Les noces de Figaro

Mozart: "Las bodas de Fígaro"

Le Nozze di Figaro - Live aus Aix

Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro

Mozart: Wesele Figara

From the Théâtre de l’Archevêché, Mozart’s opera – directed by Lotte de Beer – opens the festivities at the Aix-en-Provence opera festival. Conductor Thomas Hengelbrock leads a fine vocal ensemble that includes soprano Julie Fuchs, baritone Andrè Schuen and mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre.

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The Rosina of “The Barber of Seville” has become the Countess Almaviva. Her husband the Count – no model of virtue he – is pursuing both his gardener’s daughter Barbarina, and Susanna, his wife’s chambermaid. Meanwhile Susanna is preparing to marry Figaro, who has entered the Count’s service as a valet, but the governess Marcellina plans to put a stop to it, on the grounds of a promise of marriage that Figaro once made to her...
Sex and Power
With its rhythmic grace, life-affirming profundity and the universality we expect from Mozart, “The Marriage of Figaro” mischievously blends the various guises of Eros with the quirks of human behaviour. Encompassing issues of social status and the different stages of life, Mozart delivers a vibrant plea for the right to love, equally shared by all. But have our views on love and relationships between men and women now become irreconcilable? After Verdi’s “Aida”, presented at the Opéra de Paris in February 2021, Lotte de Beer makes her long-awaited debut on the Aix-en-Provence stage with one of the greatest works of the Mozart opera repertoire. Promising an inventive, burlesque staging that resonates with the contemporary issues highlighted by the #MeToo movement, the Dutch director presents the relationship between sex and power through the perceptions and experiences of the characters; for what appears to be a delightful playground to some, turns out to be a zone of bitter combat for others. Led by conductor Thomas Hengelbrock, the musicians of the Balthasar-Neumann Ensemble accompany a fine vocal ensemble – including soprano Julie Fuchs (Susanna), baritone Andrè Schuen (Figaro) and mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre (Cherubino) – over the course of this single madcap day. Recorded on 7 July 2021 at the Théâtre de l'Archevêché in Aix-en-Provence.

The European opera season

ARTE Opera Season

Aix-en-Provence, France

Aix-en-Provence Festival

From the Théâtre de l’Archevêché, Mozart’s opera – directed by Lotte de Beer – opens the festivities at the Aix-en-Provence opera festival. Conductor Thomas Hengelbrock leads a fine vocal ensemble that includes soprano Julie Fuchs, baritone Andrè Schuen and mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre.

Aix-en-Provence Festival 2021

Mozart’s opera – directed by Lotte de Beer – opens the festivities of the festival of lyric art in Aix-en-Provence.

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The literary source for Richard Strauss’s opera immortalizing the degeneracy of Herodes Antipas, King of Judea, and his step-daughter Salome, was supplied by Oscar Wilde. It tells of Herodes, who is keeping the prophet Jochanaan captive inside a cistern. Salome tries to seduce him and on being rebuffed, forces her stepfather to serve her the prophet’s head on a silver platter.

Directed by Christof Loy in Helsinki

Rejected by the prophet Jochanaan, Salome forces her abusive stepfather to exact revenge.

Richard Strauss: Salome

Live from the Teatro Real in Madrid, an adaptation of Prokofiev’s flamboyant masterpiece by the ever-radical Calixto Bieito.

An adaptation of Sergei Prokofiev’s flamboyant masterpiece by radical director Calixto Bieito.

Prokofiev’s "The Fiery Angel" at the Teatro Real in Madrid

“In theatre, there are certain fixed laws: to captivate, to surprise and move, or to make people laugh.” Giacomo Puccini pays tribute to this rule by bringing together all these elements in a single work, Il trittico, rarely performed in its entirety, and directed here by Tobias Kratzer. Conductor Ouri Bronchti takes up the challenges posed by this triptych with a cast drawn from the extended artistic family of the Théâtre de La Monnaie.

Théâtre de La Monnaie, Brussels

Il trittico by Giacomo Puccini at the Théâtre de La Monnaie in Brussels, directed by Tobias Kratzer.

Giacomo Puccini: Il trittico

The exotic Nile, passion and pure emotion – these are the secrets to the success of Verdi’s opera Aida. Katharina Thalbach transforms his dramatic love story into an innovative, timely tale. As this is the director’s first collaboration with the conductor, Christian Thielemann, their production of Aida is also an artistic premiere.

Thielemann and Thalbach at the Semperoper Dresden

Katharina Thalbach transforms Verdi’s dramatic love story into an innovative, timely tale.

