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

<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>

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Le Lac des cygnes

Swan Lake_trailer

Swan Lake

Bastille salle

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

Rudolf Nureyev

Swan Lake (2016)

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

DSC_6405 (c) Julien Benhamou - OnP

Swan Lake (2018)_trailer

Swan Lake (season 18/19)

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

Jewels in Ballet with Les Néréides

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 nymph reigning over a watery empire” or an “absurd Naiad”? Who exactly is Rameau’s strange creature sung by a countertenor and who shatters the conventions of opera?The ugly and conceited frog Platée is the victim of a machination of the gods who make her believe that she is loved by Jupiter.In this opera, composed to mark the marriage of the Dauphin Louis, son of Louis XV, to the notoriously unbecoming Princess Maria Teresa of Spain, Jean‑Philippe Rameau turns irony into the principal weapon of his score.This cruel yet moving farce is presented in a delightfully whimsical production by Laurent Pelly. Orchestre des Musiciens du Louvre The Paris Opera ChorusA coproduction by the Paris Opera and Telmondis, with the participation of France Télévisions and Mezzo With the support of the CNC and the Fondation Orange, Sponsor of the Paris Opera's audiovisual and digital projects, and Paprec, sponsor of Platée's broadcast.Director: François-René Martin © Opéra national de Paris - Telmondis - 2022 Picture: © Elisa Haberer / OnP

Platée: A batrachian nymph, she reigns over the marshes. Despite her ugliness, she is convinced that Jupiter is in love with her. Jupiter: God of the elements, he governs the earth and the heavens, father of the gods and of men. His identifying attributes are the eagle and the thunderbolt. Cithéron: The legendary king who gave his name to Mount Cithaeron. Mercure: God of commerce and travel and, in Roman mythology, messenger of the other gods. La Folie: An allegorical character symbolising gaiety.Junon: Jupiter’s wife, protector of women, particularly those with a recognized legal status in the city – women who are legitimately married. Amour: Son of Venus-Aphrodite. In Greek mythology, the god of love and creative ernergy. Momus: God of mockery, sarcasm and disguise, the “jester” of the Olympian deities. Thespis: Semi-legendary tragic poet of ancient Greece and, according to Athenian tradition, the inventor of tragedy. Thalie: One of the nine muses: the muse of comedy and idyllic poetry. Clarine: Maidservant to Platée.

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Platée_trailer

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Platée

“A nymph reigning over a watery empire” or an “absurd Naiad”? Who exactly is Rameau’s strange creature sung by a countertenor and who shatters the conventions of opera? The ugly and conceited frog Platée is the victim of a machination of the gods who

Jean-Philippe Rameau

A teapot dancing the foxtrot with a Chinese cup, an armchair courting a Louis XV wing chair, objects and animals joining forces against an unruly child: such is the marvellous world that Maurice Ravel brings to life in his “fantaisie lyrique” created in 1925. A finely orchestrated musical gem, in which the composer’s taste for humour, childhood poetry and animals – an affection shared with the writer Colette, who wrote the libretto – is clearly apparent.While the artists of the Academy embody the characters of L’Enfant et les Sortilèges in Richard Jones’ oneiric staging, the students of the Ballet School perform the ballet Ma Mère l’Oye (1912) in Martin Chaix’ inventive choreography.An opera, a ballet: two works by Ravel placed under the sign of childhood and fairy tales, sublimated by the red and golden setting of the Palais Garnier. With the participation of the Paris Opera Ballet School students and the Artists in residence a the Paris Opera Académie The Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus With the Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris, chœur d'adulte, and the Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine / Chœur d’enfants de l’Opéra national de Paris Produced, edited and color-graded by Floris Bernard A Paris Opera production Executive production BEL AIR MEDIA© Opéra national de Paris - 2023

Spectacle de l'École de Danse (saison 22/23) - Ma Mère l'Oye de Martin Chaix

2023 04-EdD-Ma mère l'Oye-©Loboff--063_MA MERE L'OYE_Martin Chaix (c) Svetlana Loboff Onp

