PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE
CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918)
PRODUCTION OF FESTIVAL D’AIX-EN-PROVENCE 2016
A COPRODUCTION WITH TEATR WIELKI – POLISH NATIONAL OPERA, NEW NATIONAL THEATRE TOKYO
GRANDE DONATRICE D’EXCEPTION DU FESTIVAL D’AIX-EN-PROVENCE
LYRICAL DRAMA IN FIVE ACTS AND TWELVE SCENES
BASED ON THE PLAY PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE BY MAURICE MAETERLINCK (1892)
PREMIERED ON 30 APRIL 1902 AT THE OPÉRA-COMIQUE, PARIS
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About
A young woman in her wedding dress, a handkerchief stained with blood, a bedroom in which she is fast asleep – and which, a moment later, is neither entirely the same nor entirely different. This Melisande is not the umpteenth variation on the fin-de-siècle femme fatale, a deadly enigma for the men around her: here the traditional perspective is reversed to give us her point of view, putting her instead at the centre of her waking dream, peopled with terrors and desires. The staging, of a surprising beauty and virtuosity, follows its surreal logic, continually shifting the setting of the action and treading a tightrope between social behaviour and symbolism, between fantasy and realism. In 2016, Katie Mitchell’s visionary, committed production cast a spell on the Festival audience; it returns this year with a largely different cast: apart from Laurent Naouri, the charismatic Huw Montague Rendall and Chiara Skerath in the title roles with the orchestra of the Opéra de Lyon under the direction of Susanna Mälkki.
Performances
Youth prices: €90, €66, €52, €40, €27, €18, €10
Performance available with ticket packages
Sung in French with French and English surtitles
3 hours and 15 minutes with one interval
GETTING TO THE FESTIVAL
— by public transport or by byke > further information
— by carpooling > look for or offer a ride
New! To make it even easier for you to get around, our partner Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence is extending the operating hours of the bus line A (St Mitre / Parking relais Krypton): the last bus in either direction will be at 11:45 pm at the stop “Gare Routière” (located 300 metres from the theatre).
> further information
MEDIA
[ REHEARSALS ] PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE
Rehearsals of PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE by Claude Debussy, production of the 2016 Festival d’Aix-en-Provence
2024 Festival d’Aix-en-Provence © Jean-Louis Fernandez
[ PICTURES ] PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE
PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE by Claude Debussy, production of the 2016 Festival d’Aix-en-Provence
Conductor Susanna Mälkki — Stage director Katie Mitchell
From 6 to 17 July 2024, Grand Théâtre de Provence
2024 Festival d'Aix-en-Provence © Jean-Louis Fernandez