Synopsis
Condemned to stay in his bedroom until dinner time, because he has been lazy, a child takes out his anger on the animals and objects around him. He knocks over a tea service, torments a squirrel and a cat, tears up the tapestry and then his books. Suddenly, as if by magic, these innocent victims come to life and decide to get their revenge.

An operatic fantasy
Written in 1916 by Colette, then entrusted to the composer Maurice Ravel, L’Enfant et les Sortilèges is a major work in the repertory. As one tableau follows another, at a sustained rhythm, almost thirty characters whisk us away into a world full of humour. The Tea Pot speaks to the Child in a delicious Franglais, the Armchairs converse extremely politely, and Arithmetic gets its sums wrong. The inventiveness of the text is buoyed up by the orchestral genius of Ravel, whose score mingles jazz, polkas, waltzes and even makes use of such unusual instruments as a cheese grater! Like a magician, Grégoire Pont heightens the piece’s fantasy by creating quite beautiful animated images, which interact with the singers. Bonding with the music, this play of appearances and disappearances is a genuine surprise and transports us into an enchanting world.

Operatic fantasy in two parts, 1925
Libretto by Colette

Revival of the 2016 production of the Opéra de Lyon
In partnership with the Auditori of Barcelona