It couldn’t be more idyllic. Far from the big city bustle of a typical opening night at the opera, most of the chatter comes from chirruping cicadas in the plane trees. As the sun sets, shirt-sleeved crowds gather at the open-air Théâtre de l'Archevêché, the temperature still balmy. The Festival D'Aix en Provence is a slice of opera heaven – top quality stagings (often co-productions with big European houses) in wonderful settings in one of France’s most picturesque cities. The festival has been running since 1948, growing from a celebration of Mozart to something much wider, encompassing rediscoveries of Baroque works to major new commissions.
Opera takes place in three venues. The atmosphere at the Théâtre de l'Archevêché is very special, with performances starting at 9pm as night blankets Aix. The Grand Théâtre de Provence opened in 2007 and is a large, comfortable house, while the Baroque Théâtre du Jeu de Paume dates from 1756 and seats under 500, a tiny gem tucked away in a side street. That diversity of repertoire is reflected in the 2018 festival operatic line-up. Mozart is present – as integral to Aix as it is to Glyndebourne – but there’s Purcell, Strauss and Prokofiev too, along with a world première. To complement the operas, there is a programme of concerts and recitals plus the Académie du Festival d’Aix, which welcomes young musicians from around the globe.
British director Katie Mitchell scored a huge success in Aix with her production of George Benjamin’s Written on Skin, returning for Alcina and, in 2016, a very well-received Pelléas et Mélisande. This summer, she directs Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, which focuses on the tussle between ‘high-brow’ and ‘low’ art. At the home of “the richest man in Vienna”, a Composer, who is about to première his new opera seria, is instructed to run it simultaneously with a bawdy comedy so that the evening’s two entertainments will conclude by 9 o’clock in time for fireworks in the garden. With her preference for split screen stagings, it could be argued that presenting the Composer’s opera and the burlesque at the same time shouldn’t present Mitchell a problem! There will surely be plenty of backstage drama to witness during the clash of cultures taking place on stage. This co–production will later visit the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg and Finnish National Opera.
Mitchell’s cast includes a rising star and a soprano already in the stellar firmament. Sabine Devieilhe has inherited the French coloratura crown from Natalie Dessay and is perfect casting as Zerbinetta, the saucy headline act of the burlesque troupe who has pinpoint vocal pyrotechnics to deliver. Lise Davidsen, the statuesque Norwegian with the laser soprano who won the 2015 Operalia competition, plays the prima donna, forced to share the stage as Ariadne.