Biography
While Mezzo-soprano Aude Extrémo has distinguished herself from the outset of her career as one of the leading interpreters of the French repertoire, she has garnered equal acclaim in German and Italian roles. A laureate of the prestigious Atelier Lyrique at Opéra de Paris, Extrémo has recently appeared there as a guest under Music Director Philippe Jordan as both Ursule in Béatrice et Bénédict and Anna in Dmitri Tcherniakov’s new production of Les Troyens where her tone was praised as “opulent and dark” (Res Musica, 2019).
Performing highlights of most recent seasons include Extrémo’s highly-acclaimed debut as Fricka in Wagner’s Die Walküre at Opéra national de Bordeaux under Paul Daniel, Catherine in Roméo Castellucci’s new staging of Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher at La Monnaie conducted by Kazushi Ono, Concepcion (L’heure Espagnole) at Opéra de Tours, Vénus (Tannhaüser) at Opéra de Monte Carlo under Nathalie Stutzmann, Dalila (Samson et Dalila) at Opéra national de Bordeaux, Jocasta (Oedipus Rex) at Salzburger Felsenreitschule, Charlotte (Werther) with l’Orchestre Symphonique d’Aquitaine, and her debut as Amneris in Verdi’s Aïda at Opéra de Massy for which Opera Magazine hailed her “the revelation of the evening”.
Carmen Les tringles des sistres tintaient Gyspy Dance © Musique en fêtes.
Copyright Cassiana Sarrazin
A longstanding relationship with Marc Minkowski has brought debuts in the title role of Offenbach’s La Périchole at the Salzburg Festival, Festival de Radio France et Montpellier, and at Opéra national de Bordeaux, the latter recorded and broadcast by Palazzetto Bru Zane, as well as Nicklausse (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) in