During the interval, take a look behind the scenes!Available for replay during 30 days after live show.Brigands in search of a new exploit, a Spanish delegation, a massive heist, a not-so-honest cashier, carabinieri who always arrive too late: the ingredients, disguises, twists and turns in Offenbach’s opéra‑bouffe, first performed in 1869 at the Théâtre des Variétés, are so abundant that they make the story utterly extravagant. But little matter ! Set to Meilhac and Halévy’s vivacious libretto, the composer of La Belle Hélène serves up a hilarious little gem, all the while mocking the financial circles of the Second Empire. Absent from the Paris Opera for over thirty years, Les Brigands takes the Palais Garnier for the first time by storm in a new production directed by Barrie Kosky. This aficionado of Offenbach’s music, who sees in this zany comedy a kinship with Dadaism, recreates the rhythm and folly of a joyously amoral society.

THE BRIGANDS Falsacappa : chief of the band Fiorella : his daughter, mastermind and muse of the group Pietro : Falsacappa’s right-hand man Fragoletto : Fiorella’s suitor and aspiring brigand Carmagnola, Domino, Barbavano, Zerlina, Fiammetta, Bianca, Cicinella, Sangrietta, Tortilla, Burratina, Castagnetta, Pizzaiolo, Flamenco, Zucchini,Siestasubito and other brigands with shifting identities The Captain of the Carabinieri and his men always late and/or drunkAT THE HOTEL Pipo: the manager Pipa: his wife Pipetta: his daughter Kitchen staff, waiters and waitressesTHE SPANIARDS The Princess of Granada Adolphe her page The tutor The Count of Gloria-Cassis Aristocrats of the court THE ITALIANS The Prince of Mantua The Baron of Campotasso The Budget Minister sometimes called “the Treasurer” The Marchioness The Duchess Ladies and Gentlemen of the court Clergy

"Les Brigands" by Jacques Offenbach (season 24/25)

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Les Brigands

Les Brigands - FR

Les Brigands - EN

During the interval, take a look behind the scenes! Available for replay during 30 days after live show.  Brigands in search of a new exploit, a Spanish delegation, a massive heist, a not-so-honest cashier, carabinieri who always arrive too late: the

Jacques Offenbach

A return to its roots for Castor et Pollux, Jean-Philippe Rameau’s lyric tragedy first performed in 1737 at the Académie royale and inspired by the mythological episode of the Gemini.Rarely performed in its original version – the score was reworked by Rameau himself in 1754 –, this daring work plays on contrasts and expressiveness, as in the famous “Tristes apprêts”. The aria is sung by Télaïre mourning the death of her fiancé Castor, killed in battle, before his twin brother Pollux descends into the Underworld to ask his father, Jupiter, to bring him back to life.While this opera celebrates brotherly love, its prologue poses an essential question for director Peter Sellars: how do you stop a war and its attendant hatred and resentment? Utopia Orchestra and ChorusDance and choreography: Christopher Beaubrun, Jin Lee Baobei, Andrew Coleman dit « Finesse », Xavier Days dit « X », Ablaye Diop, Ange Emmanuel dit « Kendrickble », Kenza Kabisso, Joshua Morales dit « Sage », Tom Mornet Bouchiba dit « Tomorrow », Cordell Purnell dit « Storm », Sarah Querut, Edwin Saco dit « Jamsy », Océane Valence

Castor: Son of Leda and Tyndare, mortal Pollux: Son of Leda and Jupiter, immortal Télaïre: Castor’s fiancée Phébé: Pollux’s partner Jupiter: Pollux’s father

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Castor et Pollux

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A return to its roots for Castor et Pollux, Jean-Philippe Rameau’s lyric tragedy first performed in 1737 at the Académie royale and inspired by the mythological episode of the Gemini. Rarely performed in its original version – the score was reworked 

Jean-Philippe Rameau

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

Roméo et Juliette

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

"Unimaginable, because invisible, because immeasurable, because infinite, because eternal, because omnipresent, because almighty." - Moses und Aron, Act I, scene 2“I have at last learned the lesson forced on me last year, and I shall not forget it. I am neither a German nor a European, and perhaps barely human, but I am a Jew.”Despite having converted to Protestantism in his youth, Schönberg was the target of anti-Semitic attacks from 1921 onwards. Shaken by such virulence, he decided to return to his roots while developing a highly personalised interpretation of the Old Testament.What initially started out as a cantata soon took on the dimensions of an oratorio. The project became a philosophical opera that pitted not only two brothers, Moses and Aron, against each other, but also radicalism and compromise, muddled discourse and lyric effusion to the backdrop of a fickle community personified by a particularly massive chorus.“Oh word, word that I lack!” That last phrase, uttered by Moses, sums up the prophet’s tragic weakness but also expresses the composer’s inability to overcome his own contradictions.Officially converting back to Judaism in Paris shortly before seeking refuge in the United States, the inventor of dodecaphonism was plagued by an almost existential inability during the last two decades of his life: that of completing Moses und Aron.Philippe Jordan conducts this masterpiece along with the full musical forces of the Paris Opera and Romeo Castellucci makes his much awaited debut on the stage of the Opera Bastille.Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine / Paris Opera Children's Chorus An ARTE France, Opéra national de Paris, BEL AIR MEDIA coproduction with the support of Fondation Orange, patron of the Opéra national de Paris audiovisual retransmissions and the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée.Moses und Aron - Arnold Schönberg © SCHOTT MUSIC, Mainz Germany by permission of Alphonse Leduc Editions musicalesProduced by François Duplat and Laurent Métivier Directed by François-René MartinARTE France - Opéra national de Paris - Bel Air Media / France 2016

The burning bush: It is the intermediary by which the divine voice is expressed. It orders Moses to be his prophet and deliver the people of Israel. Moses: Loosely based on the Pentateuch, Schönberg’s Moses is an inspired, solitary, intransigent man who finally admits his inability to convince the people of the power of the idea of “one God, eternal, omnipresent, invisible and inconceivable”. Aron: In this work, the brother of Moses is a political figure. Despite his willingness to go along with the prophetic word which he translates for the people of Israel, initially by using miracles, he does not hesitate to seek compromise, even if it means accepting the base instincts of those who urge him to act in the absence of Moses. He is the representation of eloquence in the face of the “tragic” oratory of his brother. The people of Israel: Deeply divided, the people wish to free themselves from the yoke of Pharaoh but are reluctant to convert to the unattainable single God proposed by Moses. Capricious and violent, they yearn to reach the Promised Land and finally recognise Aron as their guide.

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Moses und Aron

"Unimaginable, because invisible, because immeasurable, because infinite, because eternal, because omnipresent, because almighty."- Moses und Aron, Act I, scene 2 “I have at last learned the lesson forced on me last year, and I shall not forget it. I

Arnold Schönberg

I like being afraid... with you - La Belle, La Belle et la Bête, Jean Cocteau, 1946Running through Bartók’s disenchanted tale, whose haunting music was initially condemned as unplayable, and the expression of despair in Poulenc’s monologue, the director Krzysztof Warlikowski perceives a shared dramatic thread, a shared feminine consciousness and a shared sense of imprisonment and suffocation. For the woman who penetrates the confines of Bluebeard’s castle and Elle, the woman who clings to a telephone conversation with a man as the only thing worth living for, are condemned to share the same fate. And this man she speaks to, does he really exist? Unless the director has interpreted Cocteau’s words to the letter and the telephone has become a “terrifying weapon that leaves no trace, makes no noise”… A coproduction Opéra national de Paris, Telmondis, Mezzo with the support of La Fondation Orange and the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée.© Opéra national de Paris - Telmondis - Mezzo - France 2015

Bluebeard’s Castle Bluebeard: A man with a mysterious past. There are disturbing rumors about him. He instructs his new wife not to ask questions. Judith: She broke off her engagement to marry Bluebeard despite her family's opposition. She wants to bring light and joy into the dark castle and into her husband's life. But she also wants to know everything about his past. The Human Voice Her: In her bedroom, a woman answers a phone call from her lover, who has just left her. During this final conversation, she recalls the happy days of their affair, vainly tries to win back her lover, goes from resignation to despair, from lies to the admission of a suicide attempt, from outburst to apparent calm.

