Cast
Reinoud Van Mechelen Titon
Gwendoline Blondeel Aurora
Emmanuelle de Negri Pales
Marc Mauillon Aeolus
Ana Vieira Leite Love
Renato Dolcini Prometheus
Virginie Thomas, Maud Gnidzaz, Juliette Perret Nymphs
Valentin Arnoux, Coline Fouilhé, David Girondin, Cristina Iosif, Sylvain Menard, Diana-Elizabeth Neva Jaramillo, Candice Picaud, Philippe Rodriguez-Jorda Puppeteers
Les Arts Florissants Choir and Orchestra
William Christie Conductor
Basil Twist Stage direction, set design, costumes, puppets
Daniel Brodie Video creation
Jean Kalman Lighting design
Constance Larrieu Artistic collaborator to the stage direction
Alain Blanchot Assistant costumes
Benoît Hartoin* Head of vocal coaching
*Artists members of Les Arts Florissants
Presentation
A splendid music that offers no moment of respite, a fiery conductor for this work full of colors and twists, the Apollonian signature of Mondonville, the sparkling staging by Basil Twist with his puppets of all sizes—nothing is missing in this production to widen your eyes and dazzle your ears!
Show moreThis opera-ballet from 1753 is an absolute triumph in the humorous and poetic vision of the director, supported by a flourishing cast and the verve of Mondonville, which William Christie transforms with his musical forces. A protegé of Madame de Pompadour, Mondonville, crowned for his irresistible Grands Motets, is at the peak of his art. Here, he summons the splendor of French opera, the unheard-of colors of his orchestration à la Rameau, and the jewels of Italian style to charm to the highest degree. This is a masterpiece of lightness, elegance, and expressiveness, where the voices and orchestra constantly compete with invention and surprises, offering a musical gem more captivating than ever! Mondonville, a musical prodigy and incorrigible seducer, has here found the magnificent embodiment of his talents, transforming a divine pastoral into a high-energy spectacle!
Co-production: Opéra Royal / Château de Versailles Spectacles, Opéra Comique, Les Arts Florissants
With the support of the Institut International de la Marionnette as part of its professional integration program for ESNAM graduates.
Programme
Pastorale héroïque in three acts with a prologue, with a libretto by Antoine Houdar de la Motte, abbé de la Marre, first performed at the Académie Royale de Musique in Paris in 1753.
New Production