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

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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

In 1909, after attending a performance of Œdipus Rex at the Comédie-Française, George Enescu hastened to transcribe the first bars of his one and only opera. Sophocles’ play had the effect of an electroshock on the Romanian composer, spurring him to begin work on his score before he even had a libretto. The completed work would ultimately have its world premiere at the Paris Opera in 1936.The influences of his teacher Fauré, of Stravinsky, Debussy and Romania’s ancestral musical traditions all fuelled an orchestral and vocal composition of unparalleled originality. Surprisingly, despite receiving a rapturous reception, the work was rarely staged at opera houses during the 20th century.For his Paris Opera debut, Wajdi Mouawad evokes the life of Œdipus – the man unaware of his own identity – in a continuum of organic, vegetal, ethereal and aquatic images. The Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine / Choeur d’enfants de l’Opéra national de ParisWith the support of the CNC and the Orange Foundation, sponsor of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts. Director: François RoussillonPicture: © Elisa Haberer / OnP

<ul><li>Œdipus: Son of Laius and Jocasta</li><li>Laius: King of Thebes</li><li>Jocasta: Queen of Thebes, mother and wife of Œdipus</li><li>Creon: Brother of Jocasta</li><li>Tiresias: A soothsayer</li><li>Merope: Œdipus’ adoptive mother, Queen of Corinth</li><li>Phorbas: Shepherd in the service of Polybus and Merope, rulers of Corinth</li><li>The Shepherd: Commanded by Laius to kill the newborn Œdipus</li><li>Antigone: Daughter of Œdipus and Jocasta</li><li>Theseus: King of Athens</li><li>The Sphinx</li><li>The High Priest</li><li>The Night Watchman</li></ul>

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Œdipe

In 1909, after attending a performance of Œdipus Rex at the Comédie-Française, George Enescu hastened to transcribe the first bars of his one and only opera. Sophocles’ play had the effect of an electroshock on the Romanian composer, spurring him to 

Georges Enesco

Watch online two operas directed by Wajdi Mouawad at the Paris Opera.

Watch online two operas directed by Wajdi Mouawad at the Paris Opera. 