Orchestre de Paris
Just three years after the creation of his last opera, Il viaggio, Dante, Pascal Dusapin delivers a new lyrical score, an operatorio on an ancient subject, Antigone. The cast is flawless, and this, combined with Klaus Mäkelä’s passionate and meticulous conducting, ensures a truly memorable performance.”
Forum Opera, Guillaume Picard, 9 October 2025
“Pascal Dusapin revisits the powerful and deeply felt myth of Antigone, somewhere between opera and oratorio. Under the direction of Klaus Mäkelä, the Orchestre de Paris and an exceptional cast give voice to revolt and freedom.”
Radio France, 20 October 2025
“Skillfully conducted by Klaus Mäkelä, the Orchestre de Paris allows the composer to achieve three ideals of tragedy: grandeur, truth, and beauty. A perfect illustration of this threefold success is the final appearance of the Chorus Leader (Serge Kakudji, a captivating countertenor), which also testifies to the care lavished on each vocal line. From a very homogeneous cast in which Anna Prohaska’s (soprano) supremely lyrical Ismene shines like a flash, the standout performance is the confrontation between the indomitable Creon of the powerful Tomas Tomasson (bass-baritone) and the irrepressible Antigone of the ever-intense Christel Loetzsch (mezzo-soprano). As for the epithet chosen for the heroine who refuses compromise, it also applies to the composer, whose work and music cannot be reduced to a single genre or dominant aesthetic.”
Le Monde, Pierre Gervasoni, 8 October 2025
“Dusapin offers a full-fledged voice to the orchestra placed on the floor, below the stage and with many percussions. In the sublime prologue from which emerges the melody of the solo flute, the composer introduces what will be his instrumental material throughout the opera: diffuse soundscapes sprinkled with sounds of tam-tam, gongs, woodblocks and tubular bells to which rhythmic, often strident, copper and wood are superimposed. Klaus Mäkelä and the Orchestre de Paris accurately render the dramatic tension of this score.”
Bachtrack.com, Chloe Rouge, 10 October 2025
PROGRAMME & CAST
Pascal Dusapin: Antigone
Christel Loetzsch, Antigone
Anna Prohaska, Ismène
Tómas Tómasson, Créon
Jarrett Ott, Un Messager
Thomas Atkins, Hémon
Edwin Crossley-Mercer, Tirésias
Serge Kakudji, Coryphée
Natalia Cellier, Eurydice
Cosma Moïssakis, Enfant accompagnant Tirésias (en alternance)
Joseph Raynaud-Palombe, Enfant accompagnant Tirésias (en alternance)
Netia Jones, staging, création costumes, création dispositif
Lightmap, conception vidéo
Eric Soyer, création lumière
Glen Sheppard, collaboration à la mise en scène
