Anti-refugee director is booed after first act

Anti-refugee director is booed after first act

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norman lebrecht

December 09, 2015

The audience at the Opéra de Paris did not wait for the final curtain last night. They booed the Latvian director Alvis Hermanis at the interval curtain, apparently – or partly – in protest at ugly remarks he had made about the reception of Syrian refugees in Europe.

His production of Berlioz’s Damnation de Faust was exceptionally well sung by a cast that included Jonas Kaufmann, Bryn Terfel and Sophie Koch, Philipped Jordan conducting.

Faust is reconceived as a kind of Stephen Hawking figure out to conquer Mars.

First review here by William Saintagne (en francais).

faust2_0

photo: Opera de Paris

The next Hermanis production is Il due Foscari in February at La Scala.

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