Alexandra Lacroix's debut season at Angers Nantes Opéra explores love through Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice, featuring unconventional staging and a fresh French-language tenor version.
First season theme focuses on love
Alexandra Lacroix, in her first season as director of Angers Nantes Opéra, has chosen the theme of love, exploring it in various forms through her productions. Debut with Gluck's opera
She has selected Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice as her debut opera, staging it for the first time at the Théâtre Mouffetard. Lorraine de Sagazan's role
Lorraine de Sagazan, a renowned theater actor known for her work on Antonioni's Silence at the Comédie-Française, will perform the French version of the tenor role. This will be her first opera performance. Unconventional production style
The production is described as unconventional and potentially divisive, with aesthetics that challenge traditional opera norms and current artistic standards. Set design and visual themes
The set opens on an empty stage resembling a funeral chamber, a church, or a soulless city. Visual elements include a disarticulated doll and a makeup style blending a Barbie with a black Dahlia, suggesting themes of objectification and deformation. Narrative and character portrayal
Eurydice is depicted as objectified by the surrounding gaze, including Orpheus, whose motivation for retrieving her is unclear. Infernal creatures appear as ordinary yet monstrous figures throughout the performance. Set changes and vocal performances
During the intermission, the set is changed in front of the audience by the technical team. The vocal cast is praised, with Sahy Ratia as Orpheus and Jenny Daviet as Eurydice standing out for their performances. Technical and interpretive feedback
The Chœur d'Angers Nantes Opera and Alphonse Cemin's conducting are highlighted as strong elements. However, the individual presence of the characters is not as strong, and more rehearsals could have improved the movements and expressions.
