The Tempest

September 16, 18, 22, 24 and 26 at 7:30 pm

September 20 at 3 pm

Starting from CHF 15.-

Tickets available online or on site on the day of the concert

Frank Martin’s glittering music and Netia Jones’s theatrical wonders bring Shakespeare’s imaginary island to life.

The King of Naples’ ship has been wrecked by mighty tempest. Its survivors are washed up on a mysterious island, full of melodious sounds coming from nowhere. Their shipwreck turns out to be the first part of a plot hatched by Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, whose downfall they provoked. Prospero has found refuge on this island, where he raised his daughter Miranda. Using the dark arts, he controls the monster Caliban and, above all Ariel, a spirit who is the key to his revenge.

THIERRY FISCHER, musical director

NETIA JONES, stage director, set designer and costumes designer

MALCOLM RIPPETH, lighting designer 

LIGHTMAP, videos

MARK BIGGINS, choir director

STÉPHANE DEGOUT, prospero

CATHERINE TROTTMANN, miranda

JULIEN DRAN, ferdinand

NICOLAS CAVALLIER, alonso

EDWIN CROSSLEY-MERCER, sebastian

LÉO VERMOT-DESROCHES, antonio

CHRISTIAN IMMLER, gonzalo

GLEN CUNNINGHAM, adrian

ALEX ROSEN, caliban

FRANÇOIS ROUGIER, trinculo

CHRISTOPHE GAY, stephano

GEORGIY DERBAS-RICHTER, the boatswain

JOSEPH CHOSSON, ariel

GRAND THÉÂTRE DE GENÈVE CHORUS

ORCHESTRE DE LA SUISSE ROMANDE

PROGRAM

FRANK MARTIN - The Tempest

Libretto by August Wilhelm von Schlegel and Johann Ludwig Tieck, based on the play by William Shakespeare.
French translation by Paulin Martin.
New production, co-produced with Opéra national du Rhin.

In 1952, Frank Martin began setting Shakespeare’s The Tempest to music, and his opera premièred at the Vienna State Opera in 1956. With obvious delight in the musicality of this enchanted island, he composed a shimmering score for Shakespeare’s text. In 1967, Frank Martin presented a French adaptation in Geneva, in which Ariel was played by an actor supported by the chorus. This version returns to the Grand Théâtre, conducted by Thierry Fischer, in a production where Prospero’s powers are literally electrified by director Netia Jones.

Sung in French with French and English surtitles.
Duration: 3h with one intermission
Recommended for ages 12 and up

Starting from CHF 15.-

Tickets available online or on site on the day of the concert

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INFORMATIONS & ACCESSIBILITÉ

For any information, especially regarding individuals with reduced mobility and their companions, please contact us at:

 accueil@odysseefrankmartin.ch or by telephone at 00 41 78 754 24 77

Georgijs Osokins

piano

Latvian pianist Georgijs Osokins has gained international attention through his participation at age of 19 in the XVIIth International Chopin Piano Competition where he quickly became an absolute Audience Favorite. Shortly after the Chopin Competition, Osokins made important debuts at the Konzerthaus Berlin, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Laeiszhalle and Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, International Piano Series in Bern, Lockenhaus Festival, Gstaad Music Festival, Narodowe Forum Muzyki in Katowice, the Vancouver Playhouse, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Hall, Tongyeong Hall in South Korea. In 2021 Georgijs Osokins performed at the 101st Salzburger Festspiele.

Georgijs is actively collaborating with Gidon Kremer, touring in the UK, Ireland, Russia, Poland, Germany, Asia and US. Alongside Lucas Debargue, Georgijs Osokins was announced the first permanent Guest Artist of Kremerata Baltica in its 25-year history. In 2024 Georgijs makes his solo debut at Pierre-Boulez Saal in Berlin and returns to Milan’s Serate Musicali Festival and London’s Wigmore Hall.

UK’s label “Piano Classics” released Osokins’ two CD albums focused on Chopin’s Late Works and works of Rachmaninoff. These recordings received brilliant reviews from important British, Canadian, German, Danish and French music magazines. German label Accentus has released the first chamber music album of Georgijs Osokins alongside Gidon Kremer containing trios of Chopin and Beethoven – this CD was nominated for both International Classical Music Awards 2020 and Opus Klassik 2021. He received the Cross of Merit awarded by the President of the Republic of Poland and the Latvian Grand Music Award – highest honour in music in Latvia – and remains youngest recipient in the Awards’ history.