brown. O złożony / O composite, created in 2004 for the Paris Opera Ballet, was an opportunity for the Company to experiment with “post-modern dance”.With this season’s addition to the

Trisha Brown / David Dawson / Imre, Marne van Opstal

Contrasts

What can video contribute to choreography? Can the camera itself become choreographic, making dance more visceral? These are some of the questions underlying Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple’s artistic research. In Empreintes, the two British choreographers make their Paris Opera debut with a creation exploring the links between video and dance, set to an original score by Mikael Karlsson, composer of Play. Spanish choreographer Marcos Morau is also sensitive to the arts’ interdisciplinary dimension, often using a language that combines movement and image. His new work, Étude, explores the relationship between darkness and light, the light that allows us to imagine and create, despite doubts and shadows.

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Impressions, from 11 to 28 March 2026 at the Opéra Bastille

What can video contribute to choreography? Can the camera itself become choreographic, making dance more visceral? These are some of the questions underlying Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple’s artistic research.In Empreintes, the two British

Morgann Runacre-Temple, Jessica‎ Wright / Marcos Morau

Impressions

What is Gandhi’s influence on the contemporary political world? This is the question explored by Philip Glass’s opera Satyagraha (1980), the second in his trilogy devoted to historical figures, alongside Einstein on the Beach (1976) and Akhnaten (1984). But Satyagraha – Sanskrit for “truth force” – is not a biopic.This work, with its mesmerising music, interweaves timelines, relating each of its three acts to a key figure linked to Gandhi in order to better understand the genesis of his political thought: Leo Tolstoy, with whom he corresponded; the poet Rabindranath Tagore, who supported him; and Martin Luther King, who was inspired by his principles of non-violence.Satyagraha is entering the Paris Opera repertoire directed by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber, who have already created the dance piece Pit. For them, this opera “is not simply a meditation on history, but a call to action and a forceful lesson that rings ever more true today.”

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What is Gandhi’s influence on the contemporary political world? This is the question explored by Philip Glass’s opera Satyagraha (1980), the second in his trilogy devoted to historical figures, alongside Einstein on the Beach (1976) and Akhnaten (198

Philip Glass

Born from the cold waters of a lake, the water sprite Rusalka aspires to become a woman out of love for the prince with whom she is smitten. The witch who agrees to help her warns that her transformation will come at a high price: not only will she have to sacrifice her voice, but failure will mean eternal damnation.A lyric tale inspired in part by Andersen's The Little Mermaid, Antonín Dvořák's penultimate opera, first performed in Prague in 1901, boasts spellbinding music, with orchestration as sparkling as the silver moon shimmering in the waters.Seamlessly slipping into this organic, poetic universe, Robert Carsen devises a staging of great visual inventiveness: using an interplay of symmetries and duplications, he evokes reflections in the water as much as the mirror of dreams, revealing the impasse of an unnatural transgression.

Rusalka: A supernatural aquatic creature The Water Goblin: Rusalka’s father The Prince: A human loved by Rusalka The Foreign Princess: Rusalka’s human rival Ježibaba: A witch Three nymphs: Rusalka’s sisters The Forester, The Kitchen Boy: Servants at the royal castle

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Rusalka (saison 18/19) avec Camilla Nylund (Rusalka)

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Born from the cold waters of a lake, the water sprite Rusalka aspires to become a woman out of love for the prince with whom she is smitten. The witch who agrees to help her warns that her transformation will come at a high price: not only will she h

Antonín Dvořák

Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris 23-24 © E. Bauer - OnP

Hector Berlioz

Concert by the Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Hector Berlioz - Requiem

