Maxime Pascal conducts Olivier Messiaen’s monumental opera in a new staging by Romeo Castellucci, marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi.
The Salzburg Festival presents a new production of Olivier Messiaen’s only opera, Saint François d’Assise, on 4 August at the Felsenreitschule. Conducted by Maxime Pascal and staged by Italian director Romeo Castellucci, the production brings together the Vienna Philharmonic, the Concert Association of the Vienna State Opera Chorus and an international cast led by Canadian baritone Philippe Sly in the title role.
Composed between 1975 and 1983 and premiered in Paris in 1983, Saint François d’Assise occupies a singular place in the operatic repertoire. Lasting around four hours and requiring exceptionally large orchestral, choral and vocal forces, it is performed relatively infrequently, making each new production a notable event.
The Salzburg staging also coincides with the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi, commemorated in 2026.
A rare operatic moment
Rather than following a conventional dramatic plot, Messiaen’s opera presents a series of episodes from the life of St Francis, exploring themes of faith, humility, compassion and spiritual transformation. The composer also wrote the libretto himself, drawing on Franciscan texts and his own Catholic beliefs.
Birdsong—one of Messiaen’s lifelong musical obsessions—plays a central role throughout the score. Having spent decades studying and transcribing birds in nature, the French composer incorporated their songs into an intricate orchestral language that became one of his artistic signatures.
Maxime Pascal: “Birds never sing in metre”
Speaking ahead of the premiere, conductor Maxime Pascal highlighted the unique rhythmic challenges of the work.
He explained that Messiaen observed that birds “never sing in metre” and that their music follows a free, natural rhythm rather than a fixed pulse. As a result, many passages require instrumental groups to perform independently rather than following the conductor beat by beat, creating a complex musical texture in which multiple rhythmic layers coexist.
Pascal also noted that the opera’s spatial distribution of sound allows birdsong to emerge from different parts of the orchestra, producing an immersive listening experience.
Castellucci explores Francis before sainthood
Romeo Castellucci approaches the work through the figure of Francis before he became a saint, describing him as a man of radical transformation rather than an established religious icon.
In comments released ahead of the production, the Italian director said he was interested in Francis as someone who broke with accepted ways of understanding society, religion and the human body. Castellucci also suggested that later tradition has softened the saint’s radical character.
He drew a direct connection between Francis and Messiaen through their shared relationship with birds, observing that Messiaen regarded birds not merely as part of nature but as “brothers” and even “teachers of music.”
International cast
Philippe Sly makes his role debut as Saint François, joined by Lauranne Oliva as the Angel, Sean Panikkar as the Leper, Russell Braun as Frère Léon, Léo Vermot-Desroches as Frère Massée, Aaron-Casey Gould as Frère Élie and veteran bass-baritone Willard White as Frère Bernard.
The production runs at the Felsenreitschule until 23 August, with six performances scheduled during the 2026 Salzburg Festival.
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