The Rencontres Lyriques de Luchon association’s ” Des illusions ” opera festival returns to Saint-Béat-Lez for an exceptional week from 9 to 16 August 2025. This cultural event transforms the Pyrenean village into a veritable artistic showcase, combining lyrical tradition and contemporary innovation. The event kicks off with a bang on Saturday 9 August at 9pm with the opening concert, ” À l’ombre de ton œil “, a modern oratorio performed in the church of Saint-Béat. This original creation reinterprets Plato’s myth of the cave through a contemporary spiritual analysis, denouncing the malpractice of modern society and questioning the awakening of consciousness in our time.
The originality of this work lies in its revolutionary multidisciplinary conception, combining reciters, choir, orchestra and spectacular video mapping that projects monumental images onto the walls of the church. Under the artistic direction of Sylvia Cazeneuve, with libretto and video design by Christelle Vinsonneau and piano writing by François Riu-Barotte, this work plunges the audience into a totally immersive experience in which music, voices and images create a gripping mystical atmosphere. This innovative approach testifies to the festival’s desire to take lyrical art to new expressive horizons, transforming each performance into a unique spiritual and artistic journey.
Alongside the show, the festival is offering a full week of training, with an intensive opera singing course starting on Sunday 10 August. Sylvia Cazeneuve and François Riu-Barotte welcome singers of all levels to perfect their vocal technique and interpretation, with a free open day on Thursday 14 August and a final concert on Saturday 16 August. The “AphoRismes” exhibition by Christelle Vinsonneau revolutionises the artistic experience by fusing drawing and augmented reality: visitors can scan the works with the dedicated app to see them come to life and reveal new semantics, creating a fascinating visual and aural dialogue at the Moulin des Arts from 10 to 16 August.
The creative atmosphere is enhanced by a host of themed workshops throughout the week, including bodywork sessions on the singer’s posture and breathing, a creative writing workshop entitled ” Même en songe, sévérité ” (Even in Dreams, Severity) with a shared meal, a poetic and musical analysis laboratory based on French melody, and a morning yoga session in the park. The €20 festival pass gives access to all the activities with discounts, while the opening show costs €15 and the workshops €5 each. Tickets can be purchased 30 minutes before each event or online via Hello Asso Rencontres Lyriques de Luchon, with full details available at www.rencontreslyriquesluchon.fr.
