0 upcoming performances
Georges Lavaudant’s staging of Schumann’s Manfred at the Opéra-Comique draws on Carmelo Bene’s 1978 La Scala adaptation to embrace the work’s hybrid identity—neither conventional theatre nor standard opera. A single principal actor, Pascal Rénéric, embodies Manfred and other figures, underlining Schumann’s vision of a psychological “drama of the soul.” The scenic world is starkly gothic: a nearly bare, black stage with lighting shifting from blue to silver, and severe black costumes. Video projections of desolate nature and cosmic vistas evoke Romantic landscapes reminiscent of Caspar David Friedrich. The production also employs vocal amplification for the spoken roles, a controversial choice in the Salle Favart’s acoustic, which elicited mixed reactions.
No upcoming performance scheduled.