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Bluebeard’s castle / The human voice

I like being afraid... with you  - La Belle, La Belle et la Bête, Jean Cocteau, 1946 Running through Bartók’s disenchanted tale, whose haunting music was initially condemned as unplayable, and the expression of despair in Poulenc’s monologue, the dir

Béla Bartók / Francis Poulenc

Bluebeard’s Castle / The Human Voice

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.

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Aida - FR

Aida - EN

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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

Giuseppe Verdi

Aida

In 1838, Gaetano Donizetti moved to Paris after a career already rich in works such as Lucia di Lammermoor, when he received a commission from the Opéra-Comique. La Fille du régiment, his first work written directly in French, premiered there two years later and gave the composer the opportunity to explore a broad range of musical styles, from the boisterous overture to bravura arias such as “Ah! mes amis” and poignant, languorous romances. Foreshadowing Offenbach, this military opera about a vivandière, Marie, adopted at birth by a French regiment, doubles as a sentimental fable and a comic confrontation between two opposing worlds, that of the military encampment and that of the aristocracy. Laurent Pelly takes on this pinnacle of bel canto with his characteristic verve. Setting the work during the 1914 war rather than the Napoleonic Wars and adapting the dialogue, the director modernises the piece without sacrificing a single ounce of its brio.

Marie: young vivandière Tonio: young Tyrolean Sulpice: sergeant The Marchioness of Berkenfield Hortensius: marquise's steward The Duchess of Crakentorp

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La Fille du régiment

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In 1838, Gaetano Donizetti moved to Paris after a career already rich in works such as Lucia di Lammermoor, when he received a commission from the Opéra-Comique.La Fille du régiment, his first work written directly in French, premiered there two year

Gaetano Donizetti

Julia, a priestess in the Temple of Vesta, is torn between her religious duties and her love for the Roman general Licinius. This is the crux of La Vestale, Gaspare Spontini’s opera, written at the beginning of the First Empire.Dedicated to Josephine and multiplying political allusions to Napoleon, the work was a triumph from its first performance at the Paris Opera in 1807. Admired by Berlioz, the score features brilliant orchestration and a sustained lyrical vocal style that heralds grand opera while remaining true to the legacy of Gluck.After remaining absent from the Paris Opera for almost 150 years, the return of this work in its original French version is an eagerly awaited event. Stage director Lydia Steier explores the themes of religious extremism and militaristic zeal: can love have any hope of surviving between these two ruthless extremes? The Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Julia: Vestal, priestess in the temple of the goddess Vesta Licinius: Roman general, Julia’s lover Cinna: Army commander, friend of Licinius The Sovereign Pontiff: High priest of Vesta The Great Vestal: Head priestess of the vestals Chief of the aruspices: Soothsayer priest A Consul: Roman magistrate

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fiche spectacle La Vestale

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La Vestale

Julia, a priestess in the Temple of Vesta, is torn between her religious duties and her love for the Roman general Licinius. This is the crux of La Vestale, Gaspare Spontini’s opera, written at the beginning of the First Empire. Dedicated to Josephin

Gaspare Spontini

It’s no easy matter taming a vixen! The gamekeeper, who introduces one into his household, learns this the hard way, especially as the animal in question is particularly cunning, feminist and even revolutionary, calling on the hens in the barnyard to revolt against the cockerel and “forge a new world”! Alas, while freedom allows her to find love, the little vixen will pay a high price...Premiered in Brno in 1924, Leoš Janáček’s piece, with orchestration as lush as the nature it describes, is a score apart in the history of opera, where foxes, crickets and grasshoppers, dogs and woodpeckers are rarely the heroes of the story. A fairy tale fable, this Cunning Little Vixen an allegory of human life, a hymn celebrating the eternal renewal of life and nature. The Paris Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Atelier lyrique Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine / Paris Opera's Childen Choir Director: Don Kent © Idéale Audience - Opéra national de Paris -NHK - France 2008