Is it because Murger had himself lived this way in his youth? No one better described the half-starved, struggling artists than the writer in his Scènes de la Vie de Bohème: artists ready to burn a manuscript to try to keep warm yet, in an era of triumphant bourgeois materialism, dreaming of another existence.Taking up these scenes of Bohemian life, Puccini offers us a heart-breaking love story and some of the most beautiful music in the history of opera in the story of the poet Rodolfo and fragile Mimi.The staging of this new production has been entrusted to Claus Guth who sets the drama in a future devoid of hope in which love and art become the sole means of transcendence. Maîtrise des Hauts de Seine / Chœur d’enfants de l’Opéra national de ParisDirector: François Roussillon A coproduction Opéra national de Paris and François Roussillon et Associés, with the participation of France Télévisions, TF1, medici.tv and the support of the Fondation Orange and the Centre National du Cinéma et de l’image animée.© Opéra national de Paris – François Roussillon et Associés - 2017

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La Bohème

La Bohème from 12 September to 14 October 2025 at the Opéra Bastille

Is it because Murger had himself lived this way in his youth? No one better described the half-starved, struggling artists than the writer in his Scènes de la Vie de Bohème: artists ready to burn a manuscript to try to keep warm yet, in an era of tri

Giacomo Puccini

If Handel were alive today, he would be termed resilient. In 1734‑1735, when the public had cooled towards him and his contract with the King’s Theatre drew to a close, the composer began to write Ariodante, an “opera seria” intended for the opening of the brand new Theatre Royal in Covent Garden. As if galvanised by adversity, he produced a radiant work, as virtuoso as the libretto, drawn from an episode of Arioste’s Orlando Furioso, is simple: Ginevra, a Scottish princess, is in love with Ariodante to whom she is betrothed, but a conspiracy led by the traitor Polinesso results in her being accused of infidelity.As well as giving us Handel’s most beautiful lament, this inspired score abounds throughout in virtuoso arias and breathes theatrical intelligence. Enough to inspire Robert Carsen who, in the wake of his legendary Paris Opera production of Alcina, composed the same year, signs a new production of Ariodante. The English Concert Chœurs de l’Opéra national de ParisCoproduction with the Metropolitan Opera, New-York With the support of the Orange Foundation, sponsor of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts.© Opéra national de Paris - 2023 Picture: © plainpicture / Narratives / Brent Darby

The King of Scotland: Ginevra’s father Ginevra: Daughter of the King of Scotland, betrothed to Ariodante Ariodante: Feudal Prince, Ginevra’s fiancéLurcanio: Ariodante’s brother, in love with Dalinda Polinesso: Duke of Albany Dalinda: Ginevra’s lady-in-waiting, secretly in love with Polinesso Odoardo: King’s secretary

Ariodante 22-23 © Agathe Poupeney-OnP (4)

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Ariodante from 16 September to 12 October 2025 at the Palais Garnier

If Handel were alive today, he would be termed resilient. In 1734‑1735, when the public had cooled towards him and his contract with the King’s Theatre drew to a close, the composer began to write Ariodante, an “opera seria” intended for the opening 

Georg Friedrich Handel

The Marriage of Figaro is one of the repertoire’s most iconic works. Brahms spoke of it as a “miracle” and the Countess’s lament remains one of the most heart-rending musical pages of all time. By taking up Beaumarchais’ comedy, which had caused a scandal to shake Parisian society, Mozart and Da Ponte’s success was secured.The play had even been banned by Joseph II in 1785 at Theatre of Vienna. Did it shine too much light on the contradictions of an already faltering regime, ready to collapse with the French Revolution? Netia Jones’ new production retains the very essence of Beaumarchais’ play as she humorously yet mischievously explores human relationships in a universe that confuses reality and fiction to the point of asking, like the Count: “Are we playing in a comedy?” The Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus A Paris Opera and Bel Air Media co-production, with the participation of France Télévisions, the support of the CNC and the Orange Foundation, patron of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts. Director: Andy Sommer© Opéra national de Paris – Bel Air Media – 2022 Picture: © Vincent Pontet / OnP

The Count: Seducer of Susanna and jealous husband The Countess: The Count’s wife, tormented by her husband’s deceptions Susanna: The Countess’s chambermaid, Figaro’s fiancée, Cherubino’s accomplice Figaro: The Count’s valet, engaged to Susanna Cherubino: The Count’s page, ingenuous young man in love with the Countess Marcellina: Housekeeper Bartolo: Doctor from Seville Don Basilio: Master of music Don Curzio: Judge Barbarina: The gardener’s daughter and Susanna’s cousin Antonio: The Count’s gardener and Susanna’s uncle

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Le Nozze di Figaro from 15 November to 27 December 2025 at the Palais Garnier

The Marriage of Figaro is one of the repertoire’s most iconic works. Brahms spoke of it as a “miracle” and the Countess’s lament remains one of the most heart-rending musical pages of all time. By taking up Beaumarchais’ comedy, which had caused a sc

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Season 25/26 : performances on stage!

