Pelléas et Mélisande
by Claude Debussy
Opera in five acts and twelve scenes
Libretto by Maurice Maeterlinck
Conductor: Maxime Pascal
Staging, sets, costumes and lights: Romeo Castellucci
Teatro alla Scala Orchestra and Chorus
Dramaturgy: Christian Longchamp
Artistic collaboration: Giulia Giammona
Pélleas: Bernard Richter
Mélisande: Sara Blanch
Gouland: Simon Keenlyside
Geneviève: Marie-Nicole Lemieux
Arkel: John Relyea
Teatro alla Scala New Production
Romeo Castellucci portrait, ph. Milagro Elstak
The opera that Claude Debussy created from Maurice Maeterlinck’s symbolist drama stands as one of the greatest achievements in the history of musical theatre. The stage of La Scala recalls productions of exceptional significance: from Victor de Sabata’s conducting in 1948 and 1953, to Herbert von Karajan’s in 1962, and the legendary staging by Antoine Vitez with Claudio Abbado on the podium in 1986, while Georges Prêtre conducted the productions in 1973, 1977, and 2005. In such a prestigious interpretative history, we find the return of Maxime Pascal’s fresh and insightful artistry – one of today’s most compelling French conductors, who has led major contemporary works at La Scala – and the La Scala debut of Romeo Castellucci, a renowned Italian stage director. As one of Italy’s most influential directors—regularly invited to major European theatres and festivals—Castellucci brings a vision of theatre that is both sacred and visionary, deeply rooted in art history, and promises a profound encounter with the symbolism of Debussy’s work.