Orange 2008

Next summer in Orange, Les Chorégies will feature two French operas from the XIXth century; world famous Bizet's Carmen (July 12 and 15) and Gounod's Faust (August 2 and 5). The Carmen cast includes Marcelo Alvarez (Don José), Béatrice Uria-Monzon (Carmen) and impressive French mezzo Karine Deshayes (Mercédès), all conducted, as usual in Orange, by Michel Plasson. Nadine Duffaut will direct the opera, and that's an awful news to me (her staging of last year's Les Pêcheurs de Perles in Avignon was dreadful, to say the least). Faust will feature Roberto Alagna (Faust), René Pape (Méphistophélès), Inva Mula (Marguerite) and sensational French bass Nicolas Testé as Wagner (too bad the part is so small), all under the conducting of Michel Plasson - again. Nicolas Joël will direct this cast, for his last staging before taking over the Paris Opera. French TV channel France 2 will broadcast Faust live, as it did last summer with Orange's production of Il Trovatore, with was successful enough to allow this second broadcast. Also worth noticing, the performance of Fauré's Requiem on July 26 in the Cathédrale Notre Dame d'Orange, to commemorate its 800-year existence. Online booking is available, prices range from €220 to €48 (for Faust and Carmen). Preview for the 2009 Summer: - Traviata with Patrizia Ciofi - Pagliacci and Cavalleria Rusticana with Roberto Alagna and Béatrice Uria-Monzon Preview for the 2010 Summer: Gounod's Mireille, probably once again conducted by Michel Plasson, with Franck Ferrari and Karen Vourc'h (Vincenette).

Official website of Les Chorégies.