Latest news with #OpéraBastille
Asharq Al-Awsat
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Hundreds of Journalists in France Stage ‘Die-in' Solidarity Rally for Colleagues Killed in Gaza
Hundreds of journalists joined demonstrations in Paris and Marseille (southern France) on Wednesday in a show of solidarity for their colleagues killed in the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, AFP correspondents said. In Paris, more than 200 journalists, including prominent members of the French press, lay down on the steps of the Opéra Bastille in a symbolic 'die-in' as the names of the reporters killed in Gaza were read out. Nearly 200 journalists were killed in the Palestinian enclave since October 2023. 'Gaza of faces, not just numbers', read posters bearing photographs of their fallen Palestinian colleagues. At the demonstration, placards bearing the logos of journalist trade unions stood alongside numerous Palestinian flags and keffiyehs. Some participants also chanted, 'We will not be silent,' and 'Free Palestine.' Head of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate Europe branch, Yousef Habash, made a stand against 'genocide' in Gaza, demanding an end to the blockade imposed on the Strip. Head of France's journalist union SNJ-CGT, Pablo Aiquel, said, 'We have never witnessed such a high number of victims in our profession.' He said the right to information is under threat. Reporters Without Borders Director General Thibaut Bruttin said 'This gathering comes late, perhaps too late. (...) I've never seen a conflict during which a killed journalist is described as a terrorist.' In Marseille, about 160 people attended a similar demonstration. The names of journalists killed in Gaza were read out, before the participants held a minute's silence to mourn the victims. In an op-ed in the leading French daily Le Monde earlier this week, several journalist associations, trade unions and around 40 media organizations, condemned the Israeli media blackout in Gaza. 'The Israeli army is imposing a media blackout on Gaza to silence, as much as possible, the witnesses of the war crimes committed by its troops,' said the newspaper column.
Al Jazeera
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
‘Die-in' held in Paris to protest killing of Palestinian journalists
NewsFeed 'Die-in' held in Paris to protest killing of Palestinian journalists One hundred journalists staged a 'die-in' on the steps of the Opéra Bastille in central Paris to protest the killing of nearly 200 Palestinian journalists in Gaza since the war began. They laid on the steps in bloody press vests as the names of some of the journalists killed were read out.
CairoScene
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Abu Dhabi Festival & Paris Opera Announce Historic First Co-Production
The production premiered at Opéra Bastille in Paris on February 28th, 2025, and runs until March 27th. Mar 03, 2025 The Abu Dhabi Festival and Opéra National de Paris have launched a historic co-production of Claude Debussy's 'Pelléas et Mélisande', marking the first collaboration between the Arab world and the French opera house. Directed by Lebanese-Canadian Wajdi Mouawad and conducted by Antonello Manacorda, the production premiered at Opéra Bastille in Paris on February 28th, 2025, and runs until March 27th. 'Pelléas et Mélisande', composed by Claude Debussy and first performed in 1902, is a symbolist opera based on Maurice Maeterlinck's play of the same name. The opera's atmospheric score and impressionistic style explore themes of love, fate, and human emotion. The story follows the tragic love triangle between Prince Golaud, his mysterious wife Mélisande, and his younger half-brother Pelléas, unfolding in a dreamlike setting that enhances the opera's enigmatic and psychological depth. Under the patronage of UAE leaders, the initiative is part of Abu Dhabi Festival's mission to expand global artistic partnerships. Featuring soprano Sabine Devieilhe and baritone Huw Montague Rendall, the opera explores love and destiny with a set design by Emmanuel Clolus.