Enter the dazzling world of classical ballet, and let yourself be transported by the masterpieces that have left their mark on the history of dance and the Paris Opera Ballet.From the timeless poetry of <a href="https://play.operadeparis.fr/en/p/swan-lake-season-18-19">Swan Lake</a> to the fiery brilliance of <a href="https://play.operadeparis.fr/en/p/don-quichotte">Don Quixote</a>, and the exotic splendor of <a href="https://play.operadeparis.fr/en/p/la-bayadere">La Bayadère</a>, stream Marius Petipa's great ballets, restaged by <a href="https://play.operadeparis.fr/en/catalogue/rudolf-nureyev">Rudolf Nureyev</a> at the Paris Opera.Explore as well the works that were first created at the Paris Opera: <a href="https://play.operadeparis.fr/en/p/giselle">Giselle</a>, the very essence of Romantic ballet; <a href="https://play.operadeparis.fr/en/p/la-source">La Source</a>, choreographed by Jean-Guillaume Bart to Léo Delibes’ luminous score; and the resplendent <a href="https://play.operadeparis.fr/en/p/paquita-2">Paquita</a>, revived in its full version by Pierre Lacotte in 2001.Discover more: <a href="https://play.operadeparis.fr/en/catalogue/ballet">All Ballets</a> - <a href="https://play.operadeparis.fr/en/catalogue/neoclassical-ballets">Neoclassical Ballet</a> - <a href="https://play.operadeparis.fr/en/catalogue/contemporary-dance">Contemporary Dance</a> - <a href="https://play.operadeparis.fr/en/catalogue/behind-the-scenes-of-the-paris-opera-ballet">Behind the Scenes of the Paris Opera Ballet</a> - <a href="https://play.operadeparis.fr/en/catalogue/opera">Opera</a>

Inspired by Marius Petipa’s choreography, Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote is a true celebration of dance with a Spanish flavour. The soloists and the Corps de Ballet are carried away in ensembles and pas de deux to the strains of a spirited score. Written in the 17th century, Cervantes’ novel recounts the adventures of Don Quixote, an idealist and bookworm who one day decides to ride across Spain with the naive Sancho Panza. In Nureyev’s ballet they meet Kitri and Basilio. The two lovers use every trick in the book – from a puppet performance to a fake suicide – to be reunited, despite Kitri’s father’s resistance. In the end it is Don Quixote who delivers the happy ending after battling windmills and crossing paths with Cupid, Dulcinea and the Queen of the Dryads. The costumes and colourful sets sublimate a vivacious and entertaining work. The Etoiles, the Premiers Danseurs and the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet The Paris Opera OrchestraA co-production of the Paris Opera, ARTE France and François Roussillon et Associés, with the support of the Orange Foundation, sponsor of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts, and the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée.

<ul><li>Kitri: Lorenzo’s daughter, in love with Basilio but betrothed to Gamache</li><li>Basilio: Penniless barber, in love with Kitri</li><li>Don Quixote: Knight errant who sets out to conquer the world</li><li>Camacho: Rich peasant, betrothed to Kitri</li><li>Lorenzo: Innkeeper, Kitri’s father</li><li>Sancho Panza: Don Quichotte’s loyal squire</li><li>The Queen of the Dryads: Nymph and guardian of the forests</li></ul>

DONQ_240321_YKellerman_0547_DON QUICHOTTE_ R Noureev_Sae Eun Park (c) Yonathan Kellerman OnP

