Johannes-Passion
Johann Sebastian Bach
The St John Passion is the pinnacle of the religious repertoire and a work of towering emotions, performed here by Leonardo García-Alarcón and choreographer Sasha Waltz.
Dates
Leonardo García-Alarcón | direction
Sasha Waltz | staging, choreography
Bernd Skodzig | costumes
Heike Schuppelius | sets design
David Finn | lights
Diego Noguera | electroacoustic sound intervention
Sophie Junker | soprano
Georg Nigl | baritone (Pilate)
Christian Immler | bass baritone (Jesus)
Benno Schachtner | countertenor
Valerio Contaldo | tenor (The Evangelist)
Mark Milhofer | tenor
Estelle Lefort* | soprano (Ancilla)
Camille Hubert* | soprano
Logan Lopez Gonzalez* | countertenor
Augustin Laudet* | tenor (Servus)
Rafael Galaz Ramirez* | bass (Pierre)
* lyric artist with Chœur de chambre de Namur
Rosa Dicuonzo, Yuya Fujinami, Tian Gao, Eva Georgitsopoulou, Hwanhee Hwang, Annapaola Leso, Jaan Männima, Margaux Marielle-Tréhoüart, Virgis Puodziunas, Orlando Rodriguez, Joel Suárez Gómez | dancers
Sasha Waltz & Guests Company
Ensemble Cappella Mediterranea
Chœur de chambre de Namur, Chœur de l’Opéra de Dijon | direction Anass Ismat
About
To mark the three-hundredth anniversary of the work, choreographer Sasha Waltz, who is a familiar face in the opera world, presents a version in which she works very closely with Leonardo García-Alarcón, the leader of the Cappella Mediterranea Ensemble and the twin choirs of Namur and the Dijon Opera, where the work was premiered in late March 2024. Sasha Waltz, who is renowned for radical and innovative aesthetic choices and powerful movements, has appropriated this vast work in which deeply-inspired fervour combines with theatricality to describe the final suffering of the Son of Man. Michel Franck opted to inaugurate his first term as Director of the Théâtre in 2010 with Pascal Dusapin’s Passion, and entrusted the staging to Berlin-born choreographer Sasha Waltz. This set the tone for the more unconventional repertoire and artistic partnerships which he favoured. He also invited her to work on the celebration of the centenary of The Rite of Spring in 2013, a challenge to which she rose with great flair. Her return to open his last season is a fitting reminder of the trajectory he has pursued since 2010.
Production Opéra de Dijon
Coproduction Compagnie Sasha Waltz & Guests | Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
Décors réalisés par les ateliers de l’Opéra de Dijon et la compagnie Sasha Waltz & Guests
Costumes réalisés par les ateliers de l’Opéra de Dijon et de Manja Beneke
