For composer and conductor Marc-André Dalbavie, Claudel’s play is utterly singular: lasting nine hours, it is the product of diverse influences, from Spanish theatre (in its format, spread out over four “days”) to Japanese Noh (in the variety of genres, tragedy coexisting with levity, even comedy). The language is musical, the framing and characters grandiose, and the composer set himself the task of adapting the source text while maintaining the uncommonly long running time—an indispensable part of the experience, in his view: “This story cannot be told in one or two hours,” Dalbavie says, “it takes time to make a unified whole out of such divergent styles and genres.” He then composed the music (incorporating traditional instruments from many different nations and cultures to evoke the world travels of Don Rodrigo), while librettist Raphaèle Fleury set the text, a Herculean feat of adaptation.
This world premiere by the Paris Opera represents the third installment in their French literature cycle begun in 2017. Under the baton of Marc-André Dalbavie himself, the impeccable Paris Opera Orchestra allows the sublime soloists to shine in a production for the ages.
Photo © Elisa Haberer / Opéra national de Paris
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