Misplaced Pages

#470529

42-534: Appointed to run the Opéra de Saint-Etienne in 1986, Jean-Louis Pichon invited Jean-Pierre Jacquillat to become musical director. Shortly afterwards, the elderly widow of a chief electrician at the Théâtre Eden handed over a mass of rare vocal scores, which included Amadis by Massenet. Intrigued, Pichon obtained a conductor's score for Jacquillat, but the conductor was killed in a road accident that August and

84-717: A bloody sword, and believes he has killed Rodrigue. She cries that she loved Rodrigue, and pleads not to marry the victor, but will instead enter a convent and grieve forever over her father and Rodrigue. She will leave all of her possessions to Don Sanche. However, the king tells her Rodrigue is still alive. Rodrigue disarmed Don Sanche but decided to let him live. Don Sanche says the two should marry because of their obvious love for one another. The king tells Chimène she has served her father enough by putting Rodrigue in danger and no longer needs to avenge him. He tells her to do something for herself by marrying Rodrigue, but realizes she still needs time to “dry her tears.” They will be married in

126-654: A book in 2002), with topics such as the career of Louis Gallet , use of Pierre Loti in the lyric theatre and Massenet's choice of operatic subjects. The L'Esplanade opera house in Saint-Étienne burned down (by arson) in September 1998, and the originally planned co-production of Le Roi de Lahore with the Opéra de Bordeaux was first seen in that city before being staged in Saint-Etienne the following year in

168-493: A colloquy around the composer. In 1992 it was « Massenet et son œuvre dans le contexte esthétique de son temps ». Speakers in the latter included Roger Delage on Massenet and Chabrier, Steven Huebner on Wagnerism in Esclarmonde , Hugh Macdonald on Massenet and the comic, and the musical language of Massenet by Gérard Condé . In 2001 the subject was « Le livret d’opéra au temps de Massenet » (published as

210-630: A lease of life to Gounod's opera La reine de Saba . In November 2001, Jean-Louis Pichon directed Roma for the 6th Massenet Festival in Saint-Etienne, followed by Hérodiade which stood out in the reopening of the Massenet Theatre in Saint-Etienne and was taken up at the Royal Opera in Wallonia in May 2002. Finally, at the end of the season, a new production of Cavalleria rusticana

252-907: A new production of Roma by Massenet at the Martina Franca Festival then, at the Teatro Massimo of Palermo. The 1999-2000 season saw the resurrection of Le roi de Lahore staged at the Massenet Festival and in Bordeaux in November 1999, and also the revival of Carmen at the Opera Theatre in Saint-Etienne, in Cosenza, in Wallonia and in Marseille. In 2001, Martina Franca Festival invited him to give

294-577: A passion for opera and naturally directed his work into that sphere. First, with Le Testament de la tante Caroline by Roussel, Amadis by Massenet in 1988, the recording of which won the "Orphée d'Or" awarded by The National Academy of Opera, and Thérèse , which represented France at the European Festival of Culture in Karlsruhe before being played with great success in Poland for

336-598: A play to have a strong beginning, middle, and end. There is only one complete action in the play, but it can evolve through several other incomplete actions. The play was set in only one city, which Corneille believed should be equivalent to unity of place. Setting: The play takes place in the city of Seville in the Castile region of Spain during the second half of the 11th century. Act I The play opens with Chimène hearing from her governess, Elvire, that Chimène's father believes Don Rodrigue, who Chimène also favors, to be

378-621: A replacement was needed urgently. Eventually Pichon found Patrick Fournillier, then head of the Orchestre d'Auvergne. The revival of Amadis in January 1988 was a great success, broadcast by Radio-France which led to a commercial issue with the orchestra and chorus of the Opéra de Paris. As part of the bicentenary celebration of the French revolution, Thérèse was staged in 1989 in several houses, Monte-Carlo, then Saint-Etienne, (whose production

420-639: A temporary theatre on the site of the Foire-Exposition. The re-opening of the Théâtre de l’Esplanade in March 2001 featured Hérodiade (with Alexia Cousin, Alain Fondary , Béatrice Uria-Monzon and Luca Lombardo), and the sixth Festival in November that year offered Roma which Pichon had already produced for Martina Franca in 1999. In 1992 Esclarmonde was staged (with Denia Mazzola Gavazzeni in

