The baroque period delighted in metamorphosis, manipulations by the gods, and magic spells. Philip Pickett directs his New London Consort in Purcell’s luxurious King Arthur. Remaining in the English Elizabethan period, Laurence Equilbey conducts Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream inspired by Shakespeare.

A group from the Conservatoire de Paris, faithful partner and neighbor of La Cité de la musique, revives Gluck’s phantasmagoric lyrical drama Echo et Narcisse (Eco and Narcissus). Metamorphosis is also a favorite topic in modern music ; Pierre Boulezcomposed the piece Eclat/Multiples, which he conducts live and in person at this event.

Kafka’s well read literary masterpiece Metamorphosis is the subject of an inevitably strange on stage adaptation. On this occasion, the virtuoso pianist Mikhaïl Rudy joins forces with cult filmmakers the Quay brothers to metamorphose this book into an on stage performance.