“Lydia Steier deliberately blurs the lines between genres and characters. And here, too, the audience finds itself almost ‘deliciously’ lost. This highly interesting work is matched by Leonardo Garcia-Alarcón’s commitment to the production, with Cappella Mediterranea. Here, he serves Lydia Steier and Demis Volpi’s production with conviction, adapting his tempi, offering a more restrained and intimate interpretation, yet retaining that crystal-clear sound, the precision of the attacks, and the care taken with phrasing that make the musical performance a true success.”
Guy Cherqui for Wanderer
Rameau composed this masterpiece of the ‘opera-ballet’ genre, whose light-hearted nature generously interweaves sung passages with danced interludes. At the time, all distant shores were ‘Indies’ – Western, Eastern, Asian, American – and ‘galant’ had far more the meaning of ‘erotic’ than of ‘courteous’. Louis Fuzelier, the librettist of Les Indes galantes, drew inspiration from the era’s fascination with travelogues. The theme of his plot can be summed up quite simply: Love reigns supreme, even in the most exotic climes. This common thread ties the four tales together.
Opera-ballet by Jean-Philippe Rameau
Libretto by Louis Fuzelier
Composed in Paris in 1735.
Performed in French with English and French surtitles.
For the first time at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.
Kristina Mkhitaryan, soprano – Hébé / Émilie / Zima
Roberta Mameli, soprano – Amour / Zaïre
Claire de Sévigné, soprano – Phani
Amina Edris, soprano – Fatime
Renato Dolcini, baritone – Bellone / Osman / Adario
Gianluca Buratto, bass – Ali
Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani, tenor – Don Carlos / Damon
François Lis, bass – Huascar / Don Alvaro
Cyril Auvity, tenor – Valère / Tacmas
Alan Woodbridge, Choir direction
Leonardo García-Alarcón, Musical direction
Cappella Mediterranea
Choir of the Grand Théâtre de Genève
Lydia Steier, Stage direction
Demis Volpi, Choreography
Heike Scheele, Scenography
Katharina Schlipf, Costumes
Olaf Freese, Lighting
Krystian Lada, Dramaturgy
