Name: Giving Voice Festival
Start: 2027-04-05T00:00:00
Location: Opéra National de Lyon

Opéra National De Lyon

The heir of a fictional kingdom suffers from overwhelming sadness; but when Fata Morgana, a witch, inadvertently trips and falls, he suddenly doubles up with laughter. The offended witch curses the prince, forcing him to embark on a quest for happiness in the form of three oranges. His epic journey is replete with transformed princesses and wild card games, with an angry cook and monstrous rat for good measure. Drawing inspiration from a whimsical commedia dell’arte piece by Carlo Gozzi, the composer wrote a sarcastic and poetic libretto. Prokofiev’s lively style is undeniably catchy, placing the orchestra at the centre as a legitimate character. His musical landscape is eclectic, unpredictable, sweeping everything up in frenzy. This lively burlesque, satirical, and fantasy piece is directed by Laurent Pelly, and led by the sharp hand of internationally renowned conductor Dmitry Matvienko.

The Love for Three Oranges

Opéra National de Lyon

Madame Angot's Daughter is a successful 19th century comic opera, written by Charles Lecocq in the style of his greatest rival, Jacques Offenbach. This love story features Clairette, a sharp-tongued orphan, and Pomponnet, the neighborhood's hairdresser – a nice man deemed unattractive by Clairette. While these two are fictitious, some other characters actually existed: the rebel poet Ange Pitou, actress Mademoiselle Lange, and a whole other range of Parisian figures. The story takes place at the end of the French Revolution, when the Incroyables and Merveilleuses ruled over the French capital as it was slowly recovering from the Reign of Terror. In this frenzied atmosphere, sweet romance and humorous ensemble numbers go hand in hand.

Madame Angot’s Daughter

Locked in his bedroom, Peer Gynt plays pretend, escaping reality through an imaginary world. This fearful yet arrogant dreamer ends up overcoming adversity, turning his journey into a quest for the self. This liar's tribulations were born from the collaboration of two Norwegian geniuses. Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , written in 1866, became notorious thanks to Edvard Grieg's stage music. The clever twists and turns, the mix of comedy and tragedy, and the highly poetic writing make the piece undeniably powerful. The sun rises picturesquely; a lullaby plays softly, and suddenly, here is the terrifying Mountain King, ruler of the trolls and gnomes… Already acclaimed in 2022, the show is performed in Lyon by opera singers and actors, including Comédie-Française sociétaire Jérémy Lopez and our very own young Maîtrise singers. According to director Angélique Clairand, the hero's imaginary adventures, rather than being the product of mythomania, stem from his love for creativity and inner journeys. Enjoy this family-friendly ode to dreamers!

Peer Gynt

For twenty years, the Lyon Opera has presented a lyric art festival each season, featuring three titles ranging from classical repertoire and rare works to contemporary creations. We have explored forms and themes, building editions around a composer, around social issues, or around stories set to music multiple times. We have succeeded in breaking down barriers, shaking things up, seizing the future , and most recently, betting on beauty . Each year, the arrival of spring brings a new edition. And to amplify this unifying event that fosters encounters between audiences, artists, the region, and artistic works, we have brought together several cultural partners from across the metropolitan area to design this artistic event centered on the voice. We have envisioned a series of collaborations with the Théâtre des Célestins, the Théâtre National Populaire, the Théâtre du Point du Jour, the Théâtre Nouvelle Génération, and the Villa Gillet.

Giving Voice Festival

Under a country’s authoritarian regime, being gay is a harshly punished crime. A crime for which Zylan, a young pop singer, is persecuted, tried, imprisoned, and at last forced to name names during numerous interrogations. Zylan Won’t Sing Anymore is a monodrama, a rare form of opera centred on the character and baring his every thought. Composer Diana Soh and librettist Yann Verburgh wished to create an opera fit for all, especially for teenagers, a sung piece on a major current issue, still underrepresented in the field of opera: homophobia. The piece blends music with spoken and sung voice and recounts the sealing of Zylan’s fate through the performance of a tenor and three musical instruments – cello, guitar, and percussion. This thought-provoking opera echoes the abuse suffered in our own world by those whose sexual orientation is seen as dissident.

Zylan Won’t Sing Anymore

Deeply moved by Oscar Wilde’s play, Richard Strauss changed the course of music history with his intense, frantic eponymous opera. The set is King Herod’s Palace; young Salome is infatuated and rejected by Prophet Jochanaan, and, desperate to kiss him at all costs, subsequently asks for his severed head. The expressionist libretto drawn from this mysterious plot is both sensuous and dramatic. As an object – and mostly a subject – of desire, Salome’s magnetic quality is gradually unveiled. The piece, written at the turn of the 20th century, reads like a discovery of the subconscious mind or an exploration of urges. The hypnotic score is replete with unique colours and sounds; Strauss pushed the very limits of music in his time, at the risk of breaking the norms. The lead must be sung by a mesmerising performer, both in terms of voice and presence.

Salome

Based on Victor Hugo’s play, Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia is a powder keg of horrendous crimes, fierce passion, and rivalry between powerful 18th-century Italian leaders. The notoriously cruel Lucrezia Borgia must fight for her independence and reputation, tarnished by slander and jealousy, while protecting her heart-wrenching secret. The piece paints the portrait of a determined, powerful woman, reduced to criminal revenge by a society which forbids her from straying from her path. A true epitome of bel canto, the melodramatic opera genre is embodied by large ensembles and arias replete with vocal prowess. The lead must be dazzlingly virtuosic; at the Lyon Opera, it is sung by phenomenal soprano Lidia Friedman, in a production directed by Tatjana Gürbaca. Following L’Incoronazione di Poppea and The Girl of the Golden West, Gürbaca continues her exploration of major opera sagas with her Lucrezia Borgia.

Lucrezia Borgia

Internationally acclaimed theatre and opera director Deborah Warner created a musical show based on Franz Schubert’s famous lieder cycle Winterreise (Winter Journey). The Wanderer is embodied by two iconic artists and lied aficionados, tenor Ian Bostridge and pianist Julius Drake, performing these 24 quintessential melodies of German Romanticism. This poignant piece steeped in nostalgia revolves around wandering, loss, memories, and forced loneliness – a winter journey imbued with the desperate love of a heart still burning.