The Paris Opera pays tribute to director Pierre Audi and expresses its gratitude to an artist who, through his vision and his commitment to the concept of total artwork, enriched our stage as well as the imagination and sensitivity of our audiences.

A leading figure in the world of opera, Pierre Audi directed three productions for the Paris Opera: La Juive by Halévy at Bastille in 2007, Tosca by Puccini in 2014, and Fin de partie by Kurtág at the Palais Garnier in 2022. These three works—representing the aesthetics of grand opera, verismo, and contemporary music—were each staged with remarkable precision and without repetition, always serving the text and the score above all. Since its premiere in our repertoire, his production of Tosca—a “dramatic and operatic piece of fine craftsmanship,” in his own words—has been revived six times. He was due to direct its revival in the 2025/2026 season.

Pierre Audi’s recent appearance at the Paris Opera for Kurtág’s opera marked the culmination of a nearly forty-year collaboration with the great Hungarian composer and their shared passion for the theatre of Samuel Beckett. In his production at the Palais Garnier, audiences were able to experience the profound theatricality that Pierre Audi drew from the silences so dear to Beckett, set to music by his friend.

Though his artistic journey has come to a sudden end, his productions will continue to accompany and deeply move us, as they so vividly reflect his sensitivity and vision.

The Paris Opera extends its condolences to his family and loved ones and offers its full support to the team at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in the face of this sudden loss.