Giuseppe Verdi: Aida

Two friends set off in search of art and love in the realm of the birds, which is as colourful as it is unreal. At first glance, Walter Braunfels’s Late Romantic opera Die Vögel (The Birds) has all the ingredients necessary of an amusing adventure story. But then the opera takes an unexpectedly serious turn in the form of some oblique allusions to the First World War. This new production at Strasbourg's Opéra national du Rhin is the work’s French premiere!

At the Opéra national du Rhin

The French premiere of a key work by the Late Romantic composer Walter Braunfels.

Walter Braunfels: The Birds

The White Horse Inn in the Austrian mountains may seem the perfect place for a relaxing, carefree stay – but a happy ending is not as guaranteed as it might seem! The Opéra de Lausanne presents Ralph Benatzky’s acclaimed operetta in its much-loved French version by Paul Bonneau, sumptuously staged by Gilles Rico and conducted by Jean-Yves Ossonce.

At the Opéra de Lausanne

Let’s take a short trip to the Austrian mountains! Ralph Benatzky’s much-loved operetta in Lausanne.

Ralph Benatzky: L’Auberge du Cheval blanc

As part of the ARTE Opera Season, the Czech National Theatre is showing a classic from the Czech repertoire: In this opera, Bedřich Smetana tells the story of an avenger figure from Czech history, whom he elevates to the rank of national hero. The opera is conducted by Jaroslav Kyzlink while Jiří Nekvasil signs the stage direction.

At the Czech National Theatre

At the National Theatre in Prague, Smetana’s Dalibor recounts the legend of the eponymous knight.

"Dalibor" by Bedřich Smetana

Long-neglected works from several centuries of operatic history have long been a staple of the internationally acclaimed annual opera festival in the little Irish coastal town of Wexford.Having been forced to take a break last year, the festival has a rediscovered work by the important Italian composer Alfredo Catalani on this year’s programme: Edmea.

Wexford Festival Opera 2021

Wexford Opera Festival proudly presents a rediscovered, long forgotten work by Alfredo Catalani.

Alfredo Catalani: Edmea

Conductor Raphaël Pichon and director Cyril Teste team up to bring Beethoven’s Fidelio to the stage of the Opéra Comique.

Beethoven’s only opera conducted by Raphaël Pichon.

Beethoven's "Fidelio" at the Opéra Comique

An opera season for Europe: The ARTE Opera Season presents an array of outstanding productions from the continent’s greatest opera houses – some of them classics, some of them exciting new discoveries, with new productions every month, available in six languages. Savour the opulence, the passion, the magic of this unparalleled art form in a brand new season of ARTE Opera – exclusively on ARTE Concert.

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Savour the opulence, the passion, the magic of this unparalleled art form in a brand new season of ARTE Opera – exclusively on ARTE Concert.

ARTE Opera Season 2021-2022

ARTE Opera Season - The European opera season

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The Maginot Line is a giant: Thousands of underground bunkers and concrete defences lining the French border, from Belgium to the Mediterranean. In its time it was celebrated as a technical masterpiece and thought to be impregnable, today it also stands for the trauma of the French defeat in 1940. The documentary looks at a military construction that is as fascinating as it is controversial.

France's Defensive Barrier

Thought to be impregnable, the French defensive barrier did not halt the German invasion in 1940.

The Maginot Line

Behind his polite exterior lies a formidable leader with a ruthless character, ready to do anything to make China the world's leading power by the People’s Republic’s centenary in 2049. This well-documented portrait of the Chinese president gives an unprecedented insight into his politics and shows how Xi Jinping's personal journey has shaped his choices as he steers China towards world domination.

A portrait of the Chinese president giving an unprecedented insight into his politics and showing how Xi Jinping's personal journey has shaped his choices as he steers China towards world domination.

The New World of Xi Jinping

Far away from the South Korean capital of Seoul is the Buddhist Gameunsa Temple. Three nuns live, pray and cook together here as they preserve the knowledge of centuries-old temple cuisine. The abbess of this small monastery is the charismatic Wookwan Sunim, revered in Asia as one of the best cooks in the world.

South Korea: Magic Temple Food

Far away from the South Korean metropolis of Seoul is the Buddhist Gameunsa Temple where three nuns live, pray and cook together 

Geo Reportage

After two months of fighting, the Russian troops had their advance towards the West blocked by fierce Ukrainian resistance. Forced to leave the suburbs of Kyiv, the occupying army left behind mass graves and horrific accounts of rape and abuse in their wake. Russia is now turning its efforts to the Dobas and the coastline along the Sea of ​​Azov. In Kyiv, the return of spring is also the return of many residents who had fled.

