BENVENUTO CELLINI

When the sculptor and the composer merge

Upon reading the memoirs of Cellini and those of Berlioz, we understand to what degree these two artists with similar temperaments consecrated their lives to the creation of their “magnum opus”: for Cellini, the statue of Perseus, for Berlioz, his first opera, Benvenuto Cellini.

Both sought renown in spite of the doors which closed along the way. The financial difficulties, the criticism and abuse, the trails and tribulations of creation such as their excessive enthusiasm, never put in question their ultimate goal: to create.

We chose to superimpose these two passionate lives, placing side by side the creations of the sculptor and the composer. An environment full of colors chiseled in gold and the cooper of the orchestra mirroring these two personages. The shadow of Perseus is omnipresent like a window opening into the composer’s imagination. Is it Cellini’s statue or the specter of Berlioz’s music? Are we in the renaissance or the romantic period of opera? Is it possible that once again we find ourselves in a place where we encounter as always the incessant struggle that begets the creative process?