DONQ_240321_YKellerman_0777_DON QUICHOTTE_ R Noureev_Paul Marque Sae Eun Park (c) Yonathan Kellerman OnP

Don Quixote (2024)_trailer

Don Quixote (2024)

Inspired by Marius Petipa’s choreography, Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote is a true celebration of dance with a Spanish flavour. The soloists and the Corps de Ballet are carried away in ensembles and pas de deux to the strains of a spirited score.Writte

Rudolf Nureyev

“When I recreate a ballet, I search for the fragrance of the period”, said dancer and choreographer Pierre Lacotte, who died in 2023. In Paquita, that perfume is the heady scent of Spain, mixed with elegant French fragrances.In the Valley of the Bulls, near Saragossa occupied by Napoleon’s armies, Paquita, a young gypsy girl, refuses the advances of an aristocrat, Lucien d’Hervilly, because of her modest condition. But when she saves him from a plot hatched by the Spanish governor, she discovers that her origins are far nobler than she thought… Pierre Lacotte, a lover of the Romantic repertoire, reconstructed Joseph Mazilier’s ballet in 2001. The work had enchanted Théophile Gautier when it premiered at the Paris Opera in 1846 but gradually fell into oblivion despite Marius Petipa’s new version in 1882. With its sumptuous sets and costumes, his Paquita portrays a picturesque Spain combining mime and characterful dances with dazzingly vivacious virtuoso technique.

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Paquita

“When I recreate a ballet, I search for the fragrance of the period”, said dancer and choreographer Pierre Lacotte, who died in 2023. In Paquita, that perfume is the heady scent of Spain, mixed with elegant French fragrances. In the Valley of the Bul

Pierre Lacotte

The final work of a life utterly devoted to dance, La Bayadère by Rudolf Nureyev has become one of the jewels of the Paris Opera Ballet’s repertoire. First performed in 1992, La Bayadère recounts the ill-fated loves of the dancer Nikiya and the noble warrior Solor, promised to the redoubtable Gamzatti, in an imaginary India complete with elephants, tigers and palanquins.Rudolf Nureyev adapted the choreography by Marius Petipa – to music by Ludwig Minkus – restructuring it to include virtuosi variations and large‑scale ensemble movements. The celebrated Royaume des Ombres (Kingdom of Shadows) in Act III is considered to be one of the summits of choreographic art.Unfailingly popular at the Paris Opera, the spectacular richness of Ezio Frigerio’s decors and costumes by Franca Squarciapino make La Bayadère a flamboyant spectacle. The Etoiles, the Premiers Danseurs and the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet The Paris Opera OrchestraUne production de l’Opéra national de ParisDirector: Isabelle Julien © Opéra national de Paris - 2020 Picture: © Little Shao / OnP

<ul><li>Solor: A noble and valiant warrior from the Indian kingdom of Golconda. He is in love with Nikiya.</li><li>Nikiya: Temple dancer and guardian of the Temple’s sacred fire. She is in love with Solor.</li><li>The High Brahmin: High priest of the temple. He is secretly in love with Nikiya.</li><li>The Rajah of Golconda: Monarch of the kingdom, father of Gamzatti. He wants her to marry Solor.</li><li>Gamzatti: The daughter of the Rajah of Golconda and Solor’s fiancée.</li><li>The Kshatriyas: Friends of Solor and members of the caste holding temporal power.</li><li>The Slave: Dances with Nikiya at the betrothal of Gamzatti and Solor.</li><li>Aiya: Gamzatti’s servant.</li><li>The Golden Idol: Incarnation evoking the god Shiva, holding the position of the lotus flower.</li><li>The Shades: The ghosts of dead bayadères.</li></ul>

Live Bayadere

La Bayadère_trailer

La Bayadère

The ballet is decked out in its finest jewels with Les Néréides

Jewels in Ballet with Les Néréides

The final work of a life utterly devoted to dance, La Bayadère by Rudolf Nureyev has become one of the jewels of the Paris Opera Ballet’s repertoire. First performed in 1992, La Bayadère recounts the ill-fated loves of the dancer Nikiya and the noble

