Possibly mythology’s most unfathomable character: Medea, the sorceress, betrayed by her husband Jason, takes revenge by offering the latter’s lover a poisoned dress and then killing her own children. Such a destiny, so often portrayed in the arts, could not but be embodied at the Opera. In 1693, Marc-Antoine Charpentier premiered his only “tragédie lyrique”, based on a libretto by Thomas Corneille, at the Académie royale de Musique – forerunner of the Paris Opera – in the presence of Louis XIV. Three centuries after its creation, this baroque score of great orchestral wealth returns for the first time to the stage of the Paris Opera, under the baton of William Christie. Renowned for his exceptionally articulate interpretations, director David McVicar transposes the action to the Second World War, thus reinforcing the heroine’s tragic character.
Opera in three acts by Jacques Offenbach filmed at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. At the origin of La Périchole, we find the story of the life of an actress and courtesan
An impressive masked figure, Trompe‑la‑mort reveals his true character through his impalpable latent energy and a plot abounding in tragic twists of fate. An ambivalent character, both regal in bearing and warmly protective, cruel and yet loving, rapacious and indomitable even in the face of madness, this ’Machiavelli among miscreants’ destined to become chief of police, uses his conquests to advance relentlessly in the pursuit of his aims whilst keeping his hand closely hidden. Guy Cassiers, working for the first time with the Paris Opera, portrays a three-tiered society where some rise and others fall.
Geneviève lives with her mother who runs an umbrella shop in Cherbourg. She falls in love with Guy, who is called up for military service in Algeria and leaves the city. The lovers separate, promising each other eternal love. But Geneviève soon discovers that she is pregnant and ends up giving in to her mother's pressure by marrying Roland, a rich jeweler who has long coveted her. When Guy returns to Cherbourg, he discovers Geneviève's marriage and finds his seriously ill aunt who is faithfully cared for by Madeleine, who has been in love with him for years.
Written by Georges Bizet, on a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, Carmen premiered at Opera Comique in Paris, France on March 3, 1875. The opera spurred mixed emotions amongst critics and casual operagoers. As a result, numerous planned performances were canceled. Bizet died on June 3, 1875 firmly believing that Carmen was a failure. Since the early 1880s, however, Carmen has been one of the most frequently performed operas in venues around the world. [BluRay.com]
Live performance from Salzburg Festival Opera, August 2007. The story tells of Cellini's love for Teresa, daughter of the Papal Treasurer Balducci. His rival, the Papal Sculptor Fieramosca, overhears Cellini plotting to run away with Teresa during the carnival.
"Inspired by a fable by La Fontaine, [composer Jean-Philippe] Rameau produced perhaps his most brilliant music for his penultimate great work, blending reality and the surreal on several levels." — from the DVD back cover
Initially beginning his education at the École Centrale de Lyon, Naouri decided to concentrate on opera in 1986 and continued his musical studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. His professional career in France began in 1992 with performances in the title role of Darius Milhaud’s Christophe Colomb (Christopher Columbus) for the opening of the Imperial Theatre in Compiègne. Progressing rapidly, his career quickly comprised a very varied repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to contemporary composers under such conductors as Maurizio Benini, William Christie, René Jacobs, Marc Minkowski, and Kent Nagano. Naouri made his debut at the Opéra Garnier in the role of Thésée in Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie, followed by Eugene Onegin at the Opéra de Nancy, interpreting at the Opéra Bastille the roles of the Comte Des Grieux in Massenet's Manon and Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro. A wide range of roles has followed, including many from the Baroque era including Rameau's Platée and Les Indes galantes and Handel's Alcina. In Britain, he has appeared at the Royal Opera House in 2006 in the role of Escamillo in Carmen; in the United States at the Santa Fe Opera he appeared in the same role in the 2006 Carmen . Also at the Santa Fe Opera, he is scheduled for the role of Falstaff in Verdi's opera of the same name for June/July 2008 and as Germont in the 2009 La traviata starring his wife as Violetta. Naouri is married to soprano Natalie Dessay, and they have two children.
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