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The Girl from Arles

London, Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

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Music

BIZET
L’Arlésienne

A staged performance with
Bizet’s complete incidental music
and a new translation of Daudet’s
original play by Jeremy Sams.
Guest Artists

Cast to be announced
Choir of the Age of Enlightenment
Sir Mark Elder conductor
Jeremy Sams director

Price

£18 – £71 (Premium £92)*

Unrequited love and melodrama collide to make L’Arlésienne a must watch season opener. Propelled by Bizet’s intensely passionate music, conducted by Mark Elder, with all the on stage action in a new translation by Jeremy Sams.

Bizet’s music achieves his trademark colour by weaving in traditional Provençal tunes. Its evocative soundworld paved the way for Bizet’s last and greatest work, the opera Carmen. Although best known through the concert suites for full orchestra, this performance will restore the composer’s original orchestration, with the 26 musicians becoming as much a part of the drama as the actors on stage. Bizet’s score demonstrates his flare for colourful orchestration, imitating local instruments such as the tambourin and galoubet, and includes one of the earliest appearances of the recently invented saxophone in an orchestra.

Alphonse Daudet’s story tells of a young man torn between two lovers – a wholesome young woman from the countryside and a tantalising woman from Arles – and the consequences of his decisions. Premiered in 1872, the production was initially unsuccessful as melodrama was falling out of fashion. It survived thanks to the popularity of Bizet’s music. Reappraisal in the following decades led to a revival in Paris in 1885 which ran for over 400 performances.

Mark Elder is a Principal Artist of the OAE having first appeared with the Orchestra in 1992. Our collaborations in rarely heard operas have received critical acclaim, including Offenbach’s Fantasio, Les Martyrs by Donizetti, Rossini’s Semiramide and Der Freischütz by Weber. He was Music Director of the Hallé from 2000 – 2024 and appears regularly at the BBC Proms.

Please note: There are two repeat performances of The Girl from Arles. You are, of course, welcome to come twice but this is not essential!

Part of Music Speaks: Southbank Centre Season 2026/27

*Our ticket price includes a £2 restoration levy from the Southbank Centre. This goes towards maintenance and improvements works on the Southbank Centre’s historic buildings, in particular Royal Festival Hall, and is not subject to any discounts.

The OAE’s 40^th anniversary seasons in 2025/26 and 2026/27 are made possible with the support of The Forty Circle.

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The Girl from Arles

London, Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

Event detail

Unrequited love and melodrama collide to make L’Arlésienne a must watch season opener. Propelled by Bizet’s intensely passionate music, conducted by Mark Elder, with all the on stage action in a new translation by Jeremy Sams.

Guest Artist

View dates and book

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