Today : world première of 'Le Miroir d'Alice' by Thomas Nguyen in Reims

Today, the Opéra de Reims presents the world première of Le Miroir d'Alice (Alice's Mirror), a children opera composed by Thomas Nguyen with a libretto by Brigitte Macadré based on Lewis Carroll.

It is the composer's third opera after La petite marchade d'allumettes (after Andersen's tale, Reims, 2011) and La Tranchée des Berlingots (Reims, 2015).

Since Alice and her friends can not repeat their end-of-year piece, they decide to go to the Hanging Rock, whose mysterious atmosphere will help them focus. But one of the girls, Paula, disappears, victim of a strange curse. Alice decides to go looking for her and her quest will take her to the Mirror World, with a white rabbit for a guide ... (freely adapted from the Opéra de Reims website)

The cast includes mezzo Ambroisine Bré (Alice), mezzo Victoire Bunel (Paula / The Mad Hatter / The Cheshire Cat), soprano Judith Derouin (Young Paula, The White Rabbit), soprano Amandine Ammirati (Paula's Double / The White Queen), tenor Etienne Duhil de Bénazé (Paula's Brother / The White Knight / The Jack of Hearts), baritone Igor Bouin (Louis / The March Hare / The Red King / Tweedledum) and baritone Romain Dayez (Martin / Dormouse / Red Knight / Tweedledee). Bertrand Causse conducts the Orchestra. Gauthier Lefèvre directs.

The performance should last about 90 minutes.

Today : world première of 'Vanda' by Lionel Ginoux in Reims

Today, the Opéra de Reims presents the world première of Vanda, a chamber opera for mezzo-soprano, viola da gamba and electronics, composed by Lionel Ginoux, with a libretto by Jean-Pierre Siméon, after his own play Le Testament de Vanda.

It is the composer's second opera after Medea Kali (Marseilles, 2013).

The text portrays the life of an exiled woman, her struggles and her every day humiliations. It reveals a poignant story of a woman from the Balkans who recounts to her baby the stories of her life, origins and parents, of the love, the war, the violence. (reproduced from the composer's website).

The cast includes mezzo Ambroisine Bré and violist Marie-Suzanne de Loye. Nadine Duffaut directs. The performance should last about 50 minutes.

Today : world première of 'Amok' by François Cattin in Reims

Today, the 'Reims Scènes d'Europe' festival and the Opéra de Reims present the world première of Amok, an opera composed by Swiss musician François Cattin with a libretto by Orianne Moretti.

The libretto is based on Charles Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du mal and Goethe's Faust. It is in German and French. The opera title is a combination of the initials of Alma Mahler and Oskar Kokoschka.

The story outlines the passions and divisions of a famous couple shaken up by the upheaval at the dawn of the twentieth century. It sheds light on the turbulent relationship between two personalities travelling across which also slips on the clatters of the First World War. With their fragile relationship, Alma Mahler et Oskar Kokoschka show the relation between the creator and his muse and the impact of their intimate passions or external events, to fuel, accelerate, freeze or break inspiration and the creative process. (reproduced from the festival website)

The cast includes soprano Sophie Angebault (Alma), bass baritone Till Fechner (Oskar), bass Dan Popsecu (Alma's father), and mezzo Christine Tocci (Oskar's mother). Nicolas Farine conducts the Kammerensemble Neue Musik Berlin (KNM). Orianne Moretti directs.