How many composers have been inspired by the two lovers from Verona depicted by Shakespeare? From Vincenzo Bellini and Hector Berlioz to Leonard Bernstein, the list is long. If Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, first performed during the Universal Exhibition of 1867, enjoyed immediate popularity it is doubtless because this is the version that translates the tumultuous lives of the celebrated lovers with the greatest finesse.Four love duets, a fiery waltz and luminous, lyrical music: the entire score seems to tremble with desire and freshness. Who better than Thomas Jolly, one of the most inventive directors of his generation, reputed for his audacious re‑readings of Shakespeare, to celebrate this hymn to youth? Following his Eliogabalo by Cavalli in 2016, he signs his second collaboration with the Paris Opera. The Paris Opera Orchestra and ChorusA co-production by Opéra National de Paris and Act 4 Productions With the participation of France Télévisions With the support of the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée, the Orange Foundation, Sponsor of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts, and the POP Circle © Ex Nihilo – Opéra national de Paris - 2025

Roméo: A young nobleman from the Montaigu family Juliette: Capulet’s daughter Stéphano: Roméo’s page Gertrude: Juliette’s nurse Capulet: Juliette’s father, the head of a leading Veronese family Friar Laurent Mercutio: Friend of Roméo Tybalt: Juliette’s cousin Pâris: Juliette’s fiancé

Roméo et Juliette 22-23 © Vincent Pontet-OnP (3)

Romeo and Juliet

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Roméo et Juliette

Bastille salle

Roméo et Juliette from 07 June to 10 July 2027 at the Opéra Bastille

22-23

How many composers have been inspired by the two lovers from Verona depicted by Shakespeare? From Vincenzo Bellini and Hector Berlioz to Leonard Bernstein, the list is long. If Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, first performed during the Universal 

Charles Gounod

When, in 1731, l’Abbé Prévost wrote L’Histoire du chevalier Des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut – the work that inspired Massenet’s Manon – he portrayed an entire era, that of the Regency, which saw the old order fade away and a new order, full of the promise of unprecedented freedom, rise from its ashes.Manon must make her way between these two worlds, fleeing the convent in order to embrace the paths of desire and transgression, throwing herself headlong into a burning and destructive passion with Des Grieux. A parenthesis opens, only to close again in suffering and obscurity.The director Vincent Huguet casts the work’s customary taffeta aside in order to bring out its violence to the full. Paris Opera Orchestra and ChorusA co-production of the Paris Opera and Telmondis, with the participation of France Télévisions and medici.tv 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 - 2020Picture: © Julien Benhamou / OnP

<ul><li>Manon Lescaut</li><li>Le Chevalier des Grieux: Manon’s lover</li><li>Lescaut: Manon’s cousin</li><li>Le Comte des Grieux: The Chevalier’s father</li><li>Guillot de Morfontaine: An old rake</li><li>Brétigny: Manon’s wealthy patron</li><li>Poussette, Javotte, Rosette: Three demimondaines  </li></ul>

Manon 19-20 © Julien Benhamou-OnP (1)

Manon_trailer

Manon

Manon from 26 May to 20 June 2025 at the Opera Bastille

When, in 1731, l’Abbé Prévost wrote L’Histoire du chevalier Des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut – the work that inspired Massenet’s Manon – he portrayed an entire era, that of the Regency, which saw the old order fade away and a new order, full of the pro

Jules Massenet

“I want a treasure which contains them all! I want youth!” Frustrated by the futile quest for knowledge, the erudite old Faust sells his soul to the devil in exchange for eternal youth and the beautiful Marguerite…Reworking the legend popularised by Goethe, Gounod focuses on the love story and elevates the significance of Marguerite’s fall and ultimate salvation. Choosing to lighten the narrative’s philosophical scope allows him to strike a balance between scenes where the supernatural calls for the visually spectacular and others depicting a universe governed by inward actions and feelings.Transposed to the present day, Tobias Kratzer’s Faust reflects on contemporary society’s obsession with eternal youth. His production’s sophisticated scenography oscillates between hyperrealism and magic, between the world of today and the mysterious atmosphere of German romanticism.The Paris Opera Orchestra and ChorusA coproduction of the Paris Opera and Cinétévé, with the participation of France Télévisions, With the exceptional support of Rolex, Timepiece of the Paris Opera, the Cercle Berlioz and 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: Julien Condemine © Opéra national de Paris – Cinétévé – 2021

