Don Giovanni, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence 2025
Photos: Monika Rittershaus
Festival Program Website
I was the sound designer for the 2025 Don Giovanni production at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence – directed by Robert Icke and conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. The premiere was on July 4th.
At first, I wasn’t sure I should join this production. What could I possibly contribute as a sound designer to Mozart? Don Giovanni is a repertoire staple. The music is highly structured, continuously forward-driving, tightly organized – stepping into that musical flow is risky. I was worried that any added sound would disrupt the momentum. And there’s another issue: with star conductors, it’s not uncommon for rehearsals to be run by their assistants, only for the maestro to arrive later and reject everything that doesn’t suit him. My fear was that we’d spend four weeks developing great ideas in the directing team – only for it all to be scrapped.
What changed my mind was hearing that Simon Rattle would be present throughout the entire rehearsal process – from beginning to end. That, to me, was a genuine offer of collaboration. And of course, I wanted to work with him. Not just because of his reputation, but because his projects genuinely interest me artistically. He’s a fascinating conductor.
The backstory to the production was complex. Pierre Audi, the festival’s late director, was a longtime admirer of Robert Icke. He had spent years trying to bring him to opera. But Robert had always refused The genre didn’t appeal to him; he didn’t see its potential. Meetings with major conductors only seemed to confirm his doubts. It was only when he met Simon Rattle that something shifted. Suddenly he saw a possibility. That he was entrusted with Don Giovanni in particular is a powerful statement: the opera opened the festival’s very first edition and is performed regularly – it holds a special status. Giving this piece to Robert was a gesture of trust and a call to try something truly different.
When I arrived in Aix, I honestly didn’t know what my contribution would be. At worst, I expected to add two or three sounds and spend the rest of the time observing. But to my surprise, Simon Rattle wasn’t just open – he proposed some of the boldest ideas himself. Ideas I wouldn’t have dared suggest. And everything I did bring in was taken seriously. We tested everything. Much was discarded again – but always for a reason. There was no ego, no power struggle. We worked through the ideas to the very end – until they held up.
I think you can hear that in the result. The sound design is strong and integrates surprisingly well with Mozart. The feedback has been consistently positive – at least from everyone I’ve spoken to. And it shows that there’s not just openness to these kinds of approaches, but a real hunger for them. Perhaps this is one step toward bringing operatic aesthetics closer to the cinematic – not to replace opera, but to make it more immediate and contemporary.
But one big question has stayed with me: What’s the difference between a good idea and a good performance?
What I experienced in this production was: a strong idea is not enough. It has to be worked through – with all its resistance, obstacles, time pressure, doubts, complications. It’s that long, difficult path that ultimately allows an idea to resonate. And that part is often underestimated.
I see a clear parallel to current developments in AI. Many tools promise to skip that entire process – to go straight from idea to result, without the struggle in between. But it’s that struggle that creates artistic substance. Without it, things may look flashy – but they lack depth and meaning.
Opera has its own challenges. Singers engage with their roles very differently than actors. It’s not so much about psychological embodiment – the music moves through them; they appear through the music. That makes the rehearsal process more technical, more organizational. The entire system is built so that roles can be quickly replaced. If a singer drops out, someone else who knows the role can step in – and it works, because the character is anchored in the music. In that sense, the kind of exploratory, ensemble-driven rehearsal work that’s common in theater is rarely possible in opera.
And that was one of the core challenges of this collaboration. Robert Icke comes from spoken theater. His great strength is his intelligent, sensitive approach to dramatic material – as in his famous reverse-structured Hamlet. His working method is rooted in openness, in reacting to the ensemble, in discovering things in the rehearsal room. Opera operates differently. The music is fixed, the schedules are tight, many elements need to be locked in early. That gap isn’t easily bridged.
What I take from this: a clear sense of how hard it is to truly shift something in opera. But also the confirmation that it is possible – if you’re willing to walk the long road.
Credits
Stage direction: Robert Icke
Musical direction: Sir Simon Rattle
Set design: Hildegard Bechtler
Costumes: Annemarie Woods
Lighting: James Farncombe
Choreography: Ann Yee
Video: Tal Yarden
Dramaturgy: Klaus Bertisch
Sound design: Mathis Nitschke
Orchestra: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Choir: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Don Giovanni: Andrè Schuen
Leporello: Krzysztof Bączyk
Donna Anna: Golda Schultz
Donna Elvira: Magdalena Kožená
Don Ottavio: Amitai Pati
Zerlina: Madison Nonoa
Il Commendatore: Clive Bayley
Masetto: Paweł Horodyski
