This masterpiece of symbolism is finally shown in Lyon, 104 years after it premiered at the Vienna State Opera. The Emperor chases after a gazelle which turns into a woman before him. She has no shadow and is unable to bear children. Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s eccentric work, written under the influence of Freud’s new theories on the unconscious mind, the score’s great audacity as well as the baffling number of participants allow this bold piece to remain relevant. Daniele Rustioni, the spirited musical director of the Lyon Opera, winner of the Conductor Award at the International Opera Awards 2022, accepted the challenge with his usual grit. Mariusz Treliński directed this new production about the journey of a woman experimenting “spiritual desolation”, i.e., melancholia; as a cinema buff, Treliński quoted Lars von Trier and Ingmar Bergman as references.