On December 8 the Opéra de Reims will present, for the first time with the reduced orchestration, Matteo Franceschini’s Zazie dans le métro, a music theatre piece on a libretto by Michel Beretti dedicated to young audiences.

Based on Raymond Queneau’s 1959 novel of the same name, it tells the story of a little girl, Zazie, who journeys from the countryside to Paris to visit her uncle Gabriel, bringing with her a long-cherished dream: to visit the Paris Metro! This desire catapults her into a thousand different adventures amid the streets of the capital, from the flea market to the Eiffel Tower, but due to a strike, she never manages to catch even a glimpse of the corridors of the mythical underground railway! An audacious and rebellious twelve-year-old, Zazie discovers the adult world which she unmasks and calls into question.

Performers of this production are the soprano Anouschka Lara, the baritone Jean-Baptiste Dumora and the actor Guillaume Marquet. The orchestra of Opéra de Reims will be conducted by Rut Schereiner, and directed by Christian Gangneron. The world premiere of the original version of Zazie dans le métro took place on 5 February 2012 in Paris at Théâtre du Châtelet.

Zazie dans le métro. Version for small orchestra (2015)
Music theatre work after Zazie dans le métro by Raymond Queneau
Instrumentation: Orchestra 1.1.1.1 / 1.1.1.0 / perc (1) harp, / strings (1.1.1.1.1.) ; Ensemble cl - tuba - accordéon -  vn - db
Duration: 50’