IN SEARCH OF HUMANITY
Children leap joyfully out of a field of ruins, the promise of a dawn of fragile beauty: The Magic Flute. A woman of supernatural origin searches for her shadow and finds her soul among humans who are all too human: The Woman without a Shadow. On an island steeped in ancestral rituals, a “last mother” forces the entry of the terminally ill to the realm of the dead under the eyes of her adopted daughter: Accabadora, a world premiere. Meanwhile, another woman embarks on her final journey into the night as a round of fraternal and festive dancers oppose their vital force to the inexorable disappearance of all things: Requiem. Finally, a runaway slave hears the voices of a liberating revolution in the forest: El Cimarrón.
What path in life leads us to the essence of our humanity? For those who grow up in worlds of uncertainty, in which civilizations discover that they are mortal, in which dazzling utopias sometimes turn into dangerous ideologies, and in which light and shadow seem to switch places, the question could hardly be more acute. [...]
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Booking: subscriptions from 27 January, single tickets from 3 February > find out more
FESTIVAL D’AIX—EN—PROVENCE
2 — 21 JULY 2026
Activé
Raphaël Pichon presides as the master of ceremonies over a fresco in which music and visual power move as one. — La Provence
REQUIEM
The Pygmalion chorus is so essential, homogenous, and consistently nuanced in its dynamics that the soloists seem to be its natural extension. […] Pure emotion is guaranteed. — Bachtrack
REQUIEM
Strauss and Hofmannsthal’s operatic blockbuster is served by the superb artistic understanding between conductor Klaus Mäkelä and stage director Barrie Kosky, an orchestra at its peak, and a first-rate cast. — Télérama
DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN
All [the singers and musicians] help to ensure that this richly sonorous score […] will undoubtedly be recognised as one of Aix’s great creations. — Die Welt
ACCABADORA
In perfect harmony, Romeo Castellucci and Raphaël Pichon offer us, with simplicity, a natural and peaceful vision of death while celebrating life. [...] A faith in humanity that illuminates the entirety of Mozart’s oeuvre. — Inferno
REQUIEM
Klaus Mäkelä and Barrie Kosky have brought forth a great operatic miracle in Aix-en-Provence. — El País
DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN
On stage at the Jeu de Paume, Iván García gives a breath-taking performance as both actor and singer in the role of the Cuban slave. — Le Figaro
EL CIMARRÓN
In the pit, the members of Cappella Mediterranea elicit magnificent sounds from their instruments under the direction of Leonardo García-Alarcón. — Concert Classic
DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE
A huge success with audiences, for an enthralling work and an instant classic. — La Marseillaise
ACCABADORA
[Clément Cogitore’s production of] The Magic Flute is driven by a wildly relevant theatrical vision. — Le Temps
DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE
This “Frau” is a triumph […] Barrie Kosky’s production confidently focuses Strauss and Hofmannsthal’s convoluted fairy tale into a moving portrait of what it means to be human. — New York Times
DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN
Elayce Ismail’s staging of El Cimarrón at Aix-en-Provence places much of its trust in the score; it reveals rather than conceals, with everyone participating in the same theatrical ecosystem. Despite the protagonists’ extraordinary vitality, the poetic quality of the work is never lost. — Forum Opéra
EL CIMARRÓN
The Chinese soprano Ying Fang, as Pamina, received a warm ovation from the audience for her enchanting singing, marked by absolute integrity and stylistic marvel. — Olyrix
DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE
A stylistic originality between abstraction and reality, brilliantly conveyed by the instrumentalists of the Orchestre national de Lyon under the impeccable direction of Lucie Leguay. — Le Monde
ACCABADORA
In an exceptional theatrical and vocal performance, Iván García portrays this man as both an individual shunted by history and, in his very flesh, the symbol of the fate of a nation. Singing baritone, he delivers the text in Spanish, dances, and transforms his entire body into the instrument through which a life is recounted with rawness and sincerity. — La Marseillaise
EL CIMARRÓN
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CONCERTS
Alongside its opera program, the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence offers a wide and exciting range of concerts.
At the Grand Théâtre de Provence, Sonya Yoncheva will be making her Festival debut, revisiting the world of Baroque music with Cappella Mediterranea and Leonardo García-Alarcón, while Benjamin Bernheim will be combining lyricism and poetry in a novel programme featuring Massenet, Bizet, Duparc, Puccini, Verdi, and Berlioz, with Qiaochu Li. [...]
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