Aix does it better: Festival 2011

Last year the Festival in Aix en Provence was the best we could see in Europe. I doubt we will see the same level of intensity and creativity this year, but it looks very promising anyway, and our July might be more exciting for the new productions presented there.

What I particularly appreciate from the organizers --and their delightfully competent director, Bernard Foccroulle, in particular-- is their strong outreach effort: contrary to many other festivals a big part of the festival in Aix is available on the Internet for free.  This is possible also thanks to the world coolest TV, Arte and their Arte Live Web portal.

Four of the programmed six operas (all new productions!) will be live broadcast this July. Below is the sched:

•  Sat Jul 9 at 20:00 on Arte Live Web: Thanks to my eyes, a new opera by Oscar Bianchi (in English), a youngster who composed music on the text written by Joël Pommerat [dir- Joël Pommerat, cnd- Franck Ollu, cast: Hagen Matzeit, Brian Bannatyne-Scott, Anne Rotger, Keren Motseri]
  This production will then travel to Strasbourg, to La Monnaie in Brussels, to Paris (Châtelet and Gennevilliers)...
  

  

  Rehearsal of Thanks to my eyes

   
• Sat Jul 16 at 21:30 on Arte-TV AND via Arte Live Web: La Traviata, by a good director and London Symphony Orchestra in the pit [dir- Jean-François Sivadier, cnd- Louis Langrée, cast: Natalie Dessay, Charles Castronovo, Ludovic Tézier, Adelina Scarabelli]
  The production will go to the Wiener Staatsoper, Dijon Opera House and to Opéra de Caen
  
  

  

  Natalie Dessay preparing for La Traviata

   
• Sun Jul 17 at 21:30 on Arte Live Web: Acis and Galatea, for the baroque aficionados [dir- Saburo Teshigawara, cnd- Leonardo Garcia Alarcon, cast: Julien Behr, Julie Fuchs, Rupert Charlesworth, Zachary Wilder, Joseph Barron]
  This show will then go to the Teatro la Fenice in Venice and Den Nye Opera in Bergen.
  
  

  

  Acis and Galatea - rehearsal pic

  
   
• Thu 21 at 21:30 on Mezzo TV: La Clemenza di Tito with London Symphony Orchestra [dir- David McVicar, cnd- Sir Colin Davis, cast: Gregory Kunde, Carmen Giannattasio, Sarah Connolly, Anna Stephany, Amel Brahim-Djellou, Darren Jeffery]
  If you're in France and you don't have access to Mezzo TV, you may still catch the live broadcast of the same opera in the movie theaters (see the list of cinemas here)
  This show will go to Toulouse and Marseille (co-producers)   

Everybody loves Raymond David McVicar: always passionate rehearsals