Opera Season 2009-2010: American Works Shine Across French Stages

The 2009-2010 opera season in France was marked by American works, with notable productions including Stephen Sondheim's 'A Little Night Music' at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris (February 2010), featuring Leslie Caron, Greta Scacchi, and Lambert Wilson. Aaron Copland's only opera 'The Tender Land' (1954) was presented at Théâtre de la Renaissance in Oullins by Opéra de Lyon, directed by Jean Lacornerie with puppets by Émilie Valentin and conducted by Dominic Grier, starring soprano Elena Galitskaya. Opéra de Toulon surprised with Kurt Weill's 'Street Scene' (1946), directed by Olivier Bénézech and conducted by Scott Stroman. Angers Nantes Opéra presented Michel Musseau's 'Concile d'amour' (November 2009), directed by Jean-Pierre Larroche, based on Oskar Panizza's text. Opéra de Rouen staged Thierry Pécou's 'L'Amour coupable' as a Beaumarchais trilogy conclusion, directed by Stéphane Grögler and conducted by Jean Deroyer. Paris saw a criticized revival of Philippe Fénelon's 'Faust' at Opéra Garnier.