Geneva: the great theater is played out of walls and landmarks

ThoseSaison 2025-2026 –The Grand Théâtre de Genève is played out of walls and benchmarks

The last season of Aviel Cahn wants to be both uniform and sensitive to our concerns.

Posted today at 8:37 p.m.

“Lost in Translation”: the title of the film by Sofia Coppola serves as a red thread in the 2025-2026 season of the Grand Théâtre de Genève. “In a world where benchmarks are fading, where everything is changing, a form of strangeness in relation to oneself, it is certainly a feeling shared by many people,” said Aviel Cahn. And this is also the underlying theme of many operas that we present. ”

One last time, true to his concern to link the opera to the world today, the outgoing director leads the Bal du Grand Théâtre, alongside Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, director of the Ballet, and Clara Pons, dramaturge. Aviel Cahn presented this last season this last season at the head of the institution on Thursday, before the entry into function ofAlain Perroux From the 2026-2027 season.

Close the loop for Aviel Cahn

Through this farewell season, there is no question for the Zurich who left for the Deutsche Oper in Berlin to put water in his wine. The 2025-2026 poster is faithful to the trenched and assumed programming axes since 2019 and a well thought out concern to “complete the loop”, while having fun with titles perhaps more unfortunate than usual.

“Leading the ball” is indeed the adequate term to describe this marked season at the level of programming by a strong involvement of the ballet – including a creation by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui entitled “Imperial Bal” around Johann Strauss son, and even in the staging of operas entrusted to choreographers. But also by the challenge of running the institution during the renovation work by investing the motor forces building next January.

Choreographed operas

By leaning on this very danced lyric component, we will be delighted with the reprogramming in October-November of the “Pelléas and Mélisande” by Debussy, broadcast in exclusive streaming during the pandemic. The visually very very strong spectacle choreographed by Damien Jalet, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and scenographed by Marina Abramovic is the last survivor of the projects gagged by the Covid. He will enter into direct resonance with the resumption in November by the GTG ballet of the “Bolero” of Ravel, mounted by the same team.

In the same vein will appear a last baroque opera-ballet entrusted to Leonardo García Alarcón – The “Beaver and Pollux” of Rameau set in motion by Romanian Edward Clug in March. “I believe that we have explored this repertoire,” says Aviel Cahn, especially since this branch had never been given to the great theater! ” As for the end -of -year celebrations, they will be punctuated by the musical “An American in Paris” wrapped by the famous choreography of Christopher Wheeldon.

Concentrating the headlines at the start of the season before the period outside the walls, the great theater will welcome a new “Tannhäuser” from Wagner in September which promises to be very different from the previous scandalous version of Olivier Py twenty years ago. Sir Mark Elder is on the baguette. The Italian repertoire is not to be outdone with “the Italian in Algiers” of Rossini entrusted in February to the director Julien Chavaz And at Maestro Michele Spotti, and “Madame Butterfly” of Puccini for April-May.

The cycle of major Russian operas having ended with “La khovanceinaIn March, the last season of Aviel Cahn is once again eyeing America where it all started and when everything ends. In 2019, the director opened the lights with “Einstein on the BeachFrom Philip Glass. He will complete his mandate with an even more crazy fireworks: “200 motels”, the theatrical music of Frank Zappa, with the OSR, the percussionists of HEM and a rockband.

Aviel Cahn defends her position on controversial subjects

The burning news was necessarily invited to the generous menu of the 2025-2026 season of the Grand Théâtre de Genève, in connection on the one hand with the case of voyeurism In the showers of the institution revealed last April and whose criminal investigation is underway, and, on the other hand, with the current demand at the political extension level for the renovation of the machinery (“Geneva Tribune» du 6 May).

On the first point, the director Aviel Cahn did not deviate from his line expressed in “Time“, Where he claims to do everything to accompany the people affected and prevent any recurrence without pouring into a” Big Brother “control which does not have to be. “We take this situation very seriously and we were already doing it before any sexist act,” he reiterated. But I refuse to be talking about a deleterious internal climate, like most of the staff. ”

Regarding the increase in the costs of the works which will start in January and the two options left to the choice of elected officials, Aviel Cahn naturally pleaded for the complete variant, more expensive, but which has the merit of preserving all the current potential of the stage machinery: “Give up this option would make us lose a unique heritage and in Switzerland and in Europe. These are amounts ultimately reasonable compared to the renovation budgets of other lyrical houses in Europe, such as the Berlin Staatsoper or what is planned for the Zurich Opera. ”

Matthieu Chenal has been a journalist at the cultural section since 1996. He has chosen in particular the abundant news of classical music in the canton of Vaud and in French -speaking Switzerland.More info

Did you find an error? Please report it to us.

0 comments