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.

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

20250217_PELLEASETMELISANDE_Ge-piano_63_Benoîte-Fanton

PELLEAS-MELISANDE_HP-DESKTOP

Pelléas et Mélisande_live_FR

Pelléas et Mélisande_live_EN

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 t

Claude Debussy

Pelléas et Mélisande

From abroad, the live show is available for replay until 25 July 2025!From France, you can watch the replay on the <a href="https://www.operadeparis.fr/info/150-ans-du-palais-garnier" target="_blank">Paris Opera website</a> or <a href="https://www.france.tv/spectacles-et-culture/theatre-et-danse/6837853-gala-d-anniversaire-150-ans-du-palais-garnier.html" target="_blank">France.tv</a>.Since its inauguration day, on January 5, 1875, the Palais Garnier has never ceased to amaze the public. With a sumptuous architecture and luxurious decorations including marbles, mosaics, sculptures and paintings, this building is truly extraordinary. A place of social gatherings and a national symbol, the Palais Garnier went through artistic and political history to become a world-famous monument.To mark this anniversary, a series of events is organised throughout the year 2025, kicking off with a Gala bringing together all the artists of the Opera. Musicians of the Orchestra, artists of the Chorus and the Academy, dancers of the Ballet Company and School, guest artists gather to celebrate the anniversary of this arts, music and dance temple.

MHB_2532 Bolero Hugo marchand Gala 150 ans Palais Garnier

MHB_2532_GALA 150 ans_BOLERO_H Marchand (c) Maria Helena Buckley OnP

Gala 150 ans du Palais Garnier_VI

From abroad, the live show is available for replay until 25 July 2025! From France, you can watch the replay on the Paris Opera website or France.tv. Since its inauguration day, on January 5, 1875, the Palais Garnier has never ceased to amaze the pub

The Palais Garnier turns 150

Anniversary Gala

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

fr / en

Manon

Bastille salle

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 like creating worlds that have never been seen before." - Alexander Ekman A sparkling personality on the contemporary dance scene, Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman has been invited for the first time to work with the dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet.Trained at the Swedish Royal Ballet, he danced with the Nederlands Dans Theater and the Ballet Cullberg before turning to choreography. His language, both visceral and tinged with humour, combines theatricality and classical and contemporary vocabulary alike.Best known for the spectacular quality of his pieces with their dreamlike imagery, he fills the stage of the Palais Garnier with metallic structures, dancers suspended in space, elevations… A surprising production carried along by enticing rhythms and communicative energy. The Étoiles, the Premiers Danseurs and the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet Voice of Alan Watts from recordings on the Tao of Philosophy courtesy of alanwatts.orgA production of the Paris Opera, Bel Airt Média and SVT With the participation of France Télévisions and the support of the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animéeDirector: Tommy Pascal © Opéra national de Paris - Bel Air Media - SVT - 2018Picture: © Ann Ray / OnP

Play | Opéra chez soi

Play_trailer

Play

Palais Garnier salle -opa30

Play from 7 December to 4 January at the Palais Garnier

"I like creating worlds that have never been seen before."- Alexander EkmanA sparkling personality on the contemporary dance scene, Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman has been invited for the first time to work with the dancers of the Paris Opera 

Alexander Ekman

"To sharpen the mind of the most doleful of women and suddenly make her shrewd, all it takes is to lock her away and the deed is done." - Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Act I, scene 11 “The Barber is one of the century's masterpieces”. These words were written by the very Berlioz who in his youth had denounced not only Rossini, but also the “fanaticism he aroused in the fashionable circles of Paris”. Accordingly, the compliment, “repeated until exhaustion” – the composer's own words – is all the greater. The work was so “brilliant” and “so finely orchestrated” that the “dilettanti of Rome”, enraged by the “slightest unforeseen innovation in melody, harmony, rhythm or instrumentation were ready to kill the young maestro”. Il Barbiere di Siviglia has been performed continually since its turbulent premiere on February 16th 1816. The composer's opera buffa transcends the spirit of Beaumarchais’ comedy and combines the absurd with a touch of satirical realism in a score where rhythm and virtuosity place the comic effects in an ongoing dramatic narration. As a result, the characters – Rosina in particular – gain a new degree of realism and break with the usual archetypes. Damiano Michieletto’s giddying production embraces this perpetual motion and carries in its wake the happy couple formed by René Barbera and Karine Deshayes. Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus A co-production of the Paris National Opera and A Prime Group, with the participation of France Télévisions, with the support of the Orange Foundation, patron of the Paris National Opera's audiovisual broadcasts, and the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée. Director : François Goetghebeur © Opéra national de Paris - A Prime Group - France 2015 Picture: © Bernard Coutant / OnP

