Synopsis
"Unimaginable, because invisible, because immeasurable, because infinite, because eternal, because omnipresent, because almighty."- Moses und Aron, Act I, scene 2
“I have at last learned the lesson forced on me last year, and I shall not forget it. I am neither a German nor a European, and perhaps barely human, but I am a Jew.” Despite having converted to Protestantism in his youth, Schönberg was the target of anti-Semitic attacks from 1921 onwards. Shaken by such virulence, he decided to return to his roots while developing a highly personalised interpretation of the Old Testament. What initially started out as a cantata soon took on the dimensions of an oratorio. The project became a philosophical opera that pitted not only two brothers, Moses and Aron, against each other, but also radicalism and compromise, muddled discourse and lyric effusion to the backdrop of a fickle community personified by a particularly massive chorus.
“Oh word, word that I lack!” That last phrase, uttered by Moses, sums up the prophet’s tragic weakness but also expresses the composer’s inability to overcome his own contradictions. Officially converting back to Judaism in Paris shortly before seeking refuge in the United States, the inventor of dodecaphonism was plagued by an almost existential inability during the last two decades of his life: that of completing Moses und Aron. Philippe Jordan conducts this masterpiece along with the full musical forces of the Paris Opera and Romeo Castellucci makes his much awaited debut on the stage of the Opera Bastille.
Duration : 1h45 no interval
Artists
Opera in two acts (1954)
Creative team
Cast
Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine / Paris Opera Children's Chorus
Coproduction with Teatro Real of Madrid
French and English surtitles
Media
Access and services
Opéra Bastille
Place de la Bastille
75012 Paris
Public transport
Underground Bastille (lignes 1, 5 et 8), Gare de Lyon (RER)
Bus 29, 69, 76, 86, 87, 91, N01, N02, N11, N16
Calculate my routeIn both our venues, discounted tickets are sold at the box offices from 30 minutes before the show:
- €35 tickets for under-28s, unemployed people (with documentary proof less than 3 months old) and senior citizens over 65 with non-taxable income (proof of tax exemption for the current year required)
- €70 tickets for senior citizens over 65
Get samples of the operas and ballets at the Paris Opera gift shops: programmes, books, recordings, and also stationery, jewellery, shirts, homeware and honey from Paris Opera.
Opéra Bastille
- Open 1h before performances and until performances end
- Get in from within the theatre’s public areas
- For more information: +33 1 40 01 17 82
Online
Opéra Bastille
Place de la Bastille
75012 Paris
Public transport
Underground Bastille (lignes 1, 5 et 8), Gare de Lyon (RER)
Bus 29, 69, 76, 86, 87, 91, N01, N02, N11, N16
Calculate my routeIn both our venues, discounted tickets are sold at the box offices from 30 minutes before the show:
- €35 tickets for under-28s, unemployed people (with documentary proof less than 3 months old) and senior citizens over 65 with non-taxable income (proof of tax exemption for the current year required)
- €70 tickets for senior citizens over 65
Get samples of the operas and ballets at the Paris Opera gift shops: programmes, books, recordings, and also stationery, jewellery, shirts, homeware and honey from Paris Opera.
Opéra Bastille
- Open 1h before performances and until performances end
- Get in from within the theatre’s public areas
- For more information: +33 1 40 01 17 82