Midi du Festival — THE MAKING OF SAMSON

A libretto by Voltaire that has survived intact, plus traces of a lost score by Rameau that can be found in his body of work: thus begins the story of Samson, the fruit of one of the most fascinating collaborations in the history of opera. To reveal the intricacies of ‘free re-creation’ — Raphaël Pichon and Claus Guth’ unique and innovative process — various actors behind the production revisit the making of this baroque opera. With Voltaire's radically free spirit and Rameau's musical genius as their inspiration, how did they construct their tailor-made storyline, the result of constant conversation between dramaturge, musical director and stage director? What does this bold project — which actually invents a new work more than it re-creates a forgotten one —tell us about what artists wish to offer their audiences today? In the eighteenth century, the libretto, based on the story in the Bible, was deemed too controversial and was therefore put to one side: what meaning do these archaic resonances hold today for our collective unconscious? Lastly, the Middle East in which Samson is set is divided by two opposing populations: how does the opera, which rejects any univocal or Manichean reading, explore this opposition in its own way?

WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF: Raphaël Pichon (conductor and musical concept - Samson), Claus Guth (stage director, concept and scenario - Samson), Eddy Garaudel (editorial associate - Samson) and Mathis Nitschke (sound designer - Samson).