462-766: A very attractive Turandot by Puccini . Later on, the Royal Opera of Wallonia asked him to undertake the staging of Carmen which opened the 1995-1996 season. This performance, taken up in Saint-Etienne, was then presented at the Teatro Massimo of Palermo in April 1996. The staging of Thaïs by Massenet, made for the 4th Massenet Festival in Saint-Etienne in November 1996, was taken up in Nantes in January 1997 before representing France in Cairo in December 1997 for France-Egypt year. Pierre Médecin invited Jean-Louis Pichon for

SECTION 10

#1732780253471

504-716: A year, and in the meantime, Rodrigue will continue to fight against the Moors and remain faithful to Chimène and become even more worthy of her love. The play is written in rhyming couplets with alternating masculine and feminine rhymes, as is typical of French drama. The opening lines are as follows: Chimène. Elvire, m'as-tu fait un rapport bien sincère ? Ne déguises-tu rien de ce qu'a dit mon père ? Elvire. Tous mes sens à moi-même en sont encor charmés : Il estime Rodrigue autant que vous l'aimez, Et si je ne m'abuse à lire dans son âme, Il vous commandera de répondre à sa flamme. Some English translations of

546-515: Is ashamed by this encounter and asks his son to avenge him and fight the count. Rodrigue realizes if he fights and kills the count, he will lose Chimène's love, but still chooses to fight to honor his father's name. Act II Don Arias tells the count that the king forbids a duel between him and Rodrigue, but the count arrogantly disobeys and wants to fight regardless. He taunts Rodrigue but also commends him for his lack of fear and spirit and asks him to stand down, but Rodrigue refuses. Chimène tells

588-561: Is lauded solely as a Christian soldier. The name "El Cid" was derived from the Arabic word for lord ("sayyid") and made Spanish, and further given a French article for Corneille's version. To this day, the Cid remains a popular Spanish folklore character, who has inspired many stories and works of art. The play is derived from Guillén de Castro 's play Las Mocedades del Cid , published in 1618 and written somewhere between 1612 and 1615. Because of

630-471: Is widely regarded as Corneille's finest work, and is considered one of the greatest plays of the seventeenth century. The stories of the Cid are based on the life of the Spanish warrior Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar , who lived approximately from 1043 until 1099. The real "Cid" seems to have fought for both Muslims and Christians at different times and appears to have been a sellsword figure. In the play, however, he

672-544: The Shanghai Opera House before going back to Santiago for a new production of La Gioconda . In February 2007, Jean-Louis Pichon staged Le roi d'Ys by Lalo at the Opera House in Saint-Etienne. For the ninth Massenet Festival in November 2007 he put on a new production of Ariane that was greeted with enthusiasm both by the critics and the public. In March 2008 he will take up Le Roi d’Ys at

714-714: The Teatro Massimo in Palermo which entrusted him to stage Esclarmonde in January 1993 (conducted by Gianandrea Gavazzeni ). During the same year, Jean-Louis Pichon put on Il Pirata by Bellini at the opera house in Saint-Étienne , then in Nancy and Tours before accepting the invitation of the National Opera of Montevideo ( Uruguay ) to stage a new production of Macbeth . In March 1994, he produced

756-501: The Académie argued, historical events such as this should not be dramatized. Too many actions occur in a 24-hour period, and Le Cid did not conform to unity of place. In response to these critiques, Corneille argued that his play evoked both pity and fear. The characters of Rodrigue and Chimène, he noted, have virtue, which is what leads to their passions, thereby causing the misfortune. He argued that multiple actions worked well for

798-600: The Académie, which particularly criticizes the implausibility of Chimène's continued affection for Rodrigue after he kills her father. Her agreement to marry Rodrigue as the King commands made her an immoral character, Chapelain argued, which was a danger to the viewing public and their morals. He said implausible and immoral characters should not be featured in plays, even if they are based in history. Corneille ignored this and proved that plays did not need to be educative, always showing evil being punished. Plot points must be necessary,

840-570: The Massenet Festival since 1990 (since its inception). He is an Officer in the National Order of Arts. Le Cid Le Cid is a five-act French tragicomedy written by Pierre Corneille , first performed in December 1636 at the Théâtre du Marais in Paris and published the same year. It is based on Guillén de Castro 's play Las Mocedades del Cid . Castro's play in turn is based on

882-567: The Moors are going to attack. Rodrigue must fight them, and if he returns alive and a winner, the king will praise him and he will regain Chimène's love. Act IV Rodrigue goes to war and is very successful. The captured Moors even revere him, and call him “The Cid.” The Infante begs Chimène to give up her quest to kill Rodrigue, but Chimène refuses. The king tricks Chimène into believing Rodrigue has been killed, and her reaction proves to everyone that she still loves him. Regardless, she still feels

