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 THEATER TOKYO
WITH THE SUPPORT OF
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 Julia Bullock 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
