梅西安创作的歌剧《圣方济各》在萨尔茨堡音乐节推出新制作首演，由加拿大男中音Philippe Sly担任主角[1]。导演Romeo Castellucci在舞台上融入真实动物和烤面包等创意元素，为这部宏大作品增添了独特的视觉维度[1]。该歌剧将于8月4日至23日进行6场演出[1]。
这部歌剧长达6小时20分钟，包含8个场景和两小时间歇[1]。舞台上使用捷克狼犬、孔雀和7只羊作为表演的组成部分[1]。为了营造真实的氛围，两台MIWE四层烤箱每场演出烤制33条酸面团面包，每台重1200公斤[1]。维也纳爱乐乐团的120名音乐家和90人合唱团将参与演出，由指挥Maxime Pascal指挥，乐谱共2500页[1]。
Philippe Sly在演出前7周半进驻海拔470米的卡布辛修道院进行准备[1]。这部歌剧在美国的首次主要舞台制作为2002年由旧金山歌剧院制作，由Willard White主演[1]。
A new production of Olivier Messiaen's opera "Saint François d'Assise" premiered at the Salzburg Festival, directed by Romeo Castellucci and featuring Canadian baritone Philippe Sly in the title role. [1] The six-hour-and-twenty-minute opera, comprising eight scenes with a two-hour intermission, ran for six performances between August 4 and 23. [1] Conducted by Maxime Pascal, the production involved 120 musicians from the Vienna Philharmonic and a ninety-member chorus, performing from a score containing 2,500 pages. [1]
Castellucci's staging incorporated distinctive theatrical elements, including live animals—Czech wolfhounds, peacocks, and seven sheep—as well as functioning baking operations on stage. [1] Two MIWE four-tier ovens, each weighing 1,200 kilograms, baked thirty-three loaves of sourdough bread during each performance. [1] To prepare for the role, Sly spent seven and a half weeks in residence at a Capuchin monastery located 470 meters above sea level prior to the production's opening. [1] The opera marked a significant American production milestone, as the previous major U.S. stage production took place in 2002 at the San Francisco Opera, where American baritone Willard White performed the lead role. [1]