<ul><li>Count Almaviva: A young Spanish nobleman in love with Rosina</li><li>Bartolo: An old greybeard who is Rosina’s guardian</li><li>Rosina: Bartolo’s ward</li><li>Figaro: Bartolo’s barber, formerly in the service of Count Almaviva</li><li>Don Basilio: Rosina’s music teacher</li><li>Fiorello: The Count’s servant</li><li>Bertha: Bartolo’s old maid  </li></ul>

Barbier de Séville

Il Barbiere di Siviglia_trailer

Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Il Barbiere di Siviglia from 10 June to 13 July 2025 at the Opera Bastille

"To sharpen the mind of the most doleful of women and suddenly make her shrewd, all it takes is to lock her away and the deed is done." - Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Act I, scene 11“The Barber is one of the century's masterpieces”. These words were writ

Gioacchino Rossini

“Oh! Le roi s’amuse is the greatest theme and perhaps the greatest drama of modern times. A work worthy of Shakespeare!”A few months before he wrote these words to Francesco Maria Piave, urging him to “turn Venice upside down and make sure Censors will authorize this theme” – no easy matter given that social morality was prompt to be shocked -, Verdi was working on an adaptation of King Lear.And while probably absorbed in Shakespeare’s play, his revered master, he discovered Victor Hugo’s drama and felt “like an illumination, an inspiration”, finding in the French author’s words (to whom he owned the greatest triumph of his “years of misery” with Ernani) a counterpart to the triangle formed by the King, his daughter and the Jester.Between the futile and indecent Duke and Gilda, victim of the ignorance in which she is kept, looms the Jester, a two faceted character, a hunched back Fool and a father obsessed with a curse.Monstrous and heartbreaking, grotesque and sublime, the lead role reaches its climax in the aria “Cortigiani, vil razza dannata”, whose descent from wrath to pleading roots the capacity of the composer to bend a form inherited from Bel Canto to the stage realism.Conducted by Nicola Luisotti, this new production of Rigoletto marks director Claus Guth’s first collaboration with the Paris Opera. The Paris Opera Orchestra and ChorusWith 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 animée.Director: François Roussillon © Opéra de Paris - François Roussillon et Associés - 2016Picture: © Monika Rittershaus / OnP

The Duke of Mantua: A cynical libertine and womaniser Rigoletto: The Duke of Mantua’s jester Gilda: Rigoletto’s daughter Sparafucile: Hired killer Maddalena: Sparafucile’s sister Giovanna: Rigoletto’s servant The Count of Monterone: Courtier whose daughter has been seduced by the Duke of Mantua Marullo: Courtier at the Court of Mantua Matteo Borsa: Courtier at the Court of MantuaLe comte de Ceprano: Courtier at the Court of Mantua La comtesse de Ceprano: Count Ceprano’s wife, wooed by the Duke

Rigoletto

Rigoletto_trailer

Rigoletto from 1 December 2024 to 12 June 2025 at the Opéra Bastille

“Oh! Le roi s’amuse is the greatest theme and perhaps the greatest drama of modern times. A work worthy of Shakespeare!” A few months before he wrote these words to Francesco Maria Piave, urging him to “turn Venice upside down and make sure Censors w

