Known for Acting
Ludovic Tézier is today one of the greatest baritones in the world. Behind this major voice of opera, both backstage and in everyday life, is a simple man, passionate about his art, but also his wife, Cassandre Berthon, a soprano. From the most prestigious stages to the intimacy of their home, from rehearsals to masterclasses, both the demands of interpretative work and the depth of soul that inhabits him are revealed. Driven by his natural humanity and the strength of his love, Ludovic unveils what makes Tézier’s voice exceptional.
After Tosca (2019), which marked Puccini’s entry into its repertoire, the Festival celebrates the centenary of the composer’s death this year by putting on his ‘Japanese tragedy’ Madame Butterfly: the cruel story of a vulnerable but strong and wilful heroine, driven by her blind perseverance to ritual suicide. By enveloping her with a bright lyricism and a supremely refined orchestration, Puccini reaches the heart of his artistic identity – reminding us of the real pleasure of tears. Conducting the orchestra of the Opéra de Lyon, Daniele Rustioni offers the finest of backdrops to Ermonela Jaho, whose rare combination of force and delicacy has made her a go-to choice in this wonderful yet harrowing role, in which she is making her prized debut in Aix.
Giacomo Puccini’s final operatic masterpiece, Turandot, is one of the repertory’s most extravagant spectacles. And in the Met’s production, by legendary director Franco Zeffirelli, this tale of an icy Chinese princess and the mysterious prince vying to win her love takes on larger-than-life proportions. This performance, recorded as part of the company’s series of Live in HD cinema transmissions, stars Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska in the formidable title role, going head-to-head with tenor Yonghoon Lee as Prince Calàf, who must correctly answer Turandot’s three riddles or forfeit his head. Maestro Marco Armiliato, a veteran of nearly 500 Met performances, takes the podium to lead a stunning cast, which also features soprano Ermonela Jaho as the self-sacrificing Liù and bass-baritone Ferruccio Furlanetto as Calàf’s father, the blind king Timur.
Opera confronts us with extremes of emotion, sometimes delivering unforgettable, life-changing experiences. Fuoro sacro (‘Sacred Fire’) seeks out singers who have the power to pierce our hearts, presenting three of them at work in the most intimate details of their rehearsals and preparations. Ermonela Jaho, Barbara Hannigan and Asmik Grigorian are watched closely as some of their secrets are revealed: how they inhabit their roles and transform words and notation on a page into that intangible but powerful magic being communicated to audiences from the opera stage. Over 90 minutes of extras are included featuring vocal warm-ups and live performances accompanied by pianists Evgenia Rubinova, Reinbert de Leeuw and Francesco Piemontesi.
A staging of Charles Gounod's "Faust", staged by Tobias Kratzer.
The Pucchini opera "Turandot" will be shown completely new at the Gran Teatre del Liceu. The new production by the Spanish video artist Franc Aleu refers with a wink to the history of the Catalan institution: 20 years ago, this very opera was resumed there after a fire in 1994 severely damaged the theater.
Alfredo Germont and the courtesan Violetta Valéry fall in love at a party in Violetta's Paris salon. Alfredo is determined to cure Violetta of her tuberculosis, and the couple leave Paris and begin a contented life in the country. But Violetta's happiness is destroyed when Alfredo's father Giorgio Germont pays her a visit. Richard Eyre's stunning naturalistic production contrasts the superficial glamour of 19th-century Parisian high life with intimate scenes for Violetta with Alfredo and Giorgio Germont, culminating in the heart-breaking final act.
In Benoît Jacquot’s production, Manet’s Olympia dominates the stage of the Opéra Bastille. In 1863, the painting caused a scandal: the prostitute awaits her client, her expression proud, her demeanour assured. Is this Violetta? Like Olympia, Verdi’s most celebrated heroine surrenders to the spectator just as she surrenders to love, going so far as to die on stage, a woman’s ultimate sacrifice for her lover. Or might it be the spectator who strips her bare and intrudes upon her privacy, in the image of this milieu of social voyeurism? Whatever the case, these two women regard us with defiance and subjugate those who cannot help but look at them.
Les Huguenots is a monumental fresco featuring various impossible loves in the context of the Saint Bartholomew Massacre. Andreas Kriegenburg places these timeless conflicts of love and religion in an immaculate setting in which the costumes appear yet more flamboyant and the victims’ blood more violently red.
