Orange chorégies: mistral winner for "Mefistofele"

A technical incident almost transformed the premiere of Boito's Mefistofele which opened the 2018 edition of the Chorégies d'Orange, in fact various. The basket that towed Faust and Mephisto to the heights was suddenly unbalanced, threatening to precipitate the singers on the plateau several meters high. A few long minutes of shared fright, before a relative stabilization allowing the return to the ground, convinced the director and director of the Chorégies, Jean-Louis Grinda, to abandon this mode of transport. It is thus a nacelle riveted to the ground or rising empty of any occupant that saw the spectators of the second representation, on July 9th. A metaphor for the precarious situation of the oldest and most popular of French lyric festivals? In cessation of payment two years ago, with the key 1.5 million euros of operating deficit, the Chorégies of Orange have indeed not yet out of business, although, since March 16 , the PACA region has ratified the creation of a public company alongside other communities to save the event self-financed by the box office at 80%.

By programming this rare opera, the Choregies had not seen since 1905 With a target of filling the 8,300-seat tonnage of the ancient theater, Raymond Duffaut's successor dares to make a strong gesture and sign a new era. From all points of view: Jean-Louis Grinda also makes his directorial debut in Orange. He knows his Mefistofele for having already mounted in 2007 at the Opera de Liège which he was to leave the post of director for that of the Opera of Monte-Carlo, where he took over the great work of Boito in 2011, after the Opéra de Montpellier in 2010.

"Still Travel" by Faust

With his friends Rudy Sabounghi set (a system of walkways and columns, an office to show the "motionless journey" of Faust as well as the famous …