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Opera Staging: Between Minimalism and Drama

opinion-review · 2026-04-23

The maturation of opera staging is marked by a painful transition from the concrete, grandeur-sensitive approaches of figures like Lavelli, Chéreau, Ronconi, and Strehler to a contemporary practice oscillating between spectacle and austerity, excess and bareness.

Key facts

  • Opera staging has entered a phase of 'painful maturity' after adolescence and youth.
  • The golden era featured directors like Lavelli, Chéreau, Ronconi, and Strehler.
  • These earlier directors were more grounded in concrete reality and sensitive to opera's fragile grandeur.
  • Current staging is characterized by contradictory movements of splendor and ellipsis.
  • Excess and nudity are now common in opera productions.

Entities

Artists

  • Jorge Lavelli
  • Patrice Chéreau
  • Luca Ronconi
  • Giorgio Strehler

Sources