Igor Toronyi-Lalic

A brilliantly cruel Cosi and punkish Petrushka but the Brits disappoint: Festival d’Aix-en-Provence reviewed

Predictability and preciousness from Benjamin and Crimp, didacticism from Venables and why the hype over Klaus Makela?

The cast of Dmitri Tcherniakov's brilliantly cruel Cosi fan tutte for Festival d'Aix-en-Provence. [Image: © Monika Rittershaus] 
issue 26 August 2023

Aix is an odd place. It should be charming, with its dishevelled squares, Busby Berkeley-esque fountains, pretty ochres and pinks. Yet none of it feels quite real. It’s as if an AI bot had been asked to design a Provençale city. Everything is suspiciously perfect. And then you notice all the Irish pubs and American student clones.

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