Organization

Conductor

Bertrand de Billy

Stage director

Lydia Steier

Chorus master

Chin-Lien Wu

Set designer

Etienne Pluss

Costume designer

Katharina Schlipf

Singer

Tenor

Michael Spyres

Licinius

Julien Behr

Cinna

Bass

Jean Teitgen

Pontifex Maximus

Florent Mbia

Le chef des Aruspices

Soprano

Elza van den Heever

Julia

Mezzo-soprano

Eve-Maud Hubeaux

The Great Vestal

Opéra National de Paris

Orchestra

Paris Opera Orchestra

Others

Chœur de l’Opéra national de Paris

Lighting designer

Valerio Tiberi

Dramaturge

Olaf A Schmitt

French

La vestale -  (The Vestal Virgin)

Paris

France

Opéra Bastille

La vestale Spontini

Public

The Vestal Virgin

English

Approved

A priestess of the Temple of Vesta, Julia, is torn between her religious duties and her love for the Roman general Licinius. This is the crux of La Vestale, Gaspare Spontini's opera, written at the start of the First Empire. Dedicated to Joséphine and multiplying political allusions to Napoleon, the work was a triumph from its premiere at the Paris Opera in 1807. Admired by Berlioz, the score displays a brilliant orchestration and a sustained lyrical vocality that announces the grand opera while continuing Gluck's legacy. After leaving the Paris Opera for nearly 150 years, the return of this work in its original French version is an expected event. Lydia Steier, who directs it, explores the themes of religious extremism and militaristic zeal:

Une prêtresse du temple de Vesta, Julia, est partagée entre ses devoirs religieux et son amour pour le général romain Licinius. Tel est le nœud de La Vestale, l’opéra de Gaspare Spontini, écrit au début du Premier Empire. Dédiée à Joséphine et multipliant les allusions politiques à Napoléon, l’œuvre connaît un triomphe dès sa création à l’Opéra de Paris en 1807. Admirée par Berlioz, la partition déploie une orchestration brillante et une vocalité au lyrisme soutenu qui annonce le grand opéra tout en s’inscrivant dans l’héritage de Gluck. Après avoir quitté l’affiche de l’Opéra de Paris pendant près de 150 ans, le retour de cette œuvre dans sa version originale en français est un événement attendu. Lydia Steier, qui en signe la mise en scène, explore les thèmes de l’extrémisme religieux et du zèle militariste : l’amour a-t-il une chance de survivre entre ces deux pôles impitoyables ?

français

Julia, a priestess in the Temple of Vesta, is torn between her religious duties and her love for the Roman general Licinius. This is the crux of La Vestale, Gaspare Spontini’s opera, written at the beginning of the First Empire. Dedicated to Josephine and multiplying political allusions to Napoleon, the work was a triumph from its first performance at the Paris Opera in 1807. Admired by Berlioz, the score features brilliant orchestration and a sustained lyrical vocal style that heralds grand opera while remaining true to the legacy of Gluck. After remaining absent from the Paris Opera for almost 150 years, the return of this work in its original French version is an eagerly awaited event. Stage director Lydia Steier explores the themes of religious extremism and militaristic zeal: can love have any hope of surviving between these two ruthless extremes?

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble