TONIGHT @ 8pm (Paris time): Platée - live webcast

Don't forget: the new production of  Platée an opera by J.-P. Rameau, directed by Mariame Clément, will be broadcast  TODAY via Arte LIVE WEB

To easily follow the show read the synopsis here.

@ Palais Garnier

Platée arrive chez vous (2)

The previous entry will hopefully motivate you to see the new production of Platée, directed by Mariame Clément,  which will be premiered tomorrow at the Strasbourg Opera (Opera National du Rhin). A lineup of very good singers and the orchestra Les Talens Lyriques will be conducted by Christophe Rousset.

 Shrek-y pic from the Mariame Clément's production of Platée  

MORE IMPORTANTLY,  next  Thursday - March 18 at 8 pm (cet), the world's best TV will broadcast it live. To see it simply visit Arte LIVE WEB and enjoy. 

2-3 days after the live webcast the video will be available for 60 days. It's good, it's free, we like it!

 For more pics from this production see here.

Platée arrive chez vous (1)

Platée is an opera written by a French baroque composer, Jean-Philippe Rameau, who is unfortunately not as famous worldwide as he should be: we're talking about a pure genius.
Most of his operas are  recorded, each involving the prestigious conductors such as John Eliot Gardiner, William Christie, Marc Minkowski...  Over the past 10 years or so his work is attracting more and more interest and many opera houses in Europe start including in one of his operas in the programs.

The trouble in producing his operas is that they regularly contain a couple of "ballet" numbers --->  need more rehearsal time --> productions are more costly.

Back to Platée... It is an opera bouffe, with a far-fetched plot, like in most[all?] baroque operas, which --when properly staged-- can become wickedly funny. This was the case with a recent revival of the Laurent Pelly's production of Platée at the Paris Opera. That's a kind of productions Laurent Pelly knows how to do well. I saw it last December and I liked it a lot: it was funny [full of froggy/self-deprecating humor], fast paced, well constructed, very well performed by Les musiciens du Louvre  & Marc Minkowski, and brilliantly sung too (see here for details).