The most beautiful operas in French

Now we arrive at the biggest treasure trove in our series of operas by language… Indeed, the opera repertoire in France grew to its substantial size thanks to a confluence of historical factors: in the 17th and 18th centuries, royal patronage guaranteed composers the financial means to give free rein to their creative spirit; in the 19th, Parisian theatres proved the ideal testing place for larger-than-life sets and productions, inspiring artists French and foreign alike who congregated in the capital during the era of the French grand opéra; though production dropped off slightly in the 20th century, major figures like Ravel, Poulenc, and Messaien contributed to the genre with superb results; and in the 21st century, French opera is alive and well! Among others, the Paris Opera commissioned a cycle of operas inspired by French literature in the 2010s, and Philippe Leroux adapted Claudel's L'Annonce faite à Marie in 2022. Dive into this collection of French-language operas that will take you on a tour of opera history, from the Baroque era of Lully up to the present day.