opera Yourcenar – An island of passions, will have its world premiere in Montreal and Quebec City this summer. The co-producers of the concert – the Opéra de Montréal, the Festival d’Opéra de Québec and Les Violons du Roy – made the announcement in a press release published on Tuesday.
Posted yesterday at 10:39 a.m.
The libretto of this contemporary opera was written with four hands by Hélène Dorion and the late Marie-Claire Blais, to music by composer Éric Champagne. Angela Konrad will sign the staging and Les Violons du Roy will provide the orchestral part.
Last completed work of Marie-Claire Blais before her death in December 2021, Yourcenar – An island of passions was also his first opera. It is inspired by the fascinating life of the famous writer, the first woman elected to the French Academy, and evokes significant moments in her life and her tumultuous loves.
The work in two acts (for six soloists, choir and orchestra) will first be presented at the Palais Montcalm, in Quebec City, on July 28 and 30, as part of the Quebec Opera Festival, before taking the stage at Salle Pierre-Mercure in Montreal, August 4 and 6.
Ahead of the premiere of the opera, a book including the libretto and an interview with the author Hélène Dorion and the late Marie-Claire Blais will be published by Éditions de l’Homme on July 13.