Goings-On Summer'24. Part I
Almost 30 amazing events in Paris and in the South of France until August
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Summer is just around the corner, and as culture moves away from the capitals, this means it’s time for festivals - therefore monthly Goings-On no longer apply. Summer is a small life, let’s treat it accordingly.
I often refer to myself as ‘ex-Moscovite, recent Telavivian and Parisienne in soul‘. I do indeed love France. I love it so much that if there was a choice to eat only one thing for the rest of my life, I would choose croissants (although the deal should include no harm to body shape). France is my most visited country, and the place where I’ve taken the most road trips. It felt particularly thrilling to write this dispatch, since I’d been to most of the places mentioned below.
Summer Part I includes 7 events in Paris, 5 festivals and 6 coolest cultural spots of the French South coast.
28 May - 20 July / Theater / Macbeth by Silvia Costa / Comédie- Française
I’m so happy there is finally a chance to mention Silvia Costa. She is the closest collaborator of Romeo Castellucci and a great director herself. In 2023 she staged A Girl’s Story by Annie Ernaux at Comedie-Francaise, and I’m sure her Macbeth is going to be unlike anything you’ve seen before.
6-15 June / Ballet / Anafaza 2023 by Batsheva Dance Company / La Villette
Anafaza 2023 is a renewed version of the original 1993 stage show. In more literal terms it’s a composition of various bits and pieces from all of Batsheva performances over the past 30 years. 90 minutes of pure delight.
10 June - 09 July / Opera / Cosi Fan Tutte by Anne Teresa de Keersmaker/ Opera Garnier
Mozart’s tragicomedy Cosi fan tutte tells the tale of two young men who prepare and perform a test of fidelity for their lovers. Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker adds some ballet to the opera and uses the underlying geometry of the music to give shape to the turbulent emotional transformations of the characters. Costumes from Ann Demeulemeester might require a separate conversation.
22 June - 14 July / Ballet / Bluebeard by Pina Bausch / Opera Garnier
Did Keersmaker rethinking Mozart’s opera surprise you? Now check this out: In 1977, Pina Bausch transformed Bartók's opera and it runs in the Ballet's repertoire till this day. It is a wild and intense piece demonstrating a man confronting his thirst for power, desires and fantasies.
27 June - 17 July / Ballet / Theatre of Dreams by Hofesh Shechter / Theatre de la Ville
A world premier in Paris. Seems like this performance should be something of a contemporary attempt to rediscover surrealism - “inner journey explores our sources of anguish, hope and desire, deep inside the private world of our dreams“.
until 30.06 / Exhibition / Nathanaëlle Herbelin / Musée d’Orsay
This uprising Franco-Israeli artist is showcasing her works inside the almamater of her childhood inspirations. “Her modern twist resonates with the paintings of Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard and Felix Vallotton, hung permanently in these galleries, with no conflict or impression of imitation since the world of Nathanaëlle Herbelin remains so sensitive and unique.”
Also in Paris, 5-9 June / Ballet / Drumming XXL by Anne Teresa de Keersmaker / MC93 and La Villette; 21-24 June / Ballet / Outsider by Rachid Ouramdane / La Villette;
I have a special relationship with Marseille not only because it’s so similar to Tel Aviv, but also because many artists have made it their place of residence. The French festival season starts here, but if Marseille just happens to be a port on your way to Provence and Cote d’Azur, here are three ballets you might want to catch Freedom Sonata by Emanuel Gat (20-21 June), Age of Content by (LA)Horde (25-27 June) and IL Cimento Dell’Armonia a Dell’Inventione by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker (28-29 June)
22 - 24 June / Ballet / Deepstaria by Wayne McGregor / Opéra Berlioz
Like the jellyfish with its capacity for regeneration, Deepstaria invites us to dream anew our immortal connection with the universe that holds us.
In short, the major premier of Montpellier Danse is dedicated to the jellyfish. Jokes aside, I’m sure this highlight should not be missed.
2 - 3 July / Ballet / Dancefloor by Michele Murray / Théâtre de l'Agora
DANCEFLOOR explores the different choreographic possibilities made possible through a big group (a piece staged for 25 dancers), while at the same time focusing on the unique bodies and personalities of each performer.
4 - 6 July / Ballet / REQUIEM(S) by Angelin Preljocaj / Opéra Berlioz
The latest piece by Preljocaj starts its big tour through festivals. We will talk about it more, once it gets to the main stages of this upcoming season. The piece explores five requiems of Verdi, Mozart, Ligeti and Fauré - it should be something very special.
Also in Montpellier the latest production of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker IL Cimento Dell’Armonia a Dell’Inventione (1-2 July) that we are going to see a lot in upcoming season.