Rudolf Noureev

Charles Perrault’s celebrated tale, set to music by Sergei Prokofiev, is transposed to a film set. In a series of references to the heroes of the American cinema, Rudolf Nureyev propels his Cinderella under the spotlights of Hollywood.With a producer for fairy godmother and a star actor as Prince Charming, she escapes her miserable destiny and sees her dreams come true in a story not without similarities with that of the choreographer, the young Tartar who became an international star.With this “ballet‑metaphor”, the Company pays tribute to its former director Rudolf Nureyev. A great production that celebrates the opening of the Paris Opera’s anniversary year. The Paris Opera Étoiles, Premiers Danseurs and Corps de Ballet Pasdeloup OrchestraAn Arte France, Paris Opera, Bel Air Media coproduction with the support of the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée and the Orange Foundation, patron of audiovisual broadcasts by the Paris Opera© Opéra national de Paris - ARTE France - BEL AIR MEDIA – 2018 Picture: © Yonathan Kellerman / OnP

2018-19-CENDRILLON Valentine Colasante (c) Yonathan Kellerman-Onp

2018-19-CENDR-021 (c) Yonathan Kellerman-Onp

Cinderella_trailer

Cinderella

Charles Perrault’s celebrated tale, set to music by Sergei Prokofiev, is transposed to a film set. In a series of references to the heroes of the American cinema, Rudolf Nureyev propels his Cinderella under the spotlights of Hollywood. With a produce

In Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky took up the legend of the immaculate bird to create some of the most beautiful music ever written for ballet. The choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov left their distinguished mark on this story of an impossible love between an earthly prince and a bird‑princess, refashioning the myth of the swan‑dancer, the ultimate ballerina.When creating his version for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1984, Rudolf Nureyev chose to give it a Freudian dimension, illuminating Tchaikovsky’s poetic dream through a sense of profound hopelessness. The Paris Opera Corps de Ballet The Paris Opera OrchestraA co-production by the Paris Opera and Telmondis, with the participation of France Télévisions, and the support of the CNC and the Orange Foundation, patron of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts.Director: François-René Martin © Opéra national de Paris – Telmondis – 2019 Picture: © Julien Benhamou / OnP

<ul><li>Siegfried: Young prince in love with Odette, he swears fidelity to her and seeks to save her from her curse. Unfortunately he is deceived by Rothbart and Odile.</li><li>Odette: Young princess transformed into a swan by Rothbart, only eternal love can free her.</li><li>Odile: Rothbart’s daughter, she takes the appearance of Odette to trick Siegfried.</li><li>Rothbart: A huge bird of prey, he transforms young women into swans and prevents Siegfried and Odette’s union.</li><li>Wolfgang: The Prince’s tutor, he mysteriously disappears when Rothbart appears.</li></ul>

DSC_6405 (c) Julien Benhamou - OnP

Swan Lake (2018)_trailer

Swan Lake (season 18/19)

In Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky took up the legend of the immaculate bird to create some of the most beautiful music ever written for ballet. The choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov left their distinguished mark on this story of an impossible love 

Swan Lake (2018)

