Bruno de Lavenère

Akhnaten is set in Ancient Egypt, and based on the accession to the throne of the pharaoh Amenhotep IV – thought to have been around 1351BC – on his religious convictions, and the consequences of his actions. Presented as a combination of song, dance and music, the opera has a libretto by Philip Glass, Shalom Goldmann, Robert Israël and Richard Ridell, with the text drawing on ancient hymns, prayers and inscriptions, sung in their original Egyptian, Hebrew and Akkadian form. Produced by the Opéra de Nice Côte d’Azur as part of the Festival MANCA.

Originally created for the Ballet du Capitole in 2011, La reine morte is Kader Belarbi's spectacular ballet, based on Montherlant's play of the same name. The story follows Don Pedro, Prince of Portugal, who has fallen in love with Doña Inês de Castro, a lady-in-waiting of the Infanta -- Pedro's would-be wife. The sweethearts are married in secret, to the fury of the King, and the ensuing drama combines events in the real world with the two lovers' dreams and visions. The choreography is set to a selection of pieces by the quintessential composer of ballet music, Tchaikovsky.