Olivier Messiaen’s 1983 opera Saint François d’Assise at the Salzburg Festival stands as a monumental artistic achievement that divides a viewer’s life into a distinct before and after, according to festival reports. Running for six performances in August, the production serves as the program culmination of the Salzburg Festival under the musical direction of conductor Maxime Pascal and stage direction of Romeo Castellucci. Featuring French-Canadian bass-baritone Philippe Sly in the title role, the staging explores the life, faith, and radical choices of Saint Francis of Assisi during the 800th anniversary of his death.
The Monastic Preparation of Philippe Sly
To prepare for his debut in the demanding title role, bass-baritone Philippe Sly spent more than two months living in a monastery with Franciscan monks in Salzburg, attending services and immersing himself in the daily rhythm of the order, as reported from the production. Sly bypassed the opening night celebration, choosing instead to spend the evening in silence. In the opera’s opening scene, Francis breaks from his wealthy upbringing and renounces his family, stripping naked before a painting in a contemporary art gallery setting to mark the beginning of his new spiritual life.
Sly describes the colossal work simply as a piece about love, noting that director Romeo Castellucci utilizes archetypal images that speak directly to the subconscious. The role was famously originated at the Paris Opera premiere in 1983 and later Salzburg revivals by Belgian bass-baritone José van Dams. According to Sly, van Dams had predicted early in Sly’s studies that he would eventually tackle the part. Van Dams passed away in February before he could attend the Salzburg staging.
Musical Architecture and Birdsong Symbolism
Composed over eight years following a commission by Paris Opera director Rolf Lieberman, the opera features a massive 2,500-page score that encompasses Olivier Messiaen’s lifelong fascinations with faith, bird songs, and rich color harmonies. According to an essay by French composer and musicologist Yves Balmer, published in the Salzburg program, the opera functions like a church stained-glass window comprising eight scenes across three acts. The score incorporates 34 distinct bird songs recorded across Japan, Morocco, Corsica, Sweden, Italy, and New Caledonia.
Each character in the opera is associated with a specific avian symbol, according to Balmer’s analysis. Francis is represented by the Sardinian warbler from the Carceri woods, an angel by the Kagu from the Isle of Pines in New Caledonia, and Brother Leo by the skylark. The sixth scene, “The Sermon to the Birds,” merges these calls into an organized chaos. The orchestration demands 119 musicians—including 22 woodwinds, 16 brass, a gamelan, and three spatially distributed ondes Martenot—alongside a 150-member choir singing the words of Christ from offstage.
Body Art and Ecological Stakes in Castellucci’s Staging
Director Romeo Castellucci roots the physical staging in the traditions of body art, drawing inspiration from the performances of Chris Burden, Gina Pane, and Joseph Beuys, alongside the theater work of Antonin Artaud and Jerzy Grotowski. Castellucci highlights Francis’s revolutionary gesture of touching a leper as an act of early anarchy that upended medieval social norms. The production incorporates striking sensory elements, including a scene where monastery brothers bake bread on stage in real time, filling the auditorium with the scent of fresh baking.
Did you know? Olivier Messiaen spent four years on the orchestration of Saint François d’Assise after completing the core musical composition in 1979, aiming to capture the infinite nature of faith rather than mere gigantism.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who composed Saint François d’Assise?
The opera was composed by the French composer Olivier Messiaen, who also wrote the libretto.
Who sings the title role in the Salzburg production?
French-Canadian bass-baritone Philippe Sly performs the title role of Saint Francis in his debut performance of the part.
How many bird songs are integrated into the score?
The score incorporates 34 distinct bird calls documented by Messiaen across multiple continents.
Who directed the Salzburg production?
Italian director, set, costume, and lighting designer Romeo Castellucci directed the staging.
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