A comic yet tragic universal figure lost in his own world and out of place in the world of his contemporaries, ridiculous yet imposing, admirable yet pitiful, Don Quixote knows neither deceitfulness, abnegation, nor betrayal. The loss of his ideals and the surrender of principles: this was the death of Don Quixote.From the 17th century onwards, the character has inspired numerous avatars, not just literary ones, but in the fields of music and dance too. Their authors only had to draw from the abundance of episodes in the Cervantes novel—a veritable catalogue of adventures and anecdotes—which never fails to provide subject matter for artists short on inspiration.During the 19th century, all of Spain became a source of artistic creativity, almost to the point of cliché. Harsh, noble or picturesque, the work offers the best of itself through Mérimée’s pen, Bizet’s baton or Edouard Manet’s brush.With Marius Petipa, it gave rise to several ballets, including the famous Don Quixote. In Moscow and then Saint Petersburg, it was the same resounding success in successive adaptations by Petipa himself or by Alexander Gorski.The episode from the novel retained by the choreographer, the wedding of Kitri and Basil, paints the happiest aspect of the story. The shimmering colours and the character dances, together with the whirlwind of gypsies and beautiful Andalusian girls, were a huge success with audiences, won over as much by the new choreographic style as by the Iberian exoticism.In the following century, a young dancer by the name of Rudolf Nureyev would himself triumph in the very ballet that made the the Russian School famous. His memories of the work would accompany him to France where he revived it. In 1966, Nureyev staged his version of Don Quixote for the Vienna Opera Ballet, before revising it for its entry into the repertoire of the Paris Opera in 1981.Since then, the Knight of the sad face has never really left the stage of the Opera. Presented since 2002 with new sets and costumes inspired by the paintings of Goya, each of its appearances enjoys the same endlessly renewed triumph. The Etoiles, the Premiers Danseurs and the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet The Paris Opera OrchestraA co-production of Opéra de Paris Production, ARTE France and François Roussillon et Associés with the support of the Orange Foundation, patron of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts, and the assistance of the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée.Director: François Roussillon © 2012 – Opéra national de Paris production – ARTE France – François Roussillon et AssociésPicture: © Julien Benhamou / OnP

<ul><li>Kitri: Lorenzo’s daughter, in love with Basilio but betrothed to Gamache</li><li>Basilio: Penniless barber, in love with Kitri</li><li>Don Quixote: Knight errant who sets out to conquer the world</li><li>Camacho: Rich peasant, betrothed to Kitri</li><li>Lorenzo: Innkeeper, Kitri’s father</li><li>Sancho Panza: Don Quichotte’s loyal squire</li><li>The Queen of the Dryads: Nymph and guardian of the forests</li></ul>

Don Quichotte

Don Quichotte_trailer

A comic yet tragic universal figure lost in his own world and out of place in the world of his contemporaries, ridiculous yet imposing, admirable yet pitiful, Don Quixote knows neither deceitfulness, abnegation, nor betrayal. The loss of his ideals a

Don Quixote (2012)

Drawing on ancient Slavic and Norse mythology where destiny is often born out of the mysterious forces of nature, Swan Lake has become a legend in its own right. Tchaikovsky’s first ballet score is imbued with a deep sense of nostalgia, echoing the composer’s own experience of love as elusive as it was impossible.However the work remained misunderstood until 1895 when Marius Petipa undertook his own choreographic interpretation. With the help of Lev Ivanov, Petipa created majestic figures for the female corps de ballet and breathed life into the swan‑dancer.In Rudolf Nureyev’s “Freudian” version, conceived for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1984, Prince Siegfried, manipulated by the evil Rothbart, shuns the realities of power and marriage to take refuge in dreams where a magic lake symbolizing idealised love appears to him.Nureyev elevated the role of the prince to that of the heroine by giving him a deeper psychological dimension whilst opting to give this masterly action ballet a tragic denouement more in tune with its musical substance. The Etoiles, the Premiers Danseurs and the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet The Paris Opera OrchestraA co-production of the Paris National Opera and François Roussillon et Associés, with the participation of Medici.tv / MUSEEC, the support of the Orange Foundation, patron of the Paris National Opera's audiovisual broadcasts, and with the assistance of the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image animée.Director: François Roussillon © Opéra national de Paris - François Roussillon et Associés - 2016Picture: © Svetlana Loboff / OnP

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Le Lac des cygnes

Swan Lake_trailer

Swan Lake

Performance at the Opera Bastille, from 21 June to 14 July 2024

Drawing on ancient Slavic and Norse mythology where destiny is often born out of the mysterious forces of nature, Swan Lake has become a legend in its own right. Tchaikovsky’s first ballet score is imbued with a deep sense of nostalgia, echoing the c

Swan Lake (2016)

Enter the dazzling world of classical ballet, and let yourself be transported by the masterpieces that have left their mark on the history of dance an

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