In 1900, as part of the Universal Exposition, Gustave Charpentier welcomed the new century with a work that would go on to enjoy lasting success on French stages: Louise. Rarely performed today, this opera brings together the legacies of both Wagner and Massenet, summoning the passionate surges of a dazzling orchestra. This sensual and exalted love story follows a young working-class woman’s quest for freedom, despite being trapped by her social environment and her possessive family. But Louise also portrays working-class neighbourhoods in Paris: ragpickers, street vendors, bohemian artists — a vibrant, idealistic world that transforms this opera into a naturalist musical novel in the spirit of Zola. In this city, both real and imaginary, Louise is portrayed by the radiant Elsa Dreisig, a former student of the Lyon Opera Children’s Choir and now an international opera star.
The performers are directed by Christof Loy (named Best Director at the 2024 Opera Awards), as the heroine fights to escape a toxic family. This opera offers a depiction of an urban world at dawn and daybreak, in which a young woman claims the right to love and to choose her destiny for herself.