This book is based on a series of interlinked interviews between Frédéric Flamand, the Director of the Ballet National de Marseille since 2004, and his partners, who were invited to express their thoughts about his forthcoming production of Gluck’s opera Orpheus and Eurydice.

Frédéric Flamand is well known for the breadth of his references in his approach to the arts and his interest in bringing them closer together. He is especially concerned to build a constant dialogue between past and present and remove the artificial barriers between classical and contemporary dance. He collaborated on his first opera production with the internationally renowned Belgian visual artist Hans Op de Beeck. Their conversations on this production of Orpheus and Eurydice help us understand the place mythology has in contemporary society, reinforcing the impression created by Frédéric Flamand’s previous shows, such as La chute d’Icare, Le trouble de Narcisse, and Ovid’s Metamorphoses, which enjoyed considerable international success. Gluck’s opera was staged at the Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles, which was inaugurated in 1770 for the marriage between Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette of Austria.

Recently restored, this venue is more than ever focused on reproducing the very best art of this period, selecting works with the greatest care. The over-all effect is to give the reader privileged access to the complex process involved in staging works of this kind so they can be enjoyed to the utmost of their artistic potential.