SECTION 20

#1732780253471

924-702: The Royal Opera in Wallonia before the production of Werther at the French May in Hong Kong . Among his international projects : Lakmé in Cairo, Les Pêcheurs de perles in Santiago of Chile, La bohème in Monte Carlo and Liège . Jean-Louis Pichon has been in charge of the running of the Opera Theatre in Saint-Étienne since 1983 where he is managing director and has been the artistic director of

966-648: The commemoration of the Bicentenary of the French Revolution in 1989. His new production of Richard Cœur de Lion by Grétry was staged at the opera house in Nancy and Lorraine . For the opening of the 1991–1992 season, he made a new production of Macbeth by Verdi , which was taken up again at the opera house in Nantes . His work on the rarely performed operas of Massenet earned him an invitation to

1008-728: The count's cruelty to Diègue and his agreement to duel Rodrigue. The king also worries about a potential impending attack by the Moorish navy moving toward his lands. Don Alonse enters and announces that Rodrigue has killed the count. Act III Rodrigue comes to Chimène's home, and tells Elvire that he will be killed by Chimène's hand. Elvire tells him to flee, and he hides as Chimène approaches. Chimène tells Elvire of her conflicting feelings, but that she must make sure Rodrigue dies. She plans to follow him in death afterward. Rodrigue reveals himself and gives Chimène his sword to kill him, but she cannot. Rodrigue returns home, and his father tells him

1050-455: The label Koch-Schwann) and others have followed, such as Thérèse from 2012 (on Ediciones Singulares). Notes Jean-Louis Pichon Jean-Louis Pichon (born 1948) is a French stage director, opera manager and author. After studying Classics, Jean-Louis Pichon carried out research into theatre. In 1969, he attended a master's thesis devoted to Racine 's work. As an actor, it is to Fernand Ledoux that he owes his training which lead to

1092-454: The legend of El Cid . An enormous popular success, Corneille's Le Cid was the subject of a heated polemic over the norms of dramatic practice known as the Querelle du Cid (Quarrel of The Cid ). Cardinal Richelieu 's Académie française acknowledged the play's success, but determined that it was defective, in part because it did not respect the classical unities . Today, Le Cid

1134-552: The need to avenge her father's death. Don Sanche says he will fight Rodrigue on her behalf, and she promises to marry whoever triumphs. Act V Rodrigue comes to Chimène and says he will not defend himself in the fight against Don Sanche. She says he must truly fight to save her from a marriage to Don Sanche. In a monologue, the Infante declares that Rodrigue belongs to Chimène, if so little hatred has come between them since he killed her father. Chimène sees Don Sanche come in with

1176-414: The new Académie française to write a discussion of the merits of the play. Georges de Scudéry , another dramatist, wrote a critique of the play as well. He claimed Corneille was "deifying" himself. He intended to prove that the play's plot was worthless, abused the basic rules of dramatic poetry, pursues an erratic course, and all of the play's beauties are stolen. Jean Chapelain wrote the document for

1218-405: The pieces' similarities, Jean Mairet accused Corneille of plagiarism in March 1637. Le Cid was originally staged at the Théâtre du Marais in December 1636. The play was a success, although it was quite controversial due to its divergence from the standard playwriting guidelines of the time. The piece was groundbreaking for a few reasons. It had a happy ending, which was rare for "tragedies" of

1260-416: The play imitate the rhyme scheme, while others are written in prose. The play's meter is alexandrine (or vers alexandrin ), which was popular in classical French poetry. Each line must contain 12 syllables, and major accents are placed on the 6th and 12th syllables. The caesure (caesura, or pause) occurs after the 6th syllable, halfway through the line. It is frequently used as a strong syntactic break in

1302-402: The princess how distraught she is about her lover and her father fighting. A page notifies them that he saw the two men leaving the palace. Chimène realizes they have gone to duel, and leaves quickly. The Infante considers if Rodrigue wins the duel, Chimène will reject him, and the Infante will be able to win him after all. Meanwhile, the king tells Don Sancho and Don Arias of his anger regarding

