Presentation

Cherubino – cherub – is not a name bestowed at baptism. Mingling the sacred and the secular, it is an intractable contradiction, at once angel, child and Love itself. In paintings by Raphael and Titian, hovering blond cherubs accompany the Virgin on her Assumption. Yet Fragonard's cherubs, still hovering, make mischief, hiding behind a swing or laughing atop fountains. Apparently invisible to the other characters, they illuminate the canvas with love's smile, reminding us of our fatal need to love, the happiness it brings and its promise of pain. Inspired by Beaumarchais, Mozart and Da Ponte's masterpiece returns to the Paris Opera in Giorgio Strehler's legendary production, revised and restored by those who attended its birth: Ezio Frigerio, Humbert Camerlo and Maryse Flach. In the company of the finest Mozartians of our day an opportunity to quench our thirst at the Fountain of Youth of this poetic work overflowing with life.