The only opera by Beaumarchais returns to the stage !

In 1787, France’s most celebrated playwright joined forces with the decade’s star composer, Antonio Salieri, then a favourite of both audiences and the Queen. The work is a moral tale: the cruel King of Ormus sends his general Tarare to the frontiers in a bid to dispose of him, in order to take his fiancée into his own harem. But the valiant general returns victorious, leading his troops to overthrow the tyrant and place Tarare on the throne.

“The value of a man lies not in his birth, but in his virtues” thus becomes a powerful manifesto of Enlightenment thought. The opera even appears prophetic of the French Revolution, foreshadowing the fate of Louis XVI, and in some ways anticipating the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. A huge success at its creation, praised for the exceptional blend of heroic and comic elements in this “turquerie”, it was nevertheless last performed in Paris in 1820.

Now revived at last, this major French operatic work returns under the baton of Théotime Langlois de Swarte and in a production by Jean-Romain Vesperini : a true operatic event.

Royal Opera Production / Château de Versailles Spectacles / Les Productions de l’Opéra Royal

Tragédie lyrique in a prologue and five acts, with a libretto by Beaumarchais, premiered at the Académie royale de musique in Paris in 1787.

Performance in French, with French and English surtitles.

First part : 1h15

Intermission

Second part : 1h15

PRESTIGE VIP CATEGORY : Best seats in house, you will receive a complimentary programme and a glass of champagne.

PRESTIGE CATEGORY : Excellent seats, you will receive a complimentary programme and a glass of champagne.

REDUCED RATE : available for groups of more than 10 people, excluding corporate offers.

CORPORATE GROUP RATES : for more information, please refer to our page dedicated to works councils and groups.

In case of any technical problem, the box office service remains available to complete your order by phone at +33 (0)1 30 83 78 89 (Monday-Friday from 11am to 6pm) or in our box office-shop (3 bis rue des Réservoirs, 78000 Versailles ; Monday-Friday from 11am to 6pm, and on Saturdays with concerts or shows except during the Musical Fountains Shows, from 2pm to 5pm).

To ensure the best welcome possible, people with limited mobility are advised to book their seats by telephone.