It’s easy to see that this version, entirely reworked by the dramaturgy of Martin Crimp, an English author renowned for the cruelty of his theater, will be unlike anything we’ve seen before. The five acts that make up the lyric drama will transform the Symbolist opera into psychic instances where Mélisande becomes a sexualized figure sought after by all the protagonists. To materialize her point of view, Katie Mitchell uses many of the narrative codes of dream representations: doubling, ubiquity, slow motion, implausible situations and spaces. The latter is the most spectacular, as in the case of the set, which is transformed thanks to the ingenuity of set designer Lizzie Clachan and a formidable technical team, who come out to greet us at the end of the show. This shared stage can be a living room, a forest room, an industrial spiral staircase, a terrace or even a disused swimming pool, depending on the needs of the narrative. If Mélisande’s dream, which has become a dramatic process, renews the vision of an opera that has been staged many times, it would be a failure if it were not accompanied by the power of its performers.

Both excellent actors and singers, very much at ease with the musical language dear to Debussy, make it possible to follow a plot which, by multiplying symbols, sometimes leads us astray. Particularly noteworthy is the sensual Swiss soprano Chiara Skerath (Mélisande), the dominating virility of tenor Laurent Naouri (Golaud), the vocal clarity of baritones Vincent le Texier (Arkel) and Huw Montague Rendall (Pelléas). As for Susanna Mälkki’s baton, she directs the Opéra de Lyon’s orchestra with the tempo required for the anti-lyrical melodies intended by the composer.

Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, July 3 to 23, 2024