At 5pm, at Grand Théâtre de Provence :

DON GIOVANNI, by W. A. Mozart

New production by the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence

Bavarian Radio Orchestra

Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir

Sir Simon Rattle:  Conductor

Robert Icke: Staging

Andrè Schuen: Don Giovanni

Krzysztof Bączyk: Leporello

Golda Schultz: Donna Anna

Magdalena Kožená: Donna Elvira

Amitai Pati: Don Ottavio

Clive Bayley: The Commander

Madison Nonoa: Zerlina

Paweł Horodyski: Masetto

At the age of 31, Mozart was emerging from the success of The Marriage of Figaro, but riddled with debt, he entered the most difficult years of his life. The theme of the seducer was in vogue at the time, a symbol of libertinism above social contingencies. In Don Giovanni, Mozart blends gravity and humour (it is a dramma giocoso, a formula that is explicit enough in itself, even if Mozart later spoke of opera buffa) and mixes characters from all backgrounds and walks of life. With a pen of supreme lightness, the Austrian composer succeeds in depicting universal feelings. He describes the ardour of Don Giovanni, the mischief of Leporello, the pain of Donna Anna and the anger of Donna Elvira, the mischievous charm of Zerlina, but also the strength of the Commander, the macabre incarnation of divine law. A whole range of emotions interpreted here by Andrè Schuen, Krzysztof Bączyk, Golda Schultz, Magdalena Kožená, Madison Nonoa and Clive Bayley. Angel or demon, Don Giovanni? Crime or punishment? Does choosing pleasure bring a form of eternity? These questions, essential to our human condition, will be asked in this new production directed by the British director Robert Icke with Simon Rattle conducting the Bavarian Radio Orchestra.

At 9 :30pm, at the Théâtre de l’Archevêché :

LA CALISTO, by F. Cavalli

New production by the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence

Ensemble Correspondances Orchestra
Sébastien Daucé: Conductor

Jetske Mijnssen: Staging

Lauranne Oliva: Calisto

Alex Rosen: Jupiter

Giuseppina Bridelli: Diane

Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian: Endymion

Anna Bonitatibus: Junon / Eternity

Zachary Wilder: Linfea

David Portillo: Nature / Pan

Dominic Sedgwick: Mercury

Théo Imart: Destiny / Satirino

José Coca Loza: Sylvain

Aix is passionate about the music of Francesco Cavalli. After Elena in 2013 and Erismena in 2017, the Provençal festival presents La Calisto, a masterpiece of the early Italian Baroque. First performed in 1651, the work is inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses and promises marvellous musical and stage transformations. The production is directed by Dutchwoman Jetske Mijnssen, but the musical team brings together the new generation of Baroque composers, notably Lauranne Oliva in the role of Calisto, and the splendid countertenor Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian. In the pit, Sébastien Daucé‘s Ensemble Correspondances has established itself as one of the finest ensembles for this repertoire, and beyond that as one of the most important Baroque ensembles of our time.

At 5pm, at the Théâtre du Jeu de Paume :

THE NINE JEWELLED DEER, by S. Eldar and G. Doraiswamy

Global Creation

In co-production with Luma Foundation

Peter Sellars: Staging

Ganavya Doraiswamy: Voice

Aruna Sairam: Voice

Nurit Stark: Violin and alto

Dana Barak: Clarinet

Hayden Chisholm: Saxophone

Rajna Swaminathan: Percussion

Augustin Muller: Electronic — IRCAM

The Festival d’Aix loves contemporary creation. The event has proved this on numerous occasions, notably with the 2012 premiere of George Benjamin’s Written on Skin, an absolute masterpiece of 21st-century opera. For the 2025 edition, director Pierre Audi has entrusted the formidable Israeli composer Sivan Eldar with a new operatic project. Inspired by Indo-Buddhist literature and tradition, The Nine Jewelled Deer offers a unique encounter between Eldar’s sensitive, accessible art and Ganayva Doraiswamy‘s jazz and Carnatic (South Indian music). A fusion of cultures led by the brilliant American director Peter Sellars, a great lover of creation.

At 8pm, at Grand Théâtre de Provence :

SIR SIMON RATTLE CONCERT

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Sir Simon Rattle: Conductor

Programme featuring works by G. Ligeti,R. Wagner and A. Bruckner

Since his debut with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle has been a giant of the conducting world. After taking the modest British ensemble to the top, the Liverpool-born conductor took over the helm of the legendary Berlin Philharmonic at the end of the 1990s. Under his baton, the Berlin phalanx discovered a new repertoire and new colours. In 2015, Rattle returned home to lead the equally prestigious London Symphony Orchestra. But the English conductor loves nothing more than a challenge, and so in 2023 he took over the helm of the wonderful Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (formerly conducted by Lorin Maazel and Mariss Jansons). A regular at the Festival d’Aix, he will be leading his new ensemble in a programme of works by Ligeti, Wagner and Bruckner. Three masters of time set to music like an immense cathedral of sound.

At 8pm, at Grand Théâtre de Provence :

JONAS KAUFMANN, DIANA DAMRAU, HELMUT DEUTSCH CONCERT

Helmut Deutsch: Pianist

Jonas Kaufmann: Tenor

Diana Damrau: Soprano

Programme featuring works by G. Malher and R. Strauss.

What a line-up! On one side, Diana Damrau, soprano of light, on the other Jonas Kaufmann, tenor with a deep voice. Two stars of the operatic world who meet again after a first recital in 2018 devoted to the music of Hugo Wolf and then a second Schumann and Brahms programme in 2022. This time, the two opera singers explore the music of late Romantic Germany with Lieder by Mahler and Strauss. The chemistry between these two stars would not be so superlative were it not for Helmut Deutsch, the legendary pianist who sets the stage for exceptional singers.