Les enfants Terribles, Jean Cocteau’s novel (1929), is an ode to desire and imagination that inspired Philip Glass to create a chamber opera in 1996, perfectly translating the atmosphere of this passionate huis clos.
The “enfant terrible” of the contemporary stage, Phia Ménard, takes her turn to seize the masterpiece to offer us her own vision. Between song, music, choreography and play, this sung opera in 20 scenes shows women and men recluse, subjected to the implacable decay, but not less eager, joyful and amazed. Or how to transform old age into eternal youth. Phia Menar succeeds in bringing a lyrical reading of the play.The journey of Les Enfants terribles is a true voyage in time and space, a dazzling journey from which one does not leave unscathed. The discipline imposed by the musical writing, carried by the musical director and pianist Emmanuel Olivier, and the challenge of its interpretation produce a trance-like effect.