Zaïde, or the Path of Light - Opéra-Comique 2026-27 - Zaïde ou le Chemin de lumière - Opéra-Comique 2026-27, Raphaël Pichon

Description

The Opéra-Comique in Paris presents a revival of Zaïde ou le Chemin de lumière (Zaïde, or the Path of Light), a semi-staged production that premiered at the Salzburg Festival in August 2025, based on Mozart’s *Zaïde* and other works by the composer.

The 2026/27 season at the Opéra-Comique is unique, as the Salle Favart is undergoing renovations that prevent the stage from hosting audiences or performances in the usual way. Consequently, the Parisian institution has devised an "off-site" season, with performances taking place in unconventional venues. The season opens in September 2026 in the Eiffel Hall of the Lycée Carnot (in Paris’s 17th arrondissement) with Zaïde ou le Chemin de lumière, based on the work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Originally conceived by Raphaël Pichon and his ensemble Pygmalion for the Salzburg Festival (where it premiered in August 2025), the production combines excerpts from Mozart’s Singspiel Zaïde with several lesser-known works by the composer, including the cantata Davidde penitente and the incidental music for Baron Tobias Philipp von Gebler’s play Thamos, König in Ägypten (Thamos, King of Egypt).

The young Mozart’s original work reflects the composer’s aspirations for freedom, justice, and love (written while he was in the service of the rigid Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, having previously experienced musical life in Paris). Raphaël Pichon’s pasticcio adaptation highlights the work’s humanist message: "A young woman returns to the ruins of an old prison. Her name is Persada, and she is seeking the truth about the story of her mother, Zaïde – once known as 'the woman who sings'. From the silences of the site’s guardian – once an executioner – emerges the story of Zaïde and Gomatz, their love standing defiant like a final cry against the tyrant Soliman..."

For the Opéra-Comique, Sabine Devieilhe once again sings the title role and Johannes Martin Kränzle that of Allazim, just as they did for the Salzburg premiere. The rest of the Paris cast, however, is new: Xenia Puskarz Thomas sings Persada, Hugo Brady is Gomatz, and Matthew Swensen lends his voice to Soliman.

Further information is available on the Opera’s official website.