Lighting Designer

For his first commission for the Paris Opéra Verdi demanded a libretto that was “immense, passionate and original”. What he eventually got from star author Eugène Scribe was a text whose political edginess rivalled the grand opéras of Giacomo Meyerbeer, with whom Scribe had collaborated on LES HUGUENOTS and LE PROPHETE. Like these two works, LES VÊPRES SICILIENNES explored a subject that was not only historical but also highly topical. Parallels could easily be drawn between the “Sicilian Vespers” uprising in 1282 against the island’s French occupiers and the most conspicuous of France’s mid-19th-century expansionist ventures, the conquest and colonialization of Algeria, which began in 1830 and was dogged by an ongoing series of brutally quelled revolts.

Les Vêpres Siciliennes

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Between theatre and musical show, the ensemble Les Surprises transforms the bloody myth of Medea into a joyful parody for the whole family, a fresh pastiche in the form of a musical comedy before its time, where we make fun of the anti-hero Jason as much as the megalomaniac Creon or an actress who thinks she is a famous singer…

Medea and Jason

Clermont-Ferrand Opera-Theater

Outside, scaffolds rise in city squares as priests, nobles, and political prisoners face the merciless blade of the guillotine. The aristocrat Blance de la Force had hoped the convent would serve as a sanctuary. But now, death is at the sisters' doorstep. And one by one, their faith will be tested.
Francis Poulenc’s profound drama returns to San Francisco in honor of the Company’s U.S. premiere of the work in 1957. Olivier Py’s award-winning staging pairs striking tableaus with Poulenc’s haunting, poetic score conducted by Music Director Eun Sun Kim.

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Dialogues of the Carmelites

Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Following the success of Medea and Jason last season, the Les Surprises ensemble continues with Pierre Lebon a new operatic adventure based on Purcell's famous Dido and Aeneas . This creation, which will have the originality of being performed by an all-female vocal team, echoes the historic first performance given in a girls' school.

Six singers, all winners of the last Clermont-Ferrand International Singing Competition, perform all the roles in a production inspired by 17th-century English "masques," combining music, theater, dance, and machinery. Purcell's score is complemented by texts by Virgil and Shakespeare ( Richard III, Macbeth, The Tempest ), creating a total spectacle in which all the artists are simultaneously singers, dancers, actors, instrumentalists, and stage managers. The sea, omnipresent, becomes the moving heart of the story, a reflection of human passions.

Didon et Énée

Opéra-Théâtre Clermont-Ferrand

First, there is an abandoned woman, in a tragedy of rupture formulated by Cocteau that wrests painful accents of truth from Francis Poulenc. But this final stage of the crisis is not the last and does not end with the monologue: Thierry Escaich and Olivier Py have imagined a mirror sequel to this Voix humaine, their devastating Point d'orgue, a folie à trois capable of the paroxysms that only opera allows. Le National, Ariane Matiakh and Patricia Petibon take up the torch of this total spectacle.

The Human Voice / Culmination

Théâtre des Champs-Élysées

"If you travel to India and to Central Africa, you'll hear Trovatore.“ Nine years after the triumphant first performance, Verdi's opera had achieved the worldwide popularity that moved the composer to make this comment. The fabric of the opera could hardly be more gloomy: a gypsy who wishes to avenge the death of her mother at the stake, a count who wishes to use the execution of this gypsy to strike at his rival; a horrifying truth that is revealed at the moment of death. All the ingredients of Verdi's dramatic abundance appear here: mysterious sound worlds, harsh contrasts, vocal brilliance, opulent tableaux. The cohesive narrative style gives way to the variation of suggestive musical images with which Verdi served "the most important part of the drama“: revenge.

Il Trovatore

Max-Joseph-Platz

Orpheus and Eurydice is a true operatic masterpiece, blending pure emotion with musical elegance.
Inspired by the ancient myth, it tells the moving story of Orpheus's journey to the Underworld to bring his beloved back to life. Carried by sublime arias and poignant orchestration, this opera celebrates the power of love and song in the face of death.

In partnership with the Vichy Opera, Clermont Auvergne Opéra allows you to attend this opera by giving you a reduced rate on the price of the ticket and by providing you with a shuttle from Clermont-Fd to take you to Vichy (Round-trip shuttle fare excluding the price of the show: €10 – Please note: Limited capacity)

Pre-book your ticket and travel with the Clermont Auvergne Opéra box office. Once your seat has been pre-booked, the Vichy Opera will contact you to confirm your ticket reservation.

Lighting Designer

Bertrand Killy

Events

Upcoming events

17 - 18 Jan, 2026

Didon et Énée · Clermont Auvergne Opéra

Mar 9, 2026

The Human Voice / Culmination · Orchestre National de France

Apr 26 - May 9, 2026

Il Trovatore · Bayerische Staatsoper

May 31, 2026

Orphée et Eurydice · Clermont Auvergne Opéra

Past events

18 - 31 May, 2025

Les Vêpres Siciliennes · Deutsche Oper Berlin

Jan 11, 2025

Medea and Jason · Clermont Auvergne Opéra

About

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