Push

Howard Moody's Opera - French Premiere

Push is a contemporary opera created in 2016 by British composer Howard Moody, known for his works at the intersection of classical music, theater, and collective participation. The opera was commissioned by the Battle Festival (Essex / United Kingdom), which annually celebrates the Battle of Hastings in an original way, in co-production with the Glyndebourne Festival.
Inspired by a true event from World War II, Push tells the story of a child pushed out of a train by his mother to save his life. Far from being a historical opera, it is a humanist and sensitive fable about choice, resilience, and transmission. While the libretto references a context of conflict, the work transcends it to deliver a poetic, universal, and timeless message that resonates with the values of the Millennium: hospitality, movement, shared heritage.
Push is an innovative, unifying project with a strong local impact: the French premiere will bring together at the Caen theater the children of La Maîtrise and La Scuola de Caen, the Ensemble of the Opéra Normandie Rouen, three professional soloists, as well as amateur singers gathered for the occasion in a large "citizen choir".

For all audiences, from 10 years old,

Duration 1h20

Wednesday, June 16 and Friday, June 18, 2027, at 8 PM – performances for the general public
Thursday, June 17, at 2:30 PM – school performance

Libretto and music by Howard Moody (1964), based on the true story of Simon Gronowski
French version by Benoît de Leersnyder

French translation of the opera, performed in French and supertitled in French

The Ensemble of Opéra Normandie Rouen
The Maîtrise de Caen, La Scuola de Caen
The Citizen Choir of the Caen Theater
Camille Bourrouillou musical direction
Jeanne Desoubeaux stage direction
Jean-Christophe Lanièce Simon
Michèle Bréant Simon's sister
René Ramos First Guard

Theater of Caen - Opéra Normandie Rouen - Maurice & the Others Company