Full Breakdown
Salzburg Festival Revives Messiaen’s Epic “Saint François d’Assise” with Unusual Staging
8/15/2026, 8:36:40 AM
Core Production Details
The Salzburg Festival mounted a new staging of Olivier Messiaen’s six-hour opera *Saint François d’Assise* to mark the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death. The production, directed by Romeo Castellucci, opened in early August at the Felsenreitschule, a 1,400-seat rock-quarry theater. Conductor Maxime Pascal leads a force of 120 musicians and a 90-member chorus for six performances that run through late August. The title role is sung by Canadian bass-baritone Philippe Sly, who spent seven-and-a-half weeks living in the nearby Kapuzinerkloster monastery to prepare for the part.
Staging, Animals and Bread
Castellucci’s design incorporates live animals—a Czechoslovakian wolf-dog, a female peacock and seven sheep—that roam the stage as the roof opens. In a nod to Franciscan charity, two MIWE four-level ovens, each weighing 2,650 lb (1,200 kg), bake 33 sourdough loaves onstage; the bread’s aroma fills the auditorium and the loaves are later given to backstage staff. The production also features a pair of raised percussion sections and three ondes Martenots, underscoring Messiaen’s characteristic use of electronic timbres.
Cast and Musical Leadership
Sly’s performance is supported by soprano Lauranne Oliva (The Angel), tenor Sean Panikkar (The Leper) and baritone Russell Braun (Frère Léon). Veteran bass-baritone Willard White, now 79, appears as Frère Bernard and mentors Sly on the role’s technical and philosophical demands. Double bassist Michael Bladerer, general manager of the Vienna Philharmonic, stresses the importance of contemporary repertoire for the orchestra, which traditionally favors 19th-century masters.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It’s 2,500 pages of music, sometimes very, very complex,” — Conductor Maxime Pascal
- “Messiaen had these pictures of colors and dimensions of time and space. Pretty exhilarating,” — Peter Sellars
- “It was partly technical but it’s also a mindset,” — Willard White