Massenet Festival - Misplaced Pages Continue

1344-428: The stronger choice for her marriage. Chimène, however, does not allow herself yet to be overjoyed, and fears that fate might change her father's mind. In the second scene, the Infante (or princess) reveals to her maid that she is in love with Rodrigue, but could never marry him because of his lower social class. Therefore, she has decided to bring Chimène and Rodrigue together in order to extinguish her own passions. In

1386-421: The temporary theatre: Ionesco, Beckett, Pinter, Weingarten, Foissy, and others. His activities as a director are mainly in the straight theatre: Le Médecin malgré lui by Molière, Le Roi se meurt by Ionesco, Monsieur Barnett by Anouilh, Tartuffe by Molière, Huis Clos by Jean-Paul Sartre, En attendant Godot by Beckett and Le Comédien aux liens by Charles Rambaud . Jean-Louis Pichon has always had

1428-526: The third scene, Chimène's father, Don Gomès, Count de Gormas, has learned that the king has asked Rodrigue's old father, Don Diègue, to tutor the Prince of Castile. The count believes he is worthier of the position than Diègue, and tells Diègue this. Diègue says the two should become friends and have their children married. The count refuses and slaps Diègue, who draws his sword but is too weak to hold it. The count disarms him and insults him before leaving. Diègue

1470-495: The time, and allowed later tragicomic playwrights to end their plays in a variety of ways. Critics tried to hold the play up to Aristotle's Poetics and its prescriptions, but Corneille argued that great tragic characters are inherently implausible. He took a difficult topic and showed, rather realistically, how it might occur. This disagreement and the discussions following it are known as "La Querelle du Cid," or The Quarrel of The Cid. After its premiere, Cardinal Richelieu asked

1512-494: The title role) along with Grisélidis and the oratorio La Terre Promise (with Laurent Naouri ), while the Third Massenet Festival in 1994 brought revivals of Panurge , and Le Cid . In 2003 the 7th Festival included Sapho , conducted by Laurent Campellone . Over the years, the following Massenet operas have been presented: Festival performances before 1995 were released on audio CD (on

1554-651: The unearthing of one of Gounod's forgotten masterpieces, Polyeucte . Among his recent productions, are the revival of Dialogues des Carmélites and a new production of the French version of Salome in collaboration with Nice Opera. In 2005, he presents Dialogues des Carmélites in Santiago of Chile and stages Le jongleur de Notre-Dame for the 8th Massenet Festival and Werther in Bordeaux in 2006, then Polyeucte in Saint-Etienne. In June 2006, Jean-Louis Pichon directed Les pêcheurs de perles by Bizet with

1596-577: The unexpected return of La Dame Blanche at the Opéra-Comique in April 1997. In addition, he created a new production of the French version of Lucie de Lammermoor ( Lucia di Lammermoor ) for the Martina Franca Festival in July of that same year. The 1998–1996 season stood out thanks to the revival of La dame blanche at the Opéra-Comique, of Lucie de Lammermoor in Saint-Etienne and

1638-521: The wording. Each half of the line (6 syllables) is referred to as a hemistich ( hémistiche). Enjambment is not used in the French alexandrin, but is sometimes employed in English translation of the verse. The name of the line originated from the Roman d'Alexandre , written in 1170. Scholars estimate that at least twenty-six composers have created an operatic adaptation of the classic tale. Most notably,

1680-595: The world's first production of the Monde Cassé from Gabriel Marcel at the Alliance Française Theatre in 1971; Jean-Louis Pichon was both stage director and actor in this play where he embodied Antonnof. Since then, his double occupation has been developed: he performed in the great classics ( Britannicus , Andromaque , Le Cid , Le Jeu de l'Amour et du Hasard , Hamlet , Les Femmes Savantes and others) and also played many roles from

1722-573: Was selected to represent France at the European Festival of culture in Karlsruhe), then Łodz and Zagreb. Following the success of staging Massenet's Amadis in 1988 during this "unofficial" festival of his work, the organizers decided to seek funding for regular festivals; the Région Rhône-Alpes and France Télécom became main sponsors and the first Festival Massenet took place in November 1990. The Festival has occasionally incorporated

Massenet Festival - Misplaced Pages Continue

1764-646: Was shown in Saint-Etienne and in Vichy . During the 2002–2003 season, Jean-Louis Pichon created a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor in Avignon , of La reine de Saba and of Werther in Saint-Etienne and of Dialogues des Carmélites at the Maestranza in Seville . In 2003, during the 7th Massenet Biennial event, he directed Sapho by Massenet. He would join the Martina Franca Festival in July 2004 for

#470529