Nicolas Joel Takes Over Paris Opera with Wagner's Ring Cycle

Nicolas Joel succeeded Gérard Mortier as director of the Opéra national de Paris for the 2009-2010 season. His first season features twenty operatic works, including four new productions: Mireille, Andrea Chénier, Das Rheingold, and Die Walküre. The centerpiece is a new production of Wagner's Ring cycle, the first at the Paris Opera since 1957. Das Rheingold opens in March 2010 and Die Walküre in June, staged by Günter Krämer and conducted by Philippe Jordan, the new music director. The remaining operas, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung, will follow in the 2010-2011 season. Joel emphasized the importance of the Ring entering the repertoire and praised Jordan's youth and talent. Other highlights include a new production of Werther by filmmaker Benoît Jacquot, starring Jonas Kaufmann and Sophie Koch, conducted by Michel Plasson. The season also features star singers Natalie Dessay, Anna Netrebko, Juan Diego Flórez, and Marcelo Álvarez. Joel supports broadcasting performances on television, the internet, and in cinemas, noting France 2's live broadcast of the season opener, Mireille by Gounod. The article also reviews Mortier's tenure, crediting him with renewing the repertoire and introducing works by Janáček, Saariaho, Haas, Sciarrino, and Boesmans, as well as notable productions by Peter Sellars, Bill Viola, La Fura dels Baus, Christoph Marthaler, Michael Haneke, and André Engel. Mortier commissioned Anselm Kiefer for the 20th anniversary of the Opéra Bastille.