<ul><li>Doctor Faust</li><li>Méphistophélès</li><li>Marguerite</li><li>Siebel: a student</li><li>Valentin: Marguerite’s brother</li><li>Wagner: a friend of Valentin</li><li>Dame Marthe: Marguerite’s neighbour</li></ul>

01-Faust 20-21 © Monika Rittershaus - OnP

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Faust_trailer

Faust 21-22 © Charles Duprat - OnP (25)

Faust

“I want a treasure which contains them all! I want youth!”Frustrated by the futile quest for knowledge, the erudite old Faust sells his soul to the devil in exchange for eternal youth and the beautiful Marguerite… Reworking the legend popularised by 

Charles François Gounod

Beginning his opera with a prelude for strings of unprecedented economy of means, in 1853, Verdi affirmed his intention of defying conventions and norms. This is not the least radical aspect of his Traviata, which implacably strips bare the violence of a society that promotes worldly pleasures only to sacrifice an innocent woman on the altar of bourgeois morality.Simon Stone delights in grappling with the major works of the repertoire, enticing them into more intimate territory. One of today’s most distinguished stage directors, he made with this production his long-awaited debut at the Paris Opera. Paris Opera Orchestra and ChorusA co-production of the Paris Opera, François Roussillon et Associés with the participation of medici.tv 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 Roussillon © Opéra national de Paris – François Roussillon et Associés - 2019Picture: © Charles Duprat / OnP

<ul><li>Violetta Valery: A Parisian demimondaine</li><li>Alfredo Germont: A young bourgeois from a provincial family, Violetta’s lover</li><li>Giorgio Germont: Alfredo’s father</li><li>Flora Bervoix: Violetta’s friend</li><li>Annina: Violetta’s maid</li><li>Le baron Douphol: Violetta’s protector</li><li>Le marquis d’Obigny: Flora’s lover</li><li>Gaston de Letorières: Alfredo’s friend</li><li>Doctor Grenv: Violetta’s doctor</li></ul>

La traviata | Opera chez soi

La Traviata_trailer

La Traviata 2

Performance at the Opera Bastille, from 21 January to 25 February 2024

Beginning his opera with a prelude for strings of unprecedented economy of means, in 1853, Verdi affirmed his intention of defying conventions and norms. This is not the least radical aspect of his Traviata, which implacably strips bare the violence 

Giuseppe Verdi

La Traviata

Before the extraordinary Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after his Shakespearean marathons, after Starmania, director Thomas Jolly took on the Paris Opera and the masterpiece of composer Charles Gounod, Roméo et Juliette.The behind-the-scenes of this creation, filmed over the course of a year, reveal the full complexity of the Paris Opera—both a dream factory and a colossal ship.But above all, this film is an immersion into the psyche of Thomas Jolly, into his vision of the work and of theater, with his flashes of insight as well as his impatience, his humor, and his sensitivity. A co-production by Ex Nihilo and Opéra National de Paris, with the participation of France Télévisions Directed by: Priscilla Pizzato © Ex Nihilo – Opéra national de Paris - 2025

Dans les coulisses de Roméo et juliette

Opéra de Paris : Roméo, Juliette, Thomas et les autres

Before the extraordinary Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after his Shakespearean marathons, after Starmania, director Thomas Jolly took on the Paris Opera and the masterpiece of composer Charles Gounod, Roméo et Juliette. The behind

Priscilla Pizzato

Paris Opera: Romeo, Juliette, Thomas, and the others

(Re)discover four great operas with the tenor: Roméo et Juliette,&nbsp;Faust, La Traviata&nbsp;and&nbsp;Manon.Benjamin Bernheim is also featured in the documentary Roméo, Juliette, Thomas and the others, which follows the creation of Thomas Jolly’s 2023 production at the Opéra Bastille.

Thématique POP - 6

(Re)discover four great operas with the tenor: Roméo et Juliette,&nbsp;Faust, La Traviata&nbsp;and&nbsp;Manon. Benjamin Bernheim is also featured in t