Opera

Faust

Charles Gounod

Bastille Opera

from 26 September to 18 October 2024

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Opera

La Fille du régiment

by Gaetano Donizetti

Bastille Opera

from 17 October to 20 November 2024

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Opera

The Magic Flute

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Bastille Opera

from 02 to 23 November 2024

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Life at the Opera

  • Imaginary Faust
    Video

    Imaginary Faust

  • Voices from the Troupe: Nicholas Jones
    Video

    Voices from the Troupe: Nicholas Jones

  • My'Kal Stromile, between heritage and innovation
    Video

    My'Kal Stromile, between heritage and innovation

  • Imaginary The Magic Flute
    Video

    Imaginary The Magic Flute

  • Les Brigands – An immersion in the set construction workshops
    Video

    Les Brigands – An immersion in the set construction workshops

  • Draw-me The Magic Flute
    Video

    Draw-me The Magic Flute

  • Draw-me Les Brigands
    Video

    Draw-me Les Brigands

  • Draw-me Madama Butterfly
    Video

    Draw-me Madama Butterfly

  • Recipe of the day: Faust
    Video

    Recipe of the day: Faust

  • Fire in The Magic Flute
    Article

    Fire in The Magic Flute

Imaginary Faust

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A repertoire work narrated in a visual poem born of popular culture

1:03 min

Imaginary Faust

By Marc de Pierrefeu, Marion Mirande

“I want a treasure which contains them all! I want youth!” Frustrated by the futile quest for knowledge, the erudite old Faust sells his soul to the devil in exchange for eternal youth and the beautiful Marguerite… Reworking the legend popularised by Goethe, Gounod focuses on the love story and elevates the significance of Marguerite’s fall and ultimate salvation.

Choosing to lighten the narrative’s philosophical scope allows him to strike a balance between scenes where the supernatural calls for the visually spectacular and others depicting a universe governed by inward actions and feelings.

Transposed to the present day, Tobias Kratzer’s Faust reflects on contemporary society’s obsession with eternal youth. His production’s sophisticated scenography oscillates between hyperrealism and magic, between the world of today and the mysterious atmosphere of German romanticism.  

Voices from the Troupe: Nicholas Jones

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6:07 min

Voices from the Troupe: Nicholas Jones

By Isabelle Stibbe

The Paris Opera continues its new series, Les Voix de la Troupe, to learn more about the talents who have joined the institution's new opera group.

On the occasion of Falstaff, Nicholas Jones, who plays Bardolfo, talks about his career and what led him to leave his native Australia to join the troupe.

My'Kal Stromile, between heritage and innovation

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In rehearsal for Word for Word

5:38 min

My'Kal Stromile, between heritage and innovation

By Antony Desvaux

Invited for the first time to create a piece for the Paris Opera Ballet, My'Kal Stromile follows in the footsteps of his mentor William Forsythe.

The choreographer explains the genesis of Word for Word and how he drew inspiration from classical dance steps to imagine his own language. In costumes by Chanel, his choreography strikes a balance between heritage and innovation.

My'Kal Stromile talks about his influences, his background and his relationship with music. Finally, he shares how he works in the studio with the Opéra dancers.

Imaginary The Magic Flute

Watch the video

A repertoire work narrated in a visual poem born of popular culture

1:09 min

Imaginary The Magic Flute

By Marc de Pierrefeu

Les Brigands – An immersion in the set construction workshops

Watch the video

7:09 min

Les Brigands – An immersion in the set construction workshops

By Clara Guedj

In conjunction with Barrie Kosky's new production of Les Brigands, José Sciuto, deputy workshop manager, guides us into the heart of the Paris Opera's painting, sculpture and upholstery workshops to tell us all about this production's abundant sets.

An immersion that allows us to discover the various stages of work and reveals the many and varied facets of these professions.

Draw-me The Magic Flute

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Understand the plot in 1 minute

1:20 min

Draw-me The Magic Flute

By Octave

Mozart’s last opera can be seen as a marvellous tale for children or as an ardent meditation on human existence.

