The summer festival in Aix-en-Provence is one of the most prestigious and enjoyable in Europe. The handsome old capital of Provence, graced with a profusion of 17th- and 18th-century mansions, quiet squares, fountains and arcaded streets, provides a superb setting for a feast of first-rate opera performances. Now in its sixty-fourth year, the Festival d’Aix never fails to come up with irresistible programmes and artistic standards of the highest order, and in 2012 there is the opportunity to see masterpieces from the 17th, 18th and 20th centuries.

The tour starts with a chamber version of Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (The Bewitched Child) in the intimate Théâtre du Jeu de Paume. This one act opera centres on a child who throws a tantrum but eventually grows up a bit, and learns to care for the creatures to whom he was at first destructive. Other characters include a story-book princess with whom the child falls in love, a grandfather clock, some dragonflies and a pair of mating cats! In the magnificent courtyard of the Archbishop’s Palace, David and Jonathan is a piece lying somewhere between an oratorio and an opera, wonderfully characterised by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, a rather forgotten genius of the French Grand Siècle. Also in this 17th-century courtyard, now the Festival’s most emblematic venue, is a performance of Le Nozze di Figaro, Mozart’s most celebrated comedy of manners; a collaboration with his best librettist Lorezo Da Ponte after a play by Beaumarchais.

The main emphasis of the tour is on the musical events. It is led by a music historian who gives talks on all the works attended, on how they were created and received, and on the performances and productions we can expect to see. There are also some optional excursions, gentle enough to avoid taxing participants’ energies at the expense of the music.

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