Laurent Pelly
© Simon Van Rompay
Scintillating and brilliant
‘A Poulenc double bill that will first turn you into an emotional wreck then have you laughing all the way home. There’s not a foot put wrong’
The Times, Poulenc La Voix Humaine / Les Mamelles de Tirésias, Glyndebourne
French opera and theatre director Laurent Pelly is sought after by the world’s most prestigious houses. With a natural affinity for Italian and French repertoire, his creative curiosity has led him in recent years towards other composers including Russian and Czech. A master of detail, he designs the costumes for all his productions, as well as occasionally the sets.
Projects this season include new productions of Offenbach’s Robinson Crusoé at Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Smetana’s La Fiancée Vendue at Teatro Real and Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos for Glyndebourne Festival, as well as numerous revivals throughout the world of titles including Falstaff, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Eugene Onegin and Gypsy. Other current productions include Gassman’s L’Opéra Seria (Teatro alla Scala Milan and Theater an der Wien) and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Teatro Real Madrid and Royal Danish Opera).
He was Co-Director of Théâtre national de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées (2008–2018). His most recent work in the theatre includes Goldoni’s L’Impresario de Smyrne (Scènes de la vie d’opéra), and the first French theatrical production of Mary Chase’s Harvey, with acclaimed French actor Jacques Gamblin.
‘The characters must come from inside the music and not necessarily real life. Opera is not real in any way, and to help people understand the story the singers need to have the music inside their bodies’