A prince from a far-off land on a quest to find a slightly suicidal princess encounters a giant snake and a swaggering bird catcher, the Queen of the Night and a mysterious High Priest imposing strange rites of passage…

Drawing inspiration from the words of the composer in a letter to his father, the director Robert Carsen provides an elegant and sober Magic Flute, a dark jewel that conquers Death and makes it “our best friend”, – a source of reassurance and consolation.

Draw-me Les Brigands

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Understand the plot in 1 minute

1:24 min

Draw-me Les Brigands

By Pajot Matthieu

Draw-me Madama Butterfly

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Understand the plot in 1 minute

1:07 min

Draw-me Madama Butterfly

By Octave

For his Madame Chrysanthème, Pierre Loti drew on memories of his own visit to Japan in 1885. When composing Madama Butterfly, Giacomo Puccini was inspired by the popular melodies and sonorities of Japanese voices. However, in the literary work, as in the opera, the heroine remains the same: Kiku-san or Cio‑Cio‑san, a young geisha betrayed by her western husband, the symbol of the meeting of two different worlds. Robert Wilson’s ethereal production espouses to perfection the dramatic intensity and underlying violence of this thoroughly Japanese tragedy.  

Recipe of the day: Faust

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Ingredients of Tobias Kratzer's stage production

000:47 min

Recipe of the day: Faust

By Octave

© Elena Bauer / OnP

Fire in The Magic Flute

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A production remembered

04 min

Fire in The Magic Flute

By Alexis Mazaloubaud

In his production of The Magic Flute, first performed at the Paris Opera in 2014, Robert Carsen uses the seasons as a metaphor to develop the characters of this initiatory tale. He also works with the elements: as a result, the “Trial by Fire” which occurs at the beginning of Act II, takes on a particularly striking aspect. Alexis Mazaloubaud, responsible for special effects and pyrotechnics at the Opéra Bastille, talks about the conception of that scene.


The first time I worked on fire effects for Robert Carsen, it was in 2001 for the production of Antonín Dvořák’s Rusalka: an immense flame six metres high and ten metres wide, with a soloist nearby, it was incredible! But the request he made to us almost fifteen years later for The Magic Flute represented another major challenge: we had to put in place two fire ramps measuring 13 and 15 metres for scarcely 90 seconds, which the two characters Pamina and Tamino could cross.

It is not customary for us to work on such large surfaces. Usually, we deal with smaller combustible elements, such as candles and torches. In this case, though, it took a considerable amount of time to find a suitable method. In the end, we designed ramps resembling metal pipes that had been cut lengthwise. We then placed a series of wicks impregnated with a flammable product inside them. These were then lit with a lighter located on either side of the ramps and ultimately extinguished by a mechanical suppression system.

We realised right away that it would be impossible for the singers to cross the flames in bare feet. So we came up with a specific solution: igniting the fire in two stages. First, on the wide lateral sections. Then, the central parts would burst into flames once the singers had crossed them, after moving from downstage to upstage. The two singers then would turn to face the audience from behind the two burning ramps.

To set this impressive effect in motion, four technicians were positioned on the sides and two under the stage of the central section in order to ignite and mechanically extinguish the two ramps. In reality, the rain which comes down at the end of the scene plays no part in extinguishing the flames! Incidentally, at Robert Carsen’s request, that rain is actually comprised of tiny glass beads.

Robert Carsen's production of “The Magic Flute”
Robert Carsen's production of “The Magic Flute” © Elena Bauer / OnP

Of course, safety is our top priority. There are always trained firefighters present in the wings. The numerous Chorus-members, wrapped in white sheets, are positioned close to the fire so they must keep at least one metre away from the flames. Even so, when they rise to step over the extinguished ramps a few small flames can sometimes remain which can be unnerving for them. When that happens, technicians in costume can come on stage with smothering cloths and be barely distinguishable from the other characters!

I returned to this production with a great deal of enthusiasm. Since I am in charge of special effects, I also get to use water, smoke and wind. With these four elements there is an infinite number of possibilities. This season, for The Snow Maiden for example, I will have to work on a number of large wooden fires positioned around the stage. As for Carmen, I will be ensuring that the Spanish flag truly flies…

Interviewed by Juliette Puaux

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