Giuseppe Verdi

“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

18_faust_bastille_092

Faust_trailer

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

There is no work to compare with Falstaff. In his last opera, Giuseppe Verdi, then aged eighty-four, delivered, from behind the mask of his buffoon-like rascal of a hero, the testimony of a life approaching its end and whose moral, like that of the opera, would be: life is but a joke.This indefinable comedy, tinged with pessimism, defies all the conventions of 19th century Italian opera and testifies to Verdi’s passion for the theatre.Dominique Pitoiset’s witty, humorous production brings these eccentric characters to life and their sparkling interplay maintains a perfect balance between fantasy and reality, the very essence of the work. The Paris Opera Orchestra and ChorusA co-production of Opéra de Paris Production and Cinétévé With the participation of France Télévisions and with the support of the Orange Foundation, patron of audiovisual transmissions and the National Center for Cinema and Moving Images.Director: Philippe Béziat © 2013 - Opéra de Paris Production - CinétévéPicture: © Mirko Magliocca / OnP

<ul><li>Sir John Falstaff: a ruined gentleman, a buffoon and a boaster</li><li>Ford: a rich man of Windsor</li><li>Alice Ford: Ford’s wife</li><li>Meg Page: a friend of Alice</li><li>Mrs Quickly: a townswoman of Windsor</li><li>Nannetta: Alice and Ford’s daughter</li><li>Fenton: in love with Nannetta</li><li>Pistola and Bardolfo: Falstaff’s servants</li><li>Dr Caius: Nannetta’s unwelcome suitor</li></ul>

Falstaff 

Falstaff_trailer

Falstaff from 10 to 30 September at the Opera Bastille

There is no work to compare with Falstaff. In his last opera, Giuseppe Verdi, then aged eighty-four, delivered, from behind the mask of his buffoon-like rascal of a hero, the testimony of a life approaching its end and whose moral, like that of the o

Falstaff

Concert conducted by Tugan Sokhiev at the Philharmonie de Paris With the Paris Opera Orchestra

Marked by the seal of disaster - the disaster of a people wounded by a bloody dictatorship - Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 4 reflects a conflict opposing creative freedom and censorship, inner world and the dictates of power, standing or fading away.In 1935, following the extraordinary success of his first Symphony (1925) and his second opera, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (1930-1932), Shostakovich could still count on the approval of his country's authorities while enjoying world fame. Yet, the year 1936 marked a dramatic turning point in his life. On January 26, Stalin and Zhdanov attended his opera. Two days later, an anonymous article released in the Pravda and entitled ‘Muddle Instead of Music’, condemned the “petty-bourgeois formalism” of the composer and “his shrilling, wriggling, neurasthenic music”, ending with a hardly hidden threat: “It plays with hermeticism, but that game could end very badly”.Shostakovich decided to cancel the premiere of his Symphony No. 4, even though rehearsals had begun in the autumn of 1936. A few reasons were given to explain this retreat: the composer was not fully satisfied with his work, the conductor and the musicians were not able to render such complex music… Most likely, political pressures, from Leningrad Philharmonic Director Isai Renzin among others, made Shostakovich realise that going through with this project was putting his life at risk. The Symphony No. 4 was not created until 30 December 1961, at the Moscow Conservatory with Kirill Kondrashin, after the ascension of Khrushchev to power and the beginning of his De-Stalinization policy. Since the manuscript for the work had been lost during World War II, the score was recreated for the occasion thanks to various orchestral parts and a two-piano version published confidentially in 1946. Following this late premiere, American critics described the work as a “gargantuan symphony”, in reference to its gigantic proportions. This monumental work, which lasts for over an hour and requires an impressive orchestra of 128 musicians, consists of three movements instead of the usual four. If Shostakovich declared, in 1935, that this symphony is the “credo” of his creative work, it may be because the composer sought to embrace, in the manner of Mahler, a form of wholeness.Author: Pietro Milli

chostakovitch

Fourth Symphony by Dmitri Shostakovitch_trailer

concert-Philharmonie-13sept-319x265

Quatrième symphonie de Dmitri Chostakovitch_VI

Concert conducted by Tugan Sokhiev at the Philharmonie de ParisWith the Paris Opera Orchestra

Marked by the seal of disaster - the disaster of a people wounded by a bloody dictatorship - Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 4 reflects a conflict opp

Conducted by Tugan Sokhiev at the Philharmonie de Paris

Symphony No. 4 - Dmitri Shostakovich

Watch on POP some of the works in the Paris Opera repertoire that you'll have the opportunity to see on stage throughout the 24/25 season!

Watch on POP some of the works in the Paris Opera repertoire that you'll have the opportunity to see on stage throughout the 24/25 season!  