Ponnelle, Jean-Pierre
Ponnelle, Jean-Pierre
Ponnelle, Jean-Pierre , notable French opera designer and producer; b. Paris, Feb. 19, 1932; d. Munich, Aug. 11, 1988. He received his education at the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1952 he gained early recognition as a designer with the premiere of Henze’s Boulevard Solitude in Hannover. His first opera production followed in 1962 in Düsseldorf with his staging of Tristan und Isolde, and he subsequently worked in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, and other German music centers. In 1968 he brought out Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Salzburg Festival, where he later worked regularly. In 1973 he produced L’Italiana in Algeri at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y., returning there to oversee such productions as Der fliegende Holländer (1979), Idomeneo (1982), La clemenza di Tito (1984), Le nozze di Figaro (1985), and Manon (1986). He also worked at London’s Covent Garden, where he produced Don Pasquale (1973), Aida (1984), and L’Italiana in Algeri (1988). In 1981 he produced Tristan und Isolde at the Bayreuth Festival. He also made many film productions of his stagings. Ponnelle was one of the most creative and influential opera designers and producers of his time. While he could be controversial, there was no denying his genius in the art of stage craft.
Bibliography
I. Fabian, J.-P. P. (Zürich, 1983).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire