Theatre des Champs-Elysees centenary

Next year the the centenary of the Theatre des Champs-Elysees, a theatre whose first season (in 1913) included the premieres by Diaghilev's company of  Debussy's Jeux and Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, both to choreography by Nijinsky. The building itself represented and early use of reinforced concrete. For its 2012-13 season, the theatre is presenting a fine and tempting array of operatic goodies, both staged and in concert.


In the autumn there are three works on the theme of Medea, by Charpentier,  Pascal Dusapin and Cherubini. The cast of the last named are disappointingly non-French with dramatic soprano Nadja Michael as Cherubini's heroine; the opera is conducted by Christophe Rousset. Emmanuelle Haim is conducting Charpentier's opera, with Pierre Audi staging it. Pascal Dusapin's 1992 piece Medeamaterial is being choreographed by Sacha Waltz/

Then Donizetti's La Favorite receives a rare outing, with Alice Coote in the title role and Celso Albelo and Ludovic Tezier. This is extremely tempting, so much so that we are going.

Their final staged opera of the season is Don Giovanni with a cast including Markus Werba and Miah Persson and directed by Stephane Braunschweig.

There is also a tempting array of concert performances Handel's Rodelinda conducted by Alan Curtis, Radamisto with David Daniel, Agrippina, Imeneo with Lucy Crowe and David Daniels conducted by Christopher Hogwood; Fidelio with Waltraud Meier and Jonas Kaufmann, I Puritani, Vinci's Artaserse, Blow's Venus and Adonis, Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Die Dreigroschenoper with Alison Bell, Felicity Palmer, Mark Padmore and John Tomlinson conducted by Vladimir Jurowski (a fascinating and tempting cast), Don Carlo with Barbara Frittoli, Daniela Barcellona and Ramon Vargas conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, Benenuto Cellini and Faure's Penelope with Anna Caterina Antonacci.

Full details from the theatre's website.