Today : World première of 'Les Zoocrates' by Thierry Besançon in Lausanne

Today, the Opéra de Lausanne presents the world première of Les zoocrates, an 'animal and operatic silliness' by Thierry Besançon, with a libretto in French by Örs Kisfaludy.

It is the composer's first opera.

But...what on earth is a zoocrate? Is it some kind of learned animal, a zoological Socrates of sorts whose name is spoken with a lisp or even a stutter? A...Socratic animal? Why not! Doesn't the writer Eugène Ionesco declare so in his play Rhinoceros? : « All cats are mortal. Socrates is mortal. Therefore Socrates is a cat. » This is pure logic, isn't it? Indeed, but it would be even more (zoo) logical to think that a zoocrate is but the animal equivalent of a democrat. And zoocracy, the equivalent of democracy. (reproduced from the Opéra de Lausanne website)

the cast includes actor Thierry Takahahshi-Jorand (Le chasseur), bass Daniel Golossov (Le Lion), counter-tenor Jérôme Vavasseur (La Hyène), bass Alexandre Diakoff (L'homme-singe / Le marabout), soprano Yuki Tsurusaki (La gazelle) and tenor Fernando Cuellar Leon (Le zèbre). Andrei Feher conducts the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne. Pierre Lepori and François Renou direct.

The performance should last about 70 minutes, with no intermission.

Received in the mail this Friday morning : program book for 'Le Petit Prince' by Michaël Levinas

This Friday morning, I have received the program book published by the Opéra de Lausanne for the world première performance of the new opera by Michaël Levinas, Le Petit Prince, after Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

It is a 16 pages booklet, entirely in French. It contains :
- the synopsis,
- the complete cast,
- interview with Michaël Levinas, reproduced from the November 2014 issue of Opéra Magazine,
- the artists' biographies.

World première of 'Le Petit Prince' by Michaël Levinas in Lausanne

Yesterday, Le Petit Prince, new opera composed by Michaël Levinas, with a libretto by the composer after the novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was performed for the first time in Lausanne.

© Marc Vanappelghem

I wrote a lyrical piece addressed to children and adults from all cultures, which puts into song the story and message of the Little Prince, an extraordinary being from another place, a luminous and enigmatic child that Saint-Exupéry happens upon in the desert. The theatrical myth of the Little Prince takes on a near Mozart-like dimension. It expresses both wonder and grace, but also ultimate frailty and the sense of gravity experienced when faced with the ruthlessness of human reality: therein lies its paradoxical strength.
(Michaël Levinas, reproduced from the Opéra de Lausanne website)

The opera has been designed for audiences from 7 to 77 years. It should last about 75 minutes. It is the composer's fourth vocal work for the stage, after Go-gol (1996), Les Nègres (2003) and La Métamorphose (2010).

The cast includes Jeanne Crousaud (Le Petit Prince), Vincent Lièvre-Picard (The Aviator), Catherine Trottmann (Rose), Rodrigo Ferreira, Benoit Capt, Alexandre Diakoff and Céline Soudain. The Chamber Orchestra of Geneva is conducted by Arie van Beek. The director is Lilo Baur. The opera is a coproduction between several Swiss and French opera houses. It will be performed in Lille in December, in Geneva in January 2015 and in Paris in February.

New season 2014-2015 in Opéra de Lausanne

Eight operas will be performed in Lausanne, Switzerland, during the 2014-2015 season, including two composed in the 21st Century.

- Jules Massenet : Manon, conducted by Jesus Lopez Cobos, directed by Arnaud Bernard (new production) ;
- Michaël Levinas : Le Petit prince, conducted by Arie van Beek, directed by Lilo Baur (world première). This children opera, with a libretto based on Saint-Exupéry's novel, will also be performed in Geneva, Lille, Liège and Paris ;
- Franz Lehar : Die lustige Witwe, conducted by Cyril Diederich, directed by Jérôme Savary (first performed in Paris in October 2005) ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Die Entführung aus dem Serail, conducted by Laurent Gendre, directed by Tom Ryser (new production) ;
- Giuseppe Verdi : La Traviata, conducted by Corrado Rovaris, directed by Jean-Louis Grinda (first performed in Monte-Carlo in January 2013) ;
- Gioachino Rossini : Tancredi, conducted by Ottavio Dantone, directed by Emilio Sagi (new production) ;
- Daï Fujikura : Solaris, conducted by Erik Nielsen, directed by Saburo Teshigawara. The opera was first performed in Bregenz in July 2012. This is the third production, first to be performed in Paris in March 2015 ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Die Zauberflöte, conducted by Diego Fasolis, directed by Pet Halmen (revival from a production first performed in March 2010).

This is quite an interesting season, with two modern works confronting 6 operas of the classical and romantic eras.

Received in the mail this Monday morning

This Monday morning, I have received the following articles in the mail :

- Cardiff, Welsh National Opera : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Lausanne, Opéra : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Leeds, Opera North : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- London, Royal Opera House : Autumn 2014 brochure ;
- Nîmes, Théâtre : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Tours, Opéra and Orchestre symphonique : 2014-2015 season program book.