Bystrouška: The little vixen The forester: The man who captured Bystrouška The forester’s wife Lapák: The forester’s dog The village schoolmaster The village priest Pásek: The innkeeper Mrs Pásková: The innkeeper’s wife Harašta: A poacher The fox: Bystrouška’s husband Farmyard and wild animals

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The Cunning Little Vixen_trailer

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The Cunning Little Vixen

It’s no easy matter taming a vixen! The gamekeeper, who introduces one into his household, learns this the hard way, especially as the animal in question is particularly cunning, feminist and even revolutionary, calling on the hens in the barnyard to

Leoš Janácek

After last season’s The Dante Project, the Paris Opera continues to explore the music of contemporary composer Thomas Adès with the French premiere of The Exterminating Angel. Inspired by Luis Buñuel’s 1962 surrealist film, which offered a scathing critique of the bourgeoisie, the work begins with a dinner among upper-class friends in a plush mansion after an opera performance. But, gradually, a mysterious force prevents the fifteen guests from leaving the reception. In this confinement for no apparent reason, drawn out over several days, the veneer of propriety cracks, revealing the worst of human nature.Thomas Adès has written a rich and tense score, amplifying the libretto’s strange atmosphere with unusual instruments such as the ondes Martenot. The Paris Opera has entrusted the staging of this huis-clos to Calixto Bieito. The director has long been fascinated by Buñuel’s universe. The Paris Opera Orchestra and ChorusWith the participation of medici.tv, and the support of the Fondation Orange, sponsor of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts. © Opéra national de Paris – 2024 Director: François-René Martin

The hosts Edmundo: Marquis de Nobile Lucia de Nobile: his wifeTheir guests Leticia Maynar: an opera singer Leonora Palma Silvia de Ávila: a young widowed mother, duchess of Ávila Francisco de Ávila: her brother Blanca Delgado: a pianist Alberto Roc: her husband, a conductor Beatriz Eduardo: her fiancé Comte Raúl Yebenes: an explorer Colonel Álvaro Gómez Señor Russell Docteur Carlos CondeThe staff Julio: the butler Lucas: the footman Enrique: the waiter Pablo: the cook Meni: a maid Camila: a maidOutside the house Père Sansón Yoli: Silvia’s son

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The Exterminating Angel_trailer

The Exterminating Angel

After last season’s The Dante Project, the Paris Opera continues to explore the music of contemporary composer Thomas Adès with the French premiere of The Exterminating Angel.  Inspired by Luis Buñuel’s 1962 surrealist film, which offered a scathing 

Thomas Adès

Accused of killing her brother, the heir to the Duchy of Brabant, Elsa asks to be defended by the man she has seen in her dreams. When he appears, led by a swan, he accepts on condition that she never asks him his name.Richard Wagner was 37 years old when he wrote his romantic opera Lohengrin with its compelling score. Writing not only the music but also the libretto (inspired by Germanic legends), he laid the foundations for his “music drama”, to which a prelude, leitmotivs and an extensive orchestra and choruses also contributed.Director Kirill Serebrennikov, known for his striking creations, makes his Paris Opera debut with this work, upon which his reflection on war as a machine for crushing bodies and souls sheds a sombre light. The Paris Opera Orchestra and ChorusWith the support of the Orange Foundation, sponsor of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts. © Opéra national de Paris - 2023

Lohengrin: Knight of the Grail, son of Percival Elsa: Heiress to the dukedom of Brabant Friedrich von Telramund: Brabantian count and war leader Ortrud: Telramund’s wife, daughter of the pagan King of Frisia Henri the Fowler: King of Germany The Herald: The King’s herald-at-arms

Lohengrin (saison 23/24) - 8

Lohengrin_trailer

Lohengrin

Accused of killing her brother, the heir to the Duchy of Brabant, Elsa asks to be defended by the man she has seen in her dreams. When he appears, led by a swan, he accepts on condition that she never asks him his name. Richard Wagner was 37 years ol

