Bordeaux Opera. Men, animals, preserved spaces: three faces of the sea according to Salgado and Debussy

Two years after its first experience of a "concert with images," the Auditorium will once again host projections of photos by Sebastião Salgado based on Claude Debussy's "La Mer" on October 30 and 31. "A great masterpiece in three movements," according to the Opera's director.

In 2023, spectators at the Bordeaux Opera experienced a highlight with the projection of photos by Sebastião Salgado on the Auditorium's big screen, accompanied by the ONBA playing a symphonic poem by Heitor Villa-Lobos. The Brazilian photographer, passionate about ecology and economics, died in May 2025, but the idea of ​​presenting his work again with music has not been abandoned. It will be on Thursday, October 30 and Friday, October 31, again at the Auditorium, and with none other than Jean-Claude Casadesus at the helm: more than sixty years at the top of symphonic music in France.

A dream team? This is especially true given that for this new program, never-before-exhibited photos will be screened at the opera. "After the two evenings in 2023, I asked Sebastião Salgado to think about another project, dedicated to the sea," explains director Emmanuel Hondré. "He had done many campaigns on the theme of water, and taken photos that were waiting to be exploited. This artist's take on aquatic resources was interesting to present at a time when Bordeaux is hosting the World Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy. "

“Sebastião Salgado photographed the last places where nature is still a little virgin”

By associating it with Claude Debussy's "La Mer," then. "A great masterpiece, with three movements, which offer three faces," explains Emmanuel Hondré: "men who sail, marine animals, and, for the third part, sometimes abstract or lyrical forms. Glaciers, cloud masses, islands, or marine worlds whose ecosystems have remained untouched by human activity. The last places where nature is still somewhat untouched. We absolutely must be able to be aware of these universes."

Around a hundred of these photos will be projected "with the maximum quality that a big screen can have, because Salgado was very demanding on this point." High-contrast black and whites, almost square frames, almost supernatural views: the Brazilian's photos have a specific signature. Their projection during the concert will be ensured in real time, like subtitles during an opera.

And the connection with Beethoven's ^Seventh Symphony, which will be performed in the first part? "It's a choice we made with Jean-Claude Casadesus: the energy of the elements expressed in a different but complementary way to that of Debussy. Debussy's sea is rather undulating, made of ebb and flow. In Beethoven, the rhythmic energy is more distinct."

It should be added that Casadesus is a regular with Beethoven, whose symphonies he has programmed throughout his rich career. And even if, for his last visit to Bordeaux, the founding conductor of the Orchestre National de Lille conducted Stravinsky's "The Firebird" in February 2025. "But after that concert, we immediately dreamed of doing this Salgado project together, because he himself is a committed conductor. Since the 1970s, he has brought his orchestra to prisons, hospitals, and schools. It was the first time we had seen that at the time." The artistic encounter will take place, but without Salgado.

At 8 p.m. From 10 to 50 euros. opera-bordeaux.com