LOUISE

GUSTAVE CHARPENTIER (1860-1956)

NEW PRODUCTION OF THE FESTIVAL D’AIX-EN-PROVENCE
A COPRODUCTION WITH OPÉRA NATIONAL DE LYON, PALAZZETTO BRU ZANE – CENTRE DE MUSIQUE ROMANTIQUE FRANÇAISE, THÉÂTRE NATIONAL DE L’OPÉRA-COMIQUE

Opera

ROMAN MUSICAL IN FOUR ACTS AND FIVE SCENES TO AN ORIGINAL LIBRETTO BY THE COMPOSER
FIRST PERFORMED ON 2 FEBRUARY 1900 AT THE THÉÂTRE NATIONAL DE L’OPÉRA-COMIQUE (SALLE FAVART III), PARIS

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Conductor
Giacomo Sagripanti
Stage direction
Christof Loy
Set design
Etienne Pluss
Costume design
Robby Duiveman
Lighting design
Valerio Tiberi
Dramaturgy
Louis Geisler
Conductor assistant
Romain Dumas
Vocal and language coach
Mathieu Pordoy
Vocal coach
Sylvaine Carlier
Staging and movements assistant
Jean-François Kessler
Staging assistant
Dagmar Pischel
Set design assistant
Eleonora Rodigari
Costume assistant
Madeline Cramard
Louise
Elsa Dreisig*
Julien, Le Noctambule
Adam Smith
La Mère, La Première d’atelier
Sophie Koch
Le Père, Le Chiffonnier
Nicolas Courjal
Un Marchand d’habits, Le Pape des fous
Grégoire Mour
La Balayeuse
Annick Massis
Irma
Marianne Croux*
Gertrude
Carol Garcia
Camille
Karolina Bengtsson
Madeleine
Marie-Thérèse Keller
Marguerite, La Laitière
Julie Pasturaud*
Élise, La petite Chiffonnière
Marion Vergez-Pascal
Suzanne, La Glaneuse de charbon
Marion Lebègue
Blanche, La Plieuse de journaux
Jennifer Courcier*
L’Apprentie, Le Gavroche
Céleste Pinel
Le Bricoleur
Frédéric Caton
Gardiens de la paix
Filipp Varik, Alexander de Jong
Coryphées
Sharona Applebaum, Marie-Eve Gouin, Sophie Lou, Joanna Curelaru, Alexandra Guérinot, Sylvie Malardenti-Boillot, Liisa Viinanen
Dancers
Lucas Bléger, Natalia Bohn, Laurence De Cet, José-María Mantilla, Caroline Roques
Choirmaster
Benedict Kearns
Choir and Orchestra
Chœurs et Orchestre de l’Opéra de Lyon
Maîtrise choirmaster
Samuel Coquard
Children’s choir
Maîtrise des Bouches-du-Rhône
Banda
Orchestre des Jeunes de la Méditerranée
*Former artists of the Académie

About

“Depuis le jour où je me suis donnée...” There are few passages in opera that express so evocatively the pleasure of love and its potential to emancipate a young woman as this most famous aria in Louise. Born into a working-class family with strict morals, the heroine ultimately chooses to face an uncertain future alone, a future personified by Paris, the city of freedom and perdition. With his “roman musical” combining social preoccupations with idealistic aspirations, magnificent flights of lyricism and great picturesque scenes, Gustave Charpentier gave the twentieth century its first opera. A true connoisseur of the work, Christof Loy brings out the darker side of a society which, far from emancipating its daughters, offers them nothing but tawdry romances to sublimate a horizon riddled with frustrations. Elsa Dreisig continues her exploration of the roles of young women full of determination and fighting spirit; and she is surrounded by the most brilliant upholders of the French repertoire, conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti at the helm of the Choir and Orchestra of the Opéra de Lyon.

LISTEN TO THE PRELUDE

 

The Palazzetto Bru Zane – Centre de Musique Romantique Française promote the rediscovery of French musical heritage from the long nineteenth century (1780-1920). Its main activities include: research, publication of scores and books, production and international promotion of concerts, support for educational projects, and release of recordings. > further information

Performances

Saturday5July 2025
Théâtre de l'Archevêché9:30 PM
Book online
Wednesday9July 2025
Théâtre de l'Archevêché9:30 PM
Book online
Friday11July 2025
Théâtre de l'Archevêché9:30 PM
Book online
Sunday13July 2025
Théâtre de l'Archevêché9:30 PM
Book online
Catégorie Plus
€306.00
Catégorie 1
€224.00
Catégorie 2
€178.00
Catégorie 3
€138.00
Catégorie 4
€96.00
Catégorie 5
€60.00
Catégorie 6
€32.00

Youth prices: €91, €67, €53, €41, €28, €18, €10

Performance available with ticket packages and Dinner & Opera offer

Sung in French with French and English surtitles
3 hours with one interval

GETTING TO THE FESTIVAL
— by public transport or by bike > further information
— by carpooling > look for or offer a ride

FIND ACCOMMODATION

MEDIA

LOUISE

Louise by Charpentier
Conductor: Giacomo Sagripanti — Stage director: Christof Loy
2025 Festival d’Aix-en-Provence © Monika Rittershaus

[ REHEARSALS ] LOUISE

Rehearsals for Louise by Charpentier, a new production of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, to be discovered from 5 to 13 July 2025 at the Théâtre de l'Archevêché

2025 Festival d’Aix-en-Provence © Jean-Louis Fernandez

PRESS

Loy directs his characters with great skill, verging on virtuosity in the ensemble scenes
— El País

Soprano Elsa Dreisig performs the title role with such breath-taking ease that it feels as though the role was written for her
— Le Temps

Charpentier’s masterpiece makes a fine entry into the Aix repertoire with Christof Loy’s powerful staging
— Le Monde

A Louise elevated by Elsa Dreisig and rejuvenated by Christof Loy
— Télérama

The direction of the actors is excellent, and even the slightest role is crafted to perfection
— Forum Opéra

Streamings

Broadcasted on 12 July at 10:45pm on ARTE and ARTE.TV

Broadcasted on 14 July at 8pm on France Musique

Related

Affiche Louise de Charpentier à l'Opéra-Comique (Rochegrosse)

WITH FRANCE MUSIQUE, EXPLORE THE WORLD OF LOUISE, CHARPENTIER'S REVOLUTIONARY OPERA

Ground-breaking for its naturalistic subject matter, its evocation of Parisian life and its story of female emancipation, Gustave Charpentier’s Louise was a resounding success when it premiered at the Opéra-Comique in 1900. In the radio programme Musicopolis, hosted by Anne-Charlotte Rémond, our media partner France Musique highlights one of the most popular French operas in the repertoire, with excerpts of the work’s captivating music.
At the Festival
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Rehearsals Louise — Festival d'Aix-en-Provence 2025

[ REHEARSAL NOTES ] LOUISE

Saturday, 7 June 2025 – Summer has barely begun, and already the first stage rehearsal of Louise is underway. Throughout the month of June, the courtyard of the Archevêché will become the setting for the love affairs of La Calisto and of Louise. Throughout the day, the technical team has been at work installing the set for the new production of Gustave Charpentier’s opera Louise, as conceived by Christof Loy. In this mysterious waiting room, the young seamstress sees her hopes and anxieties, her desires and nightmares file past her. The sound of drills and the echo of voices signal that stage managers, carpenters, and set designers are still putting the final touches to the scenery. [...]
At the Festival
Monday, June 23, 2025