The 44th edition of the Beaune International Baroque Opera Festival promises to be one of profound renewal. Under the leadership of its new artistic director, Maximilien Hondermarck, the event retains its long-standing excellence whilst challenging its own conventions through several major premieres.
The most spectacular change is undoubtedly the move to a staged production: for the very first time in its more than forty-year history, the festival is moving away from the strict concert format to stage its first fully staged opera. It is at the Théâtre de Beaune that audiences will discover this new production, a Venetian operatic adaptation of Molière’s *L’Avare* conducted by Vincent Dumestre and his ensemble, Le Poème Harmonique. For the occasion, the traditional boundary between the orchestra pit and the stage is completely blurred, with the musicians in costume and integrated directly into the heart of the set design.
This commitment to inclusivity is also reflected in an unprecedented focus on families. The festival is creating its first show for young audiences with *Peau d’Âne* at the Lanterne Magique, allowing the very youngest to discover the sounds of the viola da gamba through Perrault’s fairy tale.
To give an overarching coherence to these three weeks of music, the artistic direction is also introducing a new structural element: a single thematic thread, entitled ‘L’Au-delà’, which will guide audiences through major works by Bach, Pergolesi and Monteverdi, and which will resonate with a special tribute to the composer John Dowland to mark the 400th anniversary of his death.
Finally, the festival experience extends beyond the concert halls thanks to new immersive and engaging formats. Festival-goers will be able to combine architectural heritage, wine culture and music through guided musical tours of venues usually closed to the public, commented wine tastings at the Union des Maisons de vins de Grande Bourgogne, or pre-concert dinners served directly in the courtyard of the Hôtel-Dieu. A breath of modernity and conviviality that promises to bring Beaune to life throughout July.