Richard Wagner

In Peking, a princess renowned for her beauty submits her suitors to three riddles. The prince who manages to solve them will win her hand and the throne. Alas, so far, all have failed and suffered the implacable punishment: death. Will young Calaf succeed?Inspired by Carlo Gozzi's fable, itself drawing on several sources including the Thousand and One Nights, Puccini's last opera revives the oriental atmosphere already present in Madama Butterfly.But in 1924, the year in which the composer died leaving his score unfinished, his writing had grown in modernity, without losing any of its melodic inspiration, as illustrated by the famous aria "Nessun dorma".The references to Asia could not fail to appeal to Robert Wilson, whose aesthetic draws on Japanese Noh theatre. His sparse staging, interspersed with touches of commedia dell'arte, offers striking and hypnotic images. The Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine/ The Paris Opera's Children's Choir Director: François Roussillon A production by: Opéra national de Paris Executive production: François Roussillon et Associés © Opéra national de Paris - 2023

Turandot: Princess of China Altoum: 

Emperor of China, her father Timur: 

Exiled king of Tartary Calaf: 

The “unknown prince”, his son Liù: 

Slave girl, Timur’s guide Ping:

Grand Chancellor of China Pang: 

Grand Master of provisions Pong: 

Grand Master of the Imperial kitchens

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Turandot

In Peking, a princess renowned for her beauty submits her suitors to three riddles. The prince who manages to solve them will win her hand and the throne. Alas, so far, all have failed and suffered the implacable punishment: death. Will young Calaf s

Giacomo Puccini

Giacomo Meyerbeer’s visit to Paris in 1825 was to revolutionise opera. By imposing the Grand Opera genre, the composer made History the pivotal theme of 19th century operatic productions.Les Huguenots is a monumental fresco featuring various impossible loves in the context of the Saint Bartholomew Massacre.First performed at the Paris Opera, the work celebrated its centenary there in 1936, after more than a thousand performances, before being stowed in the archives of the Palais Garnier – the “grande boutique”.For its revival, Andreas Kriegenburg places these timeless conflicts of love and religion in an immaculate setting in which the costumes appear yet more flamboyant and the victims’ blood more violently red. The Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus With the participation of France Télévisions, in association with UGC With the support of the Orange Foundation, patron of the Paris Opera's audiovisual retransmissions, and the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée.© Opéra national de Paris - Act4 Productions – October 2018 Director: Andy Sommer

Marguerite de Valois: Daughter of Henri II and Catherine de Médicis, King Henri de Navarre’s fiancée Valentine: Marguerite de Valois’ maid of honour, Count de Saint-Bris’ daughter Raoul de Nangis: Protestant gentleman Urbain: Marguerite de Valois’ page Marcel: Former Huguenot soldier, Raoul’s servant Count de Saint-Bris: Catholic gentleman, Valentine’s father Count de Nevers: Catholic gentleman, Valentine’s fiancé Cossé, Tavannes, Méru, Thoré, Maurevert, Retz: Catholic lords Bois-Rosé: Huguenot soldier

Les Huguenots (Saison 18/19) - 3

Les Huguenots (Saison 18/19) - Lisette Oropesa (Marguerite de Valois)

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Les Huguenots_trailer

Les Huguenots

Giacomo Meyerbeer’s visit to Paris in 1825 was to revolutionise opera. By imposing the Grand Opera genre, the composer made History the pivotal theme of 19th century operatic productions. Les Huguenots is a monumental fresco featuring various impossi

Giacomo Meyerbeer

In the course of the 19th century, Shakespeare’s works were a constant source of inspiration for the Romantics. In particular, The Tragic History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, one of the English playwright’s most famous plays, dominated by the existential questions of the title role – To be or not to be –, the ghost of his murdered father and his doomed love for Ophelia. Alexandre Dumas père was himself fascinated by this drama and in 1847 he produced a highly successful adaptation. It was on the basis of this version that Michel Carré and Jules Barbier gave Ambroise Thomas the libretto for Hamlet, the last opera to be performed in the Salle Le Peletier.Inspired by the musical and dramaturgical forms of French grand opera, the composer imbues the story with an intensity that contributes to the beauty of the score.A milestone of opera for which Krzysztof Warlikowski, ever fathoming the depths of the human psyche, redraws the Shakespearean contours. The Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus A coproduction ARTE France, Opéra national de Paris and Telmondis, with the support of the Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée and the Fondation Orange, Sponsor of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts  © ARTE France – Opéra national de Paris - Telmondis – 2023

Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, son of Gertrude Ophelia: Daughter of Polonius engaged to Hamlet Gertrud: Queen of Denmark and wife of Claudius Claudius: King of Denmark and uncle of Hamlet Laërte: Ophelia’s brother The King’s Spectre: Ghost of Hamlet’s father Horatio and Marcellus: Friends of Hamlet Polonius: Lord Chamberlain

Hamlet 22-23 

Hamlet_trailer

Hamlet

In the course of the 19th century, Shakespeare’s works were a constant source of inspiration for the Romantics. In particular, The Tragic History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, one of the English playwright’s most famous plays, dominated by the existe

Ambroise Thomas 

In 1890, Engelbert Humperdinck’s sister Adelheid Wette asked him to compose the music for a children’s performance based on a tale by the Grimm brothers (Jacob, 1785-1863 and Wilhelm, 1786-1859) which she hoped to organize for her husband’s birthday.The project quickly evolved and gave rise to the definitive libretto of the Märchenoper which was completed in december 1890. Compared to the Grimm tale, Adelheid Wette’s libretto was greatly simplified for reasons of dramatic effectiveness, but also to limit the length and even violence of the original.The work was enriched with children’s songs and popular melodies evoking brahms‘ Volkslieder. Strongly influenced by Wagner, the composer drew inspiration from continuous melody and the notion of the leitmotiv with the use of recurrent themes.The work was an immediate success. Within months, Hänsel und Gretel had made a name for itself on stages throughout Germany. Gustav Mahler conducted the work in Hamburg in 1894. Hänsel und Gretel would become the first opera to be rebroadcast by radio in Europe (from Covent Garden on January 6th, 1923). Director: Andy Sommer © Opéra de Paris Production – Bel Air Media – France 2013

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Hänsel und Gretel_trailer

Hänsel und Gretel

In 1890, Engelbert Humperdinck’s sister Adelheid Wette asked him to compose the music for a children’s performance based on a tale by the Grimm brothers (Jacob, 1785-1863 and Wilhelm, 1786-1859) which she hoped to organize for her husband’s birthday.

Engelbert Humperdinck

The subject of La Gioconda drew its inspiration from Angelo, tyran de Padoue, a play by Victor Hugo first performed in 1835 at the Théâtre-Français. The libretto was the work of Arrigo Boito, one of the greatest dramatists of his era who would collaborate with Verdi on Otello and Falstaff.The first performance in Milan in 1876 was a resounding success with audiences but was the object of numerous critical reviews notably because of the implausibility of certain situations. This would spur Ponchielli to make some serious modifications until finally, in 1880, his fourth and definitive version would be performed, again at Milan’s La Scala.It is a spectacular work with no less than six leading roles. Alternating intimate scenes and crowd scenes and including a famous ballet (the Danse des heures) which can be performed separately as a concert piece, it offers a historical reconstruction of 17th century Venice.Ponchielli composed a grandiose romantic melodrama abounding in complex characters. It places itself somewhere between a grand opera in the French style and a Verdi drama, and offers a succession of melodies that focus attentions on the performers, of which Enzo’s love song (Cielo e mar) and Gioconda’s aria (Suicidio) are the most famous. But it also contains inventive and sophisticated orchestration, as the orchestral imagery of the lagoon at the beginning of Act II shows. A co-production Paris Opera and Wahoo Production, in association with 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 animée.© Opéra de Paris production - Wahoo Production - 2013

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La Gioconda

The subject of La Gioconda drew its inspiration from  Angelo, tyran de Padoue, a play by Victor Hugo first  performed in 1835 at the Théâtre-Français. The libretto was the work of Arrigo Boito, one  of the greatest dramatists of his era who would col