Jérôme Brunetière answers questions from La Gazette du Var.

Can you specify the "outside the walls" venues?

The Zénith de Toulon is one of them, with the creation of a space offering true intimacy between the stage and the audience, which is an important condition for performing opera. This venue is ideal for the very largest operas in the repertoire. I can also add the concert hall of the Palais Neptune, which, during this first season, has proven itself by demonstrating its capacity to host major concerts and operas in concert version. This has showcased the quality of its acoustics.

And for the rest of the season?

We are collaborating with the Scène Nationale, and therefore with the Théâtre Liberté, which is a wonderful place to perform operas of smaller dimensions than those presented at the Zénith. The orchestra pit at the Théâtre Liberté does not allow for the entire repertoire to be played, but a very beautiful part of it, with very pleasant acoustics. The final venue is Châteauvallon, which we have just experimented with in a Grand Opéra format. This venue has lived up to all its promises. What a wonder to see a show at Châteauvallon! There is a natural acoustic that works very well, we do not need, we are entering this second "outside the walls" season. All the teams from the Opéra have adapted to how these venues work and have succeeded in putting on very beautiful shows. The audiences have accompanied us on this journey. They have been numerous and loyal. Many of them want to return or want to discover venues they have not yet tried. People who have experienced these venues bear witness that, thanks to them, opera remains very much alive and deeply rooted in our region, while waiting to flourish again in the main building.

What are the prospects for the start of the new season?

We received a very wonderful invitation from Sébastien Vialatte, the mayor of Six-Fours-Les-Plages, who had the Parc de la Méditerranée redesigned, a venue that has often hosted concerts. This space has been reworked. We have the honor of inaugurating this "new format" Parc de la Méditerranée with a concert taking place on September 8.

Tell us about this concert on September 8...

This concert is highly prestigious because two major stars of the opera world, soprano Adriana González and a tenor with a formidable international career, Freddie De Tommaso, will be present. These two artists will perform with the orchestra of the Opéra de Toulon and its new music director, maestro Victorien Vanoosten, a recital program featuring arias and duets from Italian and French operas. It will be a very beautiful evening concluding with a fireworks display. The concert is free.

A great reputation, isn't it?

Indeed, this reflects the renown of these two artists, but also the growing renown of the orchestra of the Opéra de Toulon, since this concert will be repeated at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris on October 7 as part of the "Les Grandes voix" series. A very exciting prospect for everyone, which contributes to the influence of Toulon.

A prestigious event to share with the public?

On September 19, we will have the first symphonic concert of the season, conducted by Victorien Vanoosten in his capacity as the new music director of the Opéra. For this concert, we have chosen a "gala" program. The concert is entitled "Boléro" because it will blend the "Boléro" by Maurice Ravel, for the French part, and "La Mer" by Claude Debussy, one of Claude Debussy's symphonic masterpieces. Then, we will play the overture to "Les Maîtres chanteurs de Nuremberg", which is a majestic overture from this immense opera by Wagner, showcasing the orchestra in all its glory with all its sounds. As well as the very beautiful piano concerto by Sergueï Rachmaninov, which will be performed by Sergei Babayan on the piano. This will be a truly grand concert evening.

Another event not to be missed?

The first opera of the season will be performed on October 18 and 20 at the Zénith de Toulon, "La Force du destin", an essential work by Giuseppe Verdi. Victorien Vanoosten will conduct it. This is grand opera in all its splendor, with a very fine international cast. "La Force du destin" is a great tragedy with an epic dimension and an opportunity for the singers to show us the very best of their vocal quality. It is one of the season's major events with the choir and the orchestra. These major concerts and this masterpiece by Verdi will be a wonderful introduction to the 2024-2025 season.