1 - 11 July / Theater / Lacrima by Caroline Guiela Nguyen / Gymnase du lycee Aubanel
This is the story of the creation of a dress, and of a secret that ties together a Parisian haute couture house, an embroidery workshop in Mumbai, and the last lace-makers of Alençon.
After seeing Nguyen’s Saigon (2017) I started waiting for a new piece, expecting something completely different. Here it is. She is definitely making it to the main world stages very soon.
1 - 16 July / Theater / Hécube, pas Hécube by Tiago Rodrigues / Carriere de Boulbon
Hécube, pas Hécube is a tragedy born between the lines of another tragedy, written on the very skin of the actors of the Comédie-Française. Tiago Rodrigues shows us the life of Nadia, constantly running from the theatre stage to the courtroom. Nadia is rehearsing Euripides’s Hecuba while fighting for justice for her autistic son, mistreated by the institution that was supposed to take care of him. As the premiere of the play and the verdict of the trial approach, her world is turned upside-down.
14 - 21 July / Dance / Forever (after Cafe Muller de Pina Bausch) by Boris Charmatz / La FabricA
The idea for Forever came to Boris Charmatz as he watched rehearsals for Café Müller (the most famous work of Pina Bausch). It’s a mystical show which evokes constantly renewed emotion. For seven hours, twenty-five dancers take turns performing Café Müller, alternating with interludes—testimonies from authors and performers influenced by Pina Bausch’s work... Forever is endless: the dance goes on forever and ever.
Also, there is Boris’s Liberte Cathedrale from 5-9 July
16 - 21 July / Theater / Elizabeth Costello by Krzysztof Warlikowski / Cour d’honneur du Palais des Papes
The travels, encounters, and speeches of a writer invented by J.M. Coetzee, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2003, who appeared in his earlier novels... and in plays by the Polish director. A theatrical debate about ever more uncomfortable questions.
My eye caught these two productions, both of which should be very interesting: Juaba Ficcion by La Ribot and Asier Puga (3-7 July) and Los Dias Afuera by Lola Arias (4-10 July)
1 July - 29 September / Les Rencontres de la Photographie / Around Arles
Every summer since 1970, over the course of more than forty exhibitions at various of the city's exceptional heritage sites, the Rencontres d'Arles has been a major influence in dissiminating the best of world photography and playing the role of a springboard for photographic and contemporary creative talents.
If you are around, don’t miss Sophie Calle’s new exhibition Finir en Beauté in Cryptoporticus.
7 - 10 July / Music Theatre / The Great Yes, The Great No by William Kentridge / Luma Fondation
“March 1941: a cargo ship leaves Marseille for Martinique with, on board, several artists and intellectuals escaping from Vichy France, including André Breton, Claude Lévi-Strauss and the Cuban artist Wifredo Lam”. Here the actual historical events end, and William Kentridge takes his turn.
3 - 16 July / Opera / Christoph Gluck’s IPHIGÉNIE EN AULIDE - IPHIGÉNIE EN TAURIDE by Emmanuelle Haïm and Dmitri Tcherniakov / Grand Theatre de Provence
Experiencing his two Iphigenias in a single evening goes beyond any reasonable standards of operatic life. Following a logical destiny through a cycle of endless violence Dmitri Tcherniakov addresses an implacable process of dehumanization, with parallels to our world today.
6 - 17 July / Opera / Claude Debussy’s PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE by Katie Mitchell / Grand Theatre de Provence
“A young woman in her wedding dress, a handkerchief stained with blood, a bedroom in which she is fast asleep – and which, a moment later, is neither entirely the same nor entirely different.” - this could be the beginning of any opera’s libretto. I’m sure Katie Mitchell found a visionary approach to make it even more tragic and breathtaking.
If you’d like to see something else while in town - here it is: 6 - 14 July / Music Theater / Songs and Fragments by Barrie Kosky / Theatre du Jeu de Paume
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur is an exciting spot not only for luxurious lifestyles, but also for its cultural heritage. I’d recommend renting a car and making sure you have enough time for long stops - here are a few potential ones. Although I think each of them deserves to be its own destination point, who am I to insist?
I’m assuming that this email is too long to digest, but this region has many tales to tell and this is only a tiny bit of it. Paris + Art Basel published a long-read called Art on the Mediterranean, which I think could also serve as a great guide around the coast.
Meanwhile, I’m finishing the Everything About Art Advisors series on my instagram - I’ve prepared even more insider stories about my shady profession. I didn’t have much time last week to watch anything special, but I still kept on going with The Veil and listening to The Grand Tourist podcast (some interviews are exceptional).
We will talk soon and don’t forget to share this newsletter with your friends - just click the button below :)
Yours,
Miri