Ma Mère l'Oye / L'Enfant et les Sortilèges_trailer

Ma Mère l'Oye / L'Enfant et les Sortilèges

A teapot dancing the foxtrot with a Chinese cup, an armchair courting a Louis XV wing chair, objects and animals joining forces against an unruly child: such is the marvellous world that Maurice Ravel brings to life in his “fantaisie lyrique” created

Maurice Ravel

Scaramouche, was created in 2005 by José Martinez for the School’s youngest pupils. The work, conveyed by the imagination of the children, joyfully revives the troubadour spirit of the Commedia dell’arte.The film director created a mix of fiction and recorded performances.A co-production ARTE France, Opéra national de Paris and François Roussillon et Associés 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 Roussillon © ARTE France - Opéra national de Paris - François Roussillon et Associés - 2014Picture: © Francette Levieux / OnP

Les Enfants de Scaramouche

Les Enfants de Scaramouche_trailer

Scaramouche, was created in 2005 by José Martinez for the School’s youngest pupils. The work, conveyed by the imagination of the children, joyfully revives the troubadour spirit of the Commedia dell’arte. The film director created a mix of fiction an

José Martinez

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

La Petite Renarde029

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

On 12 November 2023, the monumental cavern imagined by artist JR and enveloping the façade of the Palais Garnier came to life during ‘Chiroptera’. This performance by 154 dancers was the result of a collaboration between JR, choreographer Damien Jalet and composer Thomas Bangalter.In November 2023, two months after presenting Act I of his ‘Return to the Cave’ project on the façade of the Opéra national de Paris, JR invited the public to discover the second part of the project, a contemporary retelling of Plato's myth. The curtain enveloping the façade of the Palais Garnier rose to make way for Chiroptera, the fruit of JR's collaboration with choreographer Damien Jalet and composer Thomas Bangalter.On the Place de l'Opéra, 25,000 spectators converged to watch the performance by the Étoile dancer Amandine Albisson, projecting her imposing, anthropomorphic shadow into the cave, and 153 other dancers performing on scaffolding perched thirty metres high. Thus revealed, the cavern becomes a shelter protecting its residents from the violence of the world. It is only by questioning our own perspective that we can grasp the true meaning of the cavern, and thus discover a path to enlightenment.JR, Damien Jalet & Thomas Bangalter: ChiropteraWith the exceptional participation of Amandine Albisson, Étoile dancer with the Opéra national de ParisCostumes: CHANELProduction: Social animalsProduction: Social animals ; Réalisation: Louise Narboni ; Chorégraphie: Damien Jalet ; Composition: Thomas Bangalter ; Production: JRSA ; Pays: France ; Année: 2024

2023-11-13 CHIROPTERA JR x OPERA GARNIER HD BRUT copie

Chiroptera

On 12 November 2023, the monumental cavern imagined by artist JR and enveloping the façade of the Palais Garnier came to life during ‘Chiroptera’. This performance by 154 dancers was the result of a collaboration between JR, choreographer Damien Jale

Damien Jalet

"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

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"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

The Academy artists in residency are paying a tribute to one of the most prolix French composers of his century. A contemporary of Victor Hugo, Camille Saint-Saëns belongs to the musicians who were close to poets of their time.From the world-wide known Danse macabre to The Carnival of the Animals, rediscover his most famous pieces and virtuosic songs for voices and chamber orchestra. Picture: © Studio j’adore ce que vous faites / OnP

Concert Saint-Saëns

The Academy artists in residency are paying a tribute to one of the most prolix French composers of his century. A contemporary of Victor Hugo, Camille Saint-Saëns belongs to the musicians who were close to poets of their time. From the world-wide kn

Camille Saint-Saëns

Saint-Saëns concert

Frogs, deer, owls, swans... on stage!&nbsp;Discover a selection of operas, ballets, and concerts where animals become tales, music, and enchanting costumes!

Frogs, deer, owls, swans... on stage!&nbsp; Discover a selection of operas, ballets, and concerts where animals become tales, music, and enchanting co