Hamlet refuses to attend the coronation of his uncle Claudius who has married his recently widowed mother the queen. The late King Hamlet already seems to be forgotten in Elsinore, which smarts young Hamlet even more than his being kept away from the throne. The apparition of his late father on the ramparts will precipitate him into a destructive quest for truth.From the adaptation of Shakespeare’s version by Dumas, Barbier and Carré wrote a romantic and spectacular libretto in which Ophelia shines with a peculiar radiance. With its virtuosic arias, arresting ensembles and vivid orchestra – and the appearance of the saxophone – Ambroise Thomas composed one of the finest scores of the French repertoire. Louis Langrée is one of the great promoters of Hamlet, Stéphane Degout one of its most resonant incarnations. Sabine Devieilhe makes her debut in the extraordinary role of Ophelia and Cyril Teste stages and puts into perspective this metaphor for the power of drama.
