International festival of lyric art of Aix-en-Provence

International festival of art lyrique
d' Aix-en-Provence

The International festival of lyric art of Aix-en-Provence is a festival of opera and Classical music created in 1948 and which takes place each summer with Aix-en-Provence. It is one of the great European lyric festivals, with a particular affinity for the operas of Mozart; the representations are given, in the open air, in the court of the Archbishop's palace.

History

The festival is created in 1948 by Gabriel Dussurget, which wishes to encourage the musical activity in the area of Marseilles. The new festival is thought under the auspices of Mozart: Since the evocation of Aix, a lyric work sang in my head. Fiordiligi and Dorabella descended like light phantoms the Mirabeau course, and Mozart came me to the lips.

It is indeed Così fan tutte which is given at the time of the first festival, in July, in decorations installed by Georges Wakhevitch in the court of the Archbishop's palace; Hans Rosbaud, come from the orchestra of the radio Südwestfunk of Baden-Baden, directs. Ten concerts and recitals are also given, with the Archbishop's palace, the cathedral Saint-Saver (a Messe of crowning with the young person Maria Stader) and elsewhere in the city.

In 1949, Don Giovanni is programmed, which meets a great success, in a device of scene and decorations of the poster artist Cassandre. The programming is fixed at three operas, including two of Mozart, by festival, the third being drawn from the réportoires baroques or contemporaries.

Bernard Lefort becomes director in 1974. It opens the festival with the Bel canto , with operas of Verdi, Donizetti.

He succeed in 1982 Louis Erlo, former director of the Opéra of Lyon and the Opera-Studio. It programs operas baroques (Purcell, Gluck, Lully, Campra, Rameau).

In 1998, Stephan Lissner, former director of the Theater of Châtelet, takes the head of the festival and program a Don Giovanni very noticed, put in scene by Peter Brook and directed by Claudio Abbado and its young pupil Daniel Harding with the head of the Mahler Chamber Orchestrated. It invites the directors Pina Bausch, Patrice Chéreau, Jerome Deschamps and Macha Makeïeff, and makes create the Balcony Peter Eötvös.

Of 2006 with 2009, the festival joins the Festival of Easter of Salzburg for the production of Ring of Richard Wagner put in scene by Stephan Braunschweig and directed by Simon Rattle with the Philharmonic orchestra of Berlin: the operas are presented to Aix-en-Provence in July and taken again in Salzburg next spring.

At January 1st, 2007, the Belgian Bernard Foccroulle former director of the royal Théâtre of the Currency takes the direction of the festival.

List directors

1947-1974 : Gabriel Dussurget
1974-1982 : Bernard Lefort
1982-1996: Louis Erlo
1998-2006: Stephan Lissner
At January 1st, 2007: Bernard Foccroulle

Places of the representations

The heart of the festival is the court of the Archbishop's palace. The spectacles in the open air, to the night fallen, the origin on the small scene - seven meters of depth and a dozen width -, gave a certain seal to the festival. The court then was arranged, with steps and tallies of scene.

Concerts and representations were also organized everywhere in the city, on the place of the Four-Dolphins, the place of the Carders, with the foot of the Montagne Holy-Victoire, etc

Since June 2007, certain representations take place in the Theater of Provence built for this purpose and completed at the beginning of this month.

See too

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