The Festival d’Aix-en-Provence is celebrating its 75th anniversary

The Festival d’Aix-en-Provence will hold its 75th edition from July 4th to July 24th, 2023, featuring an innovative program centered around the theme of « manipulation. » This edition will showcase six new productions, including a world premiere, as well as three operas in concert version and numerous recitals. As a prelude to this exciting edition, the festival will offer the public several free musical and cinematic events throughout the month of June in Aix.

Prelude to the Aix Festival from June 8th to June 30th

Throughout the month of June, the audience will have the opportunity to attend several free events, including the Wajdi Riahi Trio (June 17th) and the « Voices of Silvacane » featuring choirs performing works by Arvo Pärt, spirituals, and Sufi poetry (June 23rd and 24th). There will be concerts by the Chamber Music and Vocal Residencies of the Academy. The Academy will be celebrated on the occasion of its 25th anniversary in the grand concert Parade[s] on Cours Mirabeau, featuring a journey from Mozart to Cuban music (June 29th).

A special weekend will commemorate the 15th anniversary of the educational and socio-artistic service « Passerelles » on June 9th and 10th, and a day will be dedicated on June 14th to the major project focused on the Festival’s collections and memory. Additionally, the public will have the opportunity to once again attend the « preludes » to the operas and engage in conversations with the artists through « face-to-face » encounters and « lunchtime » sessions, also available on the #SCENE NUMERIQUE.

A program focused on a current societal issue

The chosen theme of « manipulation » for this edition resonates strongly with the current societal challenges, marked by the proliferation of fake news and the rise of totalitarian regimes employing these mass manipulation tools. As the festival director, Pierre Audi, explains, « The works presented this year evoke eras of moral confusion and oppression, acts of excess, and above all, devices of manipulation – of the weak, women, and crowds – that resonate strongly with our time. More often than not, these existential fables and initiatory journeys, tinged with cruelty, inevitably lead individuals and communities to their downfall. However, paradoxically, they sometimes make self-discovery and emancipation possible, with human beings revealing themselves to be both incredibly vulnerable and extraordinarily resilient. »

Operas

Since its first performance of Così fan tutte in 1948, the Festival has become one of the major highlights of the summer season. This year, the opening will be marked by a new production of The Threepenny Opera in its original 1928 version, under the musical direction of Maxime Pascal. Presented at the Théâtre de l’Archevêché, this satirical musical theater masterpiece will be performed by the troupe of the Comédie-Française and marks Thomas Ostermeier’s debut on the opera stage.

The festival will also feature the revival of two productions originally scheduled for 2020 but canceled due to the pandemic: a new production of Così fan tutte directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov and a new production of Wozzeck directed by Simon McBurney. The cast of Così fan tutte will showcase acclaimed artists, including Claudia Mahnke, Agneta Eichenholz, Russell Braun, and Rainer Trost, while Wozzeck will feature Christian Gerhaher and Malin Byström. Conductor Sir Simon Rattle will lead the London Symphony Orchestra for Wozzeck.

Operas in concert version

Meyerbeer’s The Prophet will be performed for the first time in Aix, featuring the London Symphony Orchestra, the Chorus of the Lyon Opera, the Maîtrise des Bouches-du-Rhône, and a cast including John Osborn, Anita Rachvelishvili, Mané Galoyan, James Platt, Edwin Crossley-Mercer, Guilhem Worms, and Valerio Contaldo. Verdi’s Otello will also be presented with Jonas Kaufmann in the title role, alongside Maria Agresta and Ludovic Tézier. The Teatro di San Carlo Orchestra will be conducted by Michele Mariotti. Finally, Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor will be performed in its French version, featuring a cast including Lisette Oropesa, Pene Pati, Florian Sempey, Nicolas Courjal, Yu Shao, and Sahy Ratia.

Concerts and recitals

In addition to the operatic program, a series of fifteen ambitious concerts will explore various musical eras and styles, ranging from Mozart to contemporary creations, encompassing major choral works, symphonic concerts, chamber music, jazz, and Mediterranean music. Virtuoso artists such as Lakecia Benjamin, the Gharbi Twins, the Noé Clerc Trio with Robinson Khoury and Minino Garay, as well as the sextet Mosaïc, share a common passion for collaboration and transmission, often infused with spiritual depth. These values are also reflected in the grand concert of the Mediterranean Youth Orchestra, conducted by Duncan Ward.

Some of the greatest singers on the international stage will make their debut, particularly in the exceptional series of recitals, ranging from Asmik Grigorian in a Gregorian chant recital to Pretty Yende in a repertoire of art songs, including performances by John Osborn. It’s an opportunity to discover representatives of the new generation such as Mané Galoyan, Liv Redpath, and Fatma Said.

Musical Theatre

This year, the festival presents Weill’s Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera) with the troupe from the Comédie-Française, as well as the new world premiere by Georges Benjamin and Martin Crimp, titled « Picture a day like this, » eleven years after the memorable success of Written on Skin – a profound and lighthearted philosophical tale that follows a young woman on a desperate quest for tangible proof of happiness. Following these performances, there will be The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions by Philip Venables and Ted Huffman, a baroque and iconoclastic musical review celebrating the differences and an orchestral work by Betsy Jolas, jointly commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra and the Festival for this anniversary occasion.

The 97-year-old composer, who attended the first edition of the Festival, reflects serenely on the entire journey accomplished. George Benjamin, Betsy Jolas, and Kirill Gerstein are also honored through portraits that illustrate the various facets of their art.

Ballets

With the reopening of the Stadium in Vitrolles, that allows for a wide range of projects, the Paris Orchestra under the direction of Klaus Mäkelä will achieve the feat of presenting in a single evening Stravinsky’s three most famous ballets, creatively reimagined by innovative filmmakers – Rebecca Zlotowski, Bertrand Mandico, and Evangelia Kranioti – in parables that explore art, the human condition, and nature grappling with a sense of grandeur.

Book your tickets now to experience this exceptional anniversary season. For 75 years, the Festival has presented works that renew approaches and repertoire, expand the boundaries of opera, engage in dialogue with other arts, and redefine the relationship between works, audiences, and venues. DVDM

For more informations: https://festival-aix.com/en