Editorial

The metamorphosis of Calisto, the reincarnation of Buddha, the transformation of Louise, the protean Don Giovanni... The focus of the 2025 edition of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence is clearly on the inexorable mutability of all things and the perpetual reinvention of the self. “There is nothing in the whole world which is permanent. Everything flows onward; all things are brought into being with a changing nature” says Ovid in his Metamorphoses; and this is reflected in Cavalli’s La Calisto, which depicts a fascinating continuum between nature, mankind and the gods.

While it is true that the works selected for this year’s programme illustrate with a certain degree of consistency the destructive violence that desire inflicts upon the object of desire, and that they take us through that misty realm in which humanity is liable to lose its most fundamental reference points, they nonetheless direct the most vulnerable among us towards the starlit skies of possible emancipation – for which art, when it teaches compassion and solidarity, is often the viaticum.

Constancy and metamorphosis have shaped the Festival’s destiny since 1948, and they remain at the heart of its programming philosophy. Thus, while the 2025 programme will remain loyal to Mozart with the eighth production of Don Giovanni – a signature work of the Festival; to contemporary creation with The Nine Jewelled Deer by Sivan Eldar and Ganavya Doraiswamy; to the earliest Italian Baroque with La Calisto, the third work by Cavalli to be programmed in Aix; and to French opera, at the same time it will be expanding the repertoire with Louise by Charpentier, and taking a fresh look at the canon with The Story of Billy Budd, Sailor, after Britten. In the same vein, the concert versions of Les Pêcheurs de perles and La forza del destino will provide a welcome opportunity for debuts (Brian Jagde and Anna Pirozzi) and role debuts (Pene Pati and Mané Galoyan).

The same principle of renewal within continuity also informs the Festival’s relationship with the artists: hence the return of Sir Simon Rattle, Sébastien Daucé, Marc Minkowski, Christof Loy, Ted Huffman and Peter Sellars – all of them ready to take on new challenges – as well as the debuts of renowned stage directors such as Jetske Mijnssen and Robert Icke, composers such as Sivan Eldar and Oliver Leith, and conductors such as Giacomo Sagripanti.

The same applies to the presence of performers who have made their mark on the Festival’s recent history in various ways (Elsa Dreisig, Andrè Schuen, Magdalena Kožená, Golda Schultz, Anna Bonitatibus, Florian Sempey and Michele Pertusi), while other prestigious names are appearing for the first time (Jonas Kaufmann, Diana Damrau); not to mention a whole host of young artists – some of them graduates of the Académie – who are progressively coming of age (Lauranne Oliva, Krzysztof Bączyk, Alex Rosen and Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian).

As in previous years, a varied programme of concerts will provide a stimulating counterpoint to the opera programme, including recitals (Ermonela Jaho, Stéphane Degout, Jakub Józef Orliński), symphonic concerts (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre des Jeunes de la Méditerranée) and chamber music (Quatuor Diotima), jazz and Mediterranean evenings (EYM Trio with Varijashree Venugopal and B.C. Manjunath, Waed Bouhassoun Quintet), and the final concerts of the Académie’s residencies under the guidance of some of the world’s leading artists (including composer Unsuk Chin).

This year’s programme provides an opportunity not only to commemorate Bizet and Boulez, but also to celebrate, here in Aix, the “Cézanne year 2025”: indeed, as you will soon discover from its rich and varied programme for Aix en juin, the Festival is more in touch than ever with its surroundings, offering a whole range of proposals and partnerships of excellence: LUMA Foundation, Les Chorégies d’Orange, Les Théâtres, Opéra de Toulon, Opéra Grand Avignon, etc. Our institution is continually seeking to consolidate its fundamental principles while at the same time reinventing them: the highest level of artistic programming, a deeply rooted local identity combined with an international profile, a policy of openness to as many people as possible, and an ever-growing awareness of its societal and environmental responsibilities.

When everything seems unstable and transitory, art remains as a reliable compass. “I was lost on the infinite sea, but I’ve sighted a sail in the storm, the far-shining sail, and I’m content”, says Vere at the end of Billy Budd. I hope you thoroughly enjoy the 2025 edition!

PIERRE AUDI
General Director of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence