The performances of “Pelléas et Mélisande” by Debussy by our partner the orchestra Les Siècles were to take place at the Lille Opera from 20 to 30 March. The coronavirus decided otherwise, but two dates have been maintained to be filmed and broadcast online. On 9 April, music lovers from all walks of life will be able to discover this production, with mise en scène by Daniel Jeanneteau and directed by François-Xavier Roth, free of charge.
Created in 1898, this five-act opera has effortlessly survived the passage of time. The love between young Pelléas and his sister-in-law Mélisande, worthy of the greatest myths, remains as mysterious as it is fantastic, thanks to Debussy’s captivating music and Maeterlinck’s text. “Maeterlinck presents the wisdom of age as an accumulation of blindness and errors, even of foolishness, and the states of childhood or of madness as those that allow us to see events and life most clearly,” explain Daniel Jeanneteau and his artistic collaborator Marie-Christine Soma.
Les Siècles is no stranger to the music of Debussy. The orchestra, founded and conducted by François Xavier Roth, has recorded numerous scores by the French composer with instruments from the time of their creation. They will do the same for this production of Pelléas et Mélisande in Lille.
All those who never tire of this story will be able to find it from 9 April on www.operavision.eu.
Photo credit : Frédéric Lovino