 In Kyiv, the return of spring is also the return of many residents who had fled

Ukraine: Kyiv in Spring

Three Japanese men have fallen under the charms of high school student Rinko, a character from the video game Love Plus. The game finally leads them to the seaside resort of Atami, where the virtual world and real life collides.

Three Japanese men have fallen under the charms of high school student Rinko, a character from the video game Love Plus

Petit ami parfait

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The Supreme Court is now made of a majority of ultra-conservative judges since President Trump's term in office. The court now looks set to overturn the Roe v Wade case which gave women the constitutional right to have an abortion if they so wish or need. This worrying step backwards for women's rights doesn't mean women won't have abortions. It means they'll die trying.

Abortion: A Threatened Right

This worrying step backwards doesn't mean women won't have abortions. It means they'll die trying

Mapping the World

Lockdowns, crop failures due to climate change and the war in Ukraine are all to blame for soaring prices around the world.

Geopolitics of Inflation

Mapping the World Essentials

ARTE Concert Festival welcomes a legend, Damon Albarn. He performs his new album live: The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows.

ARTE Concert Festival 2021

ARTE Concert Festival welcomes a legend, Damon Albarn

Damon Albarn

In 2020, for the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth, Philippe Jordan and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra recreated the mythical evening of December 22 1808, when  the composer presented his Sixth Symphony, also known as his Pastoral.

Philippe Jordan recreates the evening of December 22, 1808, when Beethoven presented his Pastoral symphony

Philippe Jordan Conducts Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony

On May 9, Russia celebrated its victory day without a victory in Ukraine. Instead, President Putin further pushed the narrative of Russian victimhood, despite the fact that Moscow, not Kyiv, is the agressor. As the battle continues to rage, we take a look at Ukraine before and after the conflict.

Ukraine, Before and After the War

As the battle continues to rage, we take a look at Ukraine before and after the conflict

A breakaway region of Moldova that is not recognised internationally, Transnistria is largely pro-Russian. The war in Ukraine has awakened fears that Russia will try to annex the region.

Moldova: Transnistria and Russia

ARTE Reportage

Since its invention in the 19th century, the bicycle has allowed Western women to move around independently. Today, it is the turn of women in Arab countries to discover its power. Though at first glance innocuous and common, the bicycle is unexpectedly feminist.

The Freedom to Cycle

Though at first glance innocuous and common, the bicycle is unexpectedly feminist

Gymnastics

Thirty years after the end of apartheid, South Africa has still not overcome its many problems: Endemic violence, economic and racial inequalities, state corruption. However, the rainbow nation has a lot to offer: tourism, natural resources and a leadership role on the African continent.

South Africa and its Demons

The paintings of Vincent Van Gogh are losing their colours. The paints he used were vibrant, but cheap, and degraded within months of painting. It's now impossible to appreciate the true beauty of his works, as his flamboyant flare for colours has slowly turned drab. If nothing is done, the Sunflowers which are still a beautiful gold today could well turn brown. Should we just accept they can't be saved?

Van Gogh's Disappearing Colours

The paintings of Vincent Van Gogh are losing their colours because the pigments used were vibrant but cheap

Ordinary Ukrainian citizens are preparing to resist the Russian invader by joining the army and helping the resistance in any way they can.

Ukraine: Resisting the Agressor

It is impossible for them to stay in Russia. For these Russian citizens opposed to the Kremlin, the outbreak of war in Ukraine and the new laws restricting freedom of expression have forced them to leave everything behind. Their destination: Istanbul, as Turkey did not require a visa. It is a difficult exile with a host country that does not consider them as refugees and a homeland that views them as pariahs.

Russians Seek Refuge in Turkey

Russian Journalists Report

Why do the works of the Italian painter Caravaggio exude such violence? The answer is to be found in the eventful life of the artist, who just couldn't stay out of trouble and met a sticky end.

Caravaggio, Genius - and Killer?

Caravaggio just couldn't stay out of trouble and met a sticky end

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought the people of Kyiv together like nothing else. Calling on the spirit of the Maidan Revolution of 2014, they are ready to resist.

Aix-en-Provence Festival 2021

ARTE Opera Season - The European opera season

Richard Strauss: Salome

Richard Strauss: Salome

Directed by Christof Loy in Helsinki

Prokofiev’s "The Fiery Angel" at the Teatro Real in Madrid

Prokofiev’s "The Fiery Angel" at the Teatro Real in Madrid

Giacomo Puccini: Il trittico

Théâtre de La Monnaie, Brussels

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Walter Braunfels: The Birds

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Alfredo Catalani: Edmea

Alfredo Catalani: Edmea

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Aix-en-Provence Festival

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