Debussy Pelléas et Mélisande

What does Mélisande say, in your opinion, about the condition of women? Is she a figure of submission or rather a woman who exercises her power in a subtle, even unconscious way, guided by a need for freedom and escape? 

Mélisande is a being of instinct. I don't see any conscious manipulation from her. She’s an animal. But a wounded animal who reacts out of fear, taking refuge into her own world to protect herself from her wounds. Golaud can’t read her, she’s elusive to him, which leads him to restrain her, suffocate her, and turn her into a submissive and extinguished woman. It is when she is transcended by love and by Pelléas' wonder that she reaches her true nature. The gaze of her beloved reveals a part of herself to her. Mélisande tells us that, for both men and women, love gives us strength and freedom, it allows us to move forward, heal our wounds, and see the beauty of the world. 

Mélisande’s voice seems to be a vehicle for her personality. How do you adapt your vocal interpretation to embody this tension between fragility and affirmation? 

The voice is a mysterious and fascinating instrument. It is the royal instrument of emotion. Nothing escapes it. It is like a sensory receptor that allows us to perceive the inner being. In addition to sound, we are lucky enough to carry a text that helps clarify situations and amplify the poetry of feelings. As with my other roles, I will put my instrument at Mélisande’s service. The technical work beforehand gives me the freedom to offer a wide range of colours so that I can paint her emotions and stay true to the clarity and intelligibility of the text. 

Debussy's music is timeless and dreamlike. How does this atmosphere influence your interpretation of Mélisande? 

Claude Debussy’s music offers us soundscapes that appeal to the senses and evoke a spiritual world. This symbolist atmosphere invites us to read with poetry what, in everyday life, seems trivial or unspeakable. It asks us to rise and contemplate the beauty of the world, in both its wonder and its suffering. Music is an extension of the plot and emotions, like a character itself that paints the scenery. 

The opera seems to evolve in a space between dream and reality. Do you think Mélisande is a projection, an almost unreal figure, or a deeply human woman? 

Mélisande is a dream, a chimera, a fantasy, but above all, a metaphor for humanity. With Pelléas, they complement each other: they are two beings who have found each other in the light despite the shadow constantly looming around them. They meet in the shared flight from a world where pragmatism cuts them off from poetry and the unspeakable beauty of the world. Like “two laurels that often have only one root” (Les Bilitis – Loüys/Debussy), although their life paths are different, their childlike souls, full of wonder, are forever bound. In life, as in death. Whether it is a dream or whether she is human doesn’t matter to me. Like this work, life is a dream that allows us to transcend ourselves. 

This production is a new creation for the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, but it is also your debut on this stage and in this role. Does this emphasis on novelty evoke any particular emotions, and in preparing this role, what have you discovered about yourself? 

At the moment I’m speaking to you, we will present this new production in exactly one year. I’m starting to work calmly on the score, letting myself be surprised and dazzled by the beauty, magic, and mystery of this piece at every moment. Pelléas et Mélisande is the most beautiful of all French operas. The prospect of finally stepping into the shoes of its heroine is a waking dream. And the Salle Garnier is an inspiring and ideal venue for this work due to its size and the closeness it offers with the audience. 

How much of yourself do you put into this role? Does Mélisande have a particular resonance with any personal experiences or emotions? 

Meeting a new character is one of the most fascinating aspects of my job. It’s often the role that reveals a part of myself! Pelléas et Mélisande is the opera that I carry in my heart. It moves me every time. I am not yet intimate enough with the work to tell you what I will bring to it. It inspires me with the unspeakable, melancholy, depth, the heart of existence, of life, and of emotion. It seems to give me access to a very deep part of myself, a world of suffering, sorrow, beauty, and love. Love, the great one. The one we feel for loved ones, a work of art, a sunset, the blooming of a flower, or listening to music. It is this capacity for wonder that resonates with me.