Trade Arabia
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Trade Arabia
Abu Dhabi Festival, Opéra national de Paris premiere new production
Abu Dhabi Festival is celebrating the opening of its historic collaboration with the Opéra national de Paris for Wajdi Mouawad's new production of Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande – marking the first collaboration of its kind with the Arab World. This eagerly awaited new production premiered at the Opéra Bastille in Paris on February 28 and will continue until March 27. The event was held under the honorary founding patronage of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and under the patronage of Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan. As part of the Festival's Abroad programme, this landmark co-production is the first between a Middle Eastern institution and the prestigious Opéra national de Paris. It reaffirms the Festival's commitment to strengthening international cultural partnerships and advancing creative excellence through artistic exchange, further elevating UAE and Abu Dhabi's global cultural influence and stature. An operatic masterpiece by French composer Claude Debussy, Pelléas et Mélisande premiered in 1902 as a symbolist opera based on Maurice Maeterlinck's play of the same name. Set to an evocative, atmospheric score that remains one of Debussy's most lauded works, the production explored themes of love, fate and the fragility of human emotions. Renowned Lebanese-Canadian director and playwright, Wajdi Mouawad, celebrated for his profound storytelling and innovative theatrical vision, returns to Opéra national de Paris with his second production. His direction is enriched by internationally acclaimed conductor Antonello Manacorda, Chorus Master Alessandro Di Stefano and a stunning set design by Emmanuel Clolus. Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, Founder of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) and Founder & Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival, said: 'Under the honorary founding patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, we present the world premiere of Wajdi Mouawad's new production of the masterpieces by the world-renowned composer Debussy, Pelléas et Mélisande. Lebanese-Canadian director Wajdi Mouawad will share his innovative direction at the Opéra Bastille in Paris, in a co-production of the Opéra national de Paris and the Abu Dhabi Festival. This historic collaboration is the first and largest of its kind between the prestigious French opera and the Arab world.' She continued: 'This historic performance comes as a reflection of our renewed commitment to promoting cultural diplomacy and our dedication to building human civilisation and envisioning a bright future for the global cultural and arts scene. With soprano star Sabine Devieilhe, renowned British baritone Huw Montague Rendall, and the brilliant world-renowned maestro Antonello Manacorda, performances of the famous Pelléas et Mélisande opera will continue from 28 February to 27 March, highlighting human emotions such as love, loyalty, honesty, hatred, and jealousy, and embodying the rich operatic legacy of Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande since its first performance at the beginning of the 20th century. "The co-production of Pelléas et Mélisande by Abu Dhabi Festival and Opéra national de Paris highlights the Festival's long-term vision of fostering multifaceted relationships with leading global arts institutions through meaningful and innovative collaborations that create lasting legacies. It also reflects the deepening cultural ties between the UAE and the global arts community, positioning Abu Dhabi as a key player on the international cultural stage,' she added. Alexander Neef, General Director of Opéra national de Paris, said: "The Paris Opera is delighted to bring this new production of et Pelléas Mélisande to life in co-production with the Abu Dhabi Festival, under the direction of Wajdi Mouawad and the baton of Antonello Manacorda, with Huw Montague Rendall and Sabine Devieilhe in the title roles. I am grateful to the Abu Dhabi Festival for their support in enriching our operatic repertoire and their dedication to arts and culture. I look forward to this shared artistic journey, as we pursue a common ambition for artistic excellence." Fahad Saeed Al Raqbani, Ambassador of the UAE to France, said: 'The historic co-production of Claude Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande between Abu Dhabi Festival and the Opéra National de Paris highlights the power of cultural diplomacy to strengthen the enduring friendship between the UAE and France. 'This landmark collaboration - the first of its kind between a Middle Eastern, or Arab, cultural institution and one of the world's most prestigious opera houses - reflects the UAE's commitment to fostering artistic excellence and cross-cultural dialogue. 'Abu Dhabi Festival continues to create new pathways between countries, artists and audiences through its groundbreaking partnerships with international institutions. By reimagining a timeless opera, this collaboration enhances Abu Dhabi's global cultural presence and reaffirms the arts as a bridge for mutual understanding and cooperation between our two nations." Nicolas Niemtchinow, Ambassador of the France to the UAE, said: 'I am delighted that the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF), through its flagship initiative, the Abu Dhabi Festival, is collaborating with the Opéra national de Paris to co-produce Pélléas et Mélisande for the first time on Friday, 28 February 2025, in Paris. "This masterpiece, which explores the themes of love and destiny, is one of Claude Debussy's most famous operas. This exceptional performance underlines the ever-deepening cultural ties between France and the United Arab Emirates. Congratulations to ADMAF on this great success! On the strength of exceptional iconic symbols such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Franco-Emirati relationship in the cultural sphere is now enhanced by promising new projects in the field of music. Together with the UAE, we are advancing our cultural relationship, breaking new ground, and looking toward the future.'
The Independent
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Calixto Bieito takes on Wagner's Ring Cycle, a quarter century after first shocking audiences
Calixto Bieito turned introspective as he sat in a cafe across from the Opéra Bastille, where his production of the first night Wagner's Ring Cycle was to premiere the following day. 'I am full of doubts, but I am convinced,' he said, equally brash, humble and apprehensive. Provoking boos 25 years ago for radical stagings saturated with sex and violence, Bieito has transformed at age 61 from European regietheater enfant terrible to prestigious patriarch. His production of 'Das Rheingold' that runs through Feb. 19 includes gold represented by cryptocurrency, a thicket of tangled cables and a zombie-like humanoid named Gisela created by Artificial Intelligence. Donner, the god of thunder, wore a Los Angeles Dodgers cap. Rhinemaidens were attired in blue-and-yellow scuba gear with oxygen tanks. The giant Fafner wore cowboy duds, and Freia, the goddess of love and beauty, smeared herself with oil hoping to be incinerated by Loge, the god of fire. Five television monitors were arranged in the shape of a crucifix in Nibelheim's subterranean chasm; the magic helmet Tarnhelm looked like a Basquiat image, and the ring large enough to fit around the neck like a noose. After Wotan entered Valhalla as smoke filled the auditorium at the Jan. 29 premiere, the cast and conductor Pablo Heras-Casado were met with applause but the director and his production team skipped the curtain call, leaving the audience response to him unanswered. Bieito won't take a bow until the full Ring is presented twice in November 2026, knowing he will make changes. A video recording won't take place until then. 'I start very human, not with myths,' Bieito said. 'I really believe we are living in a moment like when Caligula was saying, `I'm God.′ And then I'm going to build a new mythology.' Rise to fame — or infamy Bieito's 1999 staging of Bizet's 'Carmen' in Perelada, Spain, gained attention for an acgtor strung up a flagpole. His 2000 production of Verdi's 'Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball)' at Barcelona's Liceu opened with about a dozen men on toilets reading newspapers; a 2001 version of Mozart's 'Don Giovanni' featuring a coke-snorting Don Juan and was booed at the English National Opera on opening night. A 2004 staging of Mozart's 'Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio)' at Berlin's Komische Oper included Osmin, the pasha's overseer, seeming to slice off a woman's nipple and a prostitute drinking urine. 'When I did ` Carmen,′ people were hating me,' Bieito said. 'I had to leave some restaurants because people were shouting.' His works have since appeared in most major European houses. 'He comes in with a less-established concept and really develops much more in the room,' Paris Opéra general director Alexander Neef said. 'What he was initially planning on doing can change quite significantly.' A project that began a decade ago Bieito had gotten struck in Paris traffic, taking a car across town rather than the Métro because he is claustrophobic. In his usual black shirt, head shaven, shoulders slightly hunched, he explained the production's gestation. He was commissioned for Wagner's four-opera 'Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung)' in 2015 and was in rehearsals for an April 2020 opening when the the coronavirus pandemic shuttered the house. Bieito changed many of his ideas by the time a new cast gathered last December, influenced by James Bridle's book 'New Dark Age: Technology and the End of the Future.' The AI machines developed in 'Rheingold' will cause war in "Die Walküre," nature will rebel in 'Siegfried' and characters will gather in a Wagneria n-period living room as consciousness disappears into a black hole in 'Götterdämmerung.' He visited moors near Haworth in Britain, home of the Brontë family, to find his mood for the Ring. 'We are living in a moment where the gods, they don't exist anymore — I'm talking about Western society. The human beings, they believe they are gods,' he said. 'We are creating a machine ourselves. We are creating god.' Bieito, who was born in Miranda de Ebro, near Spain's Basque region, was influenced by a Jesuit education and lives in Basel, Switzerland, where he was artist in residence at Theater Basel from 2013-15. Stéphane Lissner, Neef's predecessor, hired Bieito for the Ring after seeing him direct Shakespeare's 'King Lear.' 'If I had to describe his work during rehearsals, the three words, they would be freedom, intensity and artistic personal responsibility,' said Bettina Auer, a dramaturg who has worked with Bieito since 2009. An influential mentor Lydia Steier, a American director who moved to Germany in 2002 as a Fulbright Scholar, first met Bieito when she was an assistant stage manager in Berlin during the infamous 'Abduction' production. She spoke decent Spanish, they bonded in part of what she termed his 'sort of potty humor' and Steier remained as an assistant when Bieito returned to Berlin for Puccini's 'Madama Butterfly' in 2005. She was promoted to his choreographer for Wagner's 'Die Fliegende Holländer' and Rameau's 'Platée' in Stuttgart. 'The reason that I decided to become a director and stay in Europe in general was `The Abduction from the Seraglio,'' Steier said. 'Without bending or breaking the music, he made it mean something completely different and incandescent and modern and necessary.' Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo said working with Bieito last winter in Thomas Ades' 'The Exterminating Angel' caused an epiphany 'He never comes in with a preordained plan, which I think is is part of his genius,' Costanzo said. 'He can see what works and see what doesn't work very well and he nudges you in one direction or the other.' Interpretations left open — even for the cast Even singers are left to ponder meanings. An image of a baby at the final notes could be Siegmund, Siegfried or Hagen. Brian Mulligan, the bass-baritone who portrays Alberich, asked Bieito whether the feet shown in the opening projection belong to his character. 'He laughed," Mulligan related, his voice rising in a sing-song, "and said, `Maybe they are.''
