Opera

Son of an opera lover and grandson of a traditional Sicilian musician on his mother's side, Stéphane Orlando has been very attentive to the use of the voice in his music. After three operas, two film operas, five musical theatre and two performance with an a cappella soloist choir, Stéphane Orlando is currently working on a new opera with librettist Lorenzo Caròla, director Matthieu Collard and Superbe agency as set designers, exploring new technologies for a better immersion of the audience.

Night Falls (2023)

Film Opéra

Veronika Harcsa is accompanied by the Cave Cantores to embody the inner struggle of a singer living between two worlds, the classical of her illustrious cellist father (Jean-Paul Dessy) and the jazz dear to her heart of her saxophonist (Bo Van der Werf), guitarist (Benjamin Sauzereau) and pianist (Stéphane Orlando) friends, where she sees a possible key to more artistic freedom.

Four lines from William Blake’s poem Night guide the narrative through different pieces of a puzzle of real and invented memories – she is seen as a child trying to get her father’s attention or delirious and motionless on the Delta roof. This jumble of past, present and future crystallises into a powerful musical bad trip with catastrophic consequences.

The sung lyrics, written by Veronika Harcsa, also help to understand the evolution of the story.

The Smile (2020)

Film Opéra

The Smile tells the story of a young opera singer (Morgane Heyse) who is troubled while rehearsing alone on a large empty stage. Trapped in the theatre, she feels crushed by the place, then by the appearance of a chimera (Julie Vercauteren) who embodies fame and opulence, but also by the reminiscence of a passionate love affair (Kamil Ben Hsaïn Lachiri).

It is two poems by William Blake that show him the way in his quest for meaning:

The Fly, about the fragility of existence, sung by the messenger (Pierre Derhet), then The Smile, which our heroine will sing at the end, about the search for sincerity beyond our social constructions of identity.

Antigone in the dark (2019)

​Opera monologue in English with French subtitles, for soprano, six musicians and video.

« Where were you Creon? ». This cry of Antigone’s, addressed to King Creon shortly before ending her life walled up in a cave, still echoes today. Where was he? Where was the Authority when Antigone’s younger brothers killed each other? Why didn’t they try to defuse the conflict, to favour prevention over repression?