Uplifted at Opéra de Massy !

All of us have opportunities in life to raise ourselves up … It's just a matter of how we go about it!

Les chevaliers de la Table Ronde, staging by Pierre-André Weitz, 2015 (2015/2016) by Hervé and Pierre-André WeitzOpéra de Massy

1/ A suitable costume

Dressed in heels and stripes, what could be a better way to join the dance and get a loftier perspective on things! There's no way Louis XIV—5.4 feet tall, with an added 5 inches of heel—would have disagreed!

Cosi Fan Tutte, staging by Luigi di Gangi et Ugo Giacomazzi, 2009 (2008/2009) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Luigi di Gangi, and Ugo GiacomazziOpéra de Massy

2/ A touch of humor

Thanks to the astute use of cables, Ferrando and Guglielmo - the two lovers in "Cosi Fan Tutte" - make a direct landing on the stage ... Watch out, Despina and Don Alfonso!

Falstaff, staging by Jean-Louis Grinda, 2013 (2013/2014) by Giuseppe Verdi, Jean-Louis Grinda, and Jorge JaraOpéra de Massy

3/ Deus ex machina

Need to adjust the lighting? Can't reach the rig? Step on the mobile platform! Nothing can stop our technicians - other than a little vertigo, perhaps… Did you know that no one is allowed up here without substantial training? It takes several technicians to handle the installation. Once you're up there, you're in a perpetual motion.

Un an d'opéra à Massy, juin 2014 (2014)Opéra de Massy

4/ Keyword : accessory

What could be better than a scarf fluttering delicately in the air to make us want to fly like a bird?

Quartet / Death and the Maiden, Julien Lestel Company , 2017 (2016/2017) by Franz Schubert and Julien LestelOpéra de Massy

5/ Let yourself be carried away

We can always count on the Julien Lestel Company to give the choreography a little extra height. And to do it in style, of course.

Roméo et Juliette, staging by Paul-Emile Fourny, 2014 (2014/2015) by Charles Gounod and Paul-Emile FournyOpéra de Massy

6/ The perfect backdrop

“Oh speak again, bright angel, for thou art as glorious to this night, being o'er my head as is a winged messenger of heaven …” aka when body and soul achieve perfect harmony.

Don Pasquale, staging by Andrea Cigni, 2015 (2014/2015) by Gaetano Donizetti and Andrea CigniOpéra de Massy

7/ Back to childhood

Defying gravity from a swing. There's nothing faint-hearted about Norine from Don Pasquale! “I have a peculiar nature but a wonderful heart.”

Roméo et Juliette, staging by Paul-Emile Fourny, 2014 (2014/2015) by Charles Gounod and Paul-Emile FournyOpéra de Massy

8/ Traditional techniques

A good ladder and the support of the group, nothing beats teamwork!

The Pearl Fishers, staging by Nadine Duffaut, 2013 (2013/2014) by Georges Bizet and Nadine DuffautOpéra de Massy

9/ A tilted stage floor

A sloping stage allows better visibility for the spectators and enhances the sense of depth due to the effect of perspective, like a springboard to the audience!

Boléro, "Tous à l'Opéra" day, Julien Lestel Company, 2018 (2018-05) by Maurice Ravel and Julien LestelOpéra de Massy

10/ Defying gravity with an extravagant jump!

A step-by-step guide for aspiring dancers: switch the music on, start dancing, lose yourself to the rythm of Bolero, experiment intensely, and now leap - farther, higher!

The park, Rome Opera Ballet, 2018 (2018) by Angelin PreljocajOpéra de Massy

11. Did you think it was anything else?

As Victor Hugo once said: "Theater is not the realm of reality: There are cardboard trees, canvas palaces, a sky made out of rags, glass diamonds, gold made from sequins, there's paint on the peaches, rouge on people's faces, a sun that rises up out of the earth. It's the realm of truth: There are human hearts behind the scenes, human hearts in the auditorium, and human hearts on the stage."

Credits: Story

Virtual exhibition created and written by Eugénie Boivin for the Massy Opera House (Opéra de Massy).

Timeless, like a melody hanging in the air at the opera. Thanks to all the photographers (from Massy Photo Club and elsewhere!) who help us keep track of the moments that uplift us - both figuratively and literally - and allow us to share them with the public.

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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