OPERA L'ÉTOILE - EMMANUEL CHABRIER

King Ouf I looks forward to his self-designed birthday present every year: a random subject.
have them executed. This year, the choice falls on the audacious peddler Lazuli. But, court astrologer Siroco
the king warns: Ouf's star is closely connected to that of Lazuli. So if he dies, Ouf dies.
Naturally, His Majesty will not let that happen: Lazuli's life is protected at all costs. He
is thoroughly spoiled and eventually even gets to marry the princess!

This absurd premise forms the basis of L'Étoile : a witty, socially critical opera. This
Opéra Bouffe navigates between lighthearted comedy, black humor, and sharp satire. Chabrier's music is
just as surprising as the plot: a playful mix of sparkling melodies, impressionistic touches
and an underlying darkness, in which the influence of Jacques Offenbach resonates and even looks ahead.
Reference is made to Kurt Weill. With musical innovations such as a 'tickling trio' and a 'sneezing aria', he manages
Chabrier perfectly captures the madness of power and human folly.

Is L'Étoile a fairy tale? A political parody? Existential satire? It is all of these at once. It holds us
in any case, a funhouse mirror held up, in which the arbitrariness of power, the folly of fate and the
the transience of existence is exposed in a shrewd manner.

Director Matthew Eberhardt brings this unique story to life with great enthusiasm. He praises
L'Étoile as 'brilliant musical theatre'. With his versatile experience in theatre and musical theatre, he looks
looking forward to introducing the audience to the bizarre and sometimes painfully recognizable world of
Chabrier's first major opera.

Orchestra Philzuid provides the music in L'Étoile under the direction of the French conductor Nicolas Krüger.

L'Étoile lasts approximately two and a half hours, including the intermission, and is sung and spoken in French,
with Dutch and English surtitles.