Lydia Steier creates a dark and powerful dystopia

For his return to Paris after more than a century and a half of absence, the work of Gaspare Spontini is transposed into a bloodthirsty theocracy. Lydia Steier offers a more than convincing staging.

Leaning against a concrete wall on which three corpses of opponents hang by their feet, the Roman general Licinius, returning from a victorious war against Gaul, pines for his lost love, Julia, forced by his father to join the religious orders. The wall, on which is tagged “Talis est ordo deorum” (Such is the order of the gods), slides to the left revealing as a decor a dilapidated replica of the Sorbonne amphitheater. For the return of grand opera The Vestal Virgin by Gaspare Spontini in Paris, after more than 150 years of absence, the director Lydia Steier, who distinguished herself with her revival of Salome by Richard Strauss, signs a dystopia which is strongly inspired by The Scarlet Handmaid by Margaret Atwood. At the Opéra Bastille, until July 11, 2024.

The flame is fueled by the burnings. The ritual of maintaining the sacred fire is nourished by the methodical destruction of books. Julia is ordained as a priestess of the Temple of Vesta. She is forbidden from carnal pleasure, she must maintain her virginity. And above all avoid love. It is in this oppressive universe that military power and religious power coexist, support each other and maintain a repressive system.

The American director transposes the work of Gaspare Spontini into a theocracy. There are numerous nods to Margaret Atwood’s book phenomenon. The Sorbonne amphitheater as a setting is no coincidence. “Theocratic government in The Scarlet Handmaid is called the Republic of Gilead and its center is at Harvard University in Boston. (…) While Harvard has a certain resonance for American audiences, we looked for a place that would have a similar resonance for French audiences. It’s obviously the Sorbonne, a perfect analogy.” she explains.

This Wednesday, June 19, the Franco-South African soprano Elza van den Heever, who is unwell, is replaced by Élodie Hache in the role of Julia. She embodies this woman torn between duty and love, and who, faced with a justice that demands an expiatory victim, bravely confronts her accusers. Élodie Hache shines with her stage and vocal presence. She is Julia. His love, Licinius, played masterfully by the American tenor Michael Spyres, betrayed by his friend Cinna (Julien Behr), shakes up the empire.

The duo is in osmosis, giving depth and depth to their characters. The choirs impress by inhabiting the space with their strength.

The duo is in osmosis, giving depth and depth to their characters. The choirs impress by inhabiting the space with their strength. From the pit bursts powerful, voluminous music. Bertrand de Billy’s direction is very subtle. Waves rush in and recede with finesse and generosity.

The Vestal Virgin Lydia Steier’s version is convincing and original. It is fiercely contemporary and speaks to the anxieties and dangers of today’s world. A masterpiece.

Title : The Vestal Virgin Gaspare Spontini

Booklet: Etienne de Jouy

Musical direction: Bertrand de Billy

Staging: Lydia Steier

Choir leader: Ching-Lien Wu

Distribution : lza van den Heever, Elodie Hache, Michael Spyres, Eve-Maud Hubeaux, Julien Behr, Jean Teitgen, Nicolas Courjal, Florent Mbia

Duration : 3h20 with two intermissions

Language : French

Surtitles: French English

Place : Opéra Bastille, Place de la Bastille, 75012, Paris

Dates: Until July 11, 2024