A Grand History of Opera

A play written by Louis Geisler

Based on an original idea by Jérémie Lebreton
A production of the Grand Théâtre de Genève

November 7 2026 – 3PM
December 1 & 4 2026 – 7PM
At the Institut Florimont

December 5 & 6 2026 – 3PM
At the Conservatoire de Genève

Sung and spoken in French
Duration: 1h
Recommended for ages 10 and up

Cast

Stage Director Jérémie Lebreton
Set Designer Christian Bovey
Musical Dramaturgy Louis Geisler

La Prima Donna Lysa Menu
The Professor Oduris Joël Terrin
The Pianist Arthur Noël

Music Excerpts from opera arias by Vincenzo Bellini, Francesco Cavalli, Gaetano Donizetti, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Georg Friedrich Haendel, Claudio Monteverdi, Jules Massenet, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Jacques Offenbach, Giacomo Puccini, Henry Purcell, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Gioachino Rossini, Richard Strauss, Giuseppe Verdi et Richard Wagner

About

Learned specialist Professor Oduris rises to the ultimate challenge: summarizing four centuries of opera in 60 minutes. Speaking as a guest lecturer at the temporary venue which houses the Grand Théâtre de Genève’s music library, his talk is abruptly interrupted by the sensational appearance of a prima donna, emerging with her pianist from a stack of sheet music. Showing little concern for chronological timelines, she takes the Professor on a journey through time.

In opera, should the music come before the words, or is it the other way round? This question, debated by composers for centuries, is at the heart of Louis Geisler’s play, directed by Jérémie Lebreton. In a series of fast-paced sketches moving between comedy, drama and poetry, the characters revisit some key moments in the history of opera, in a dialogue of words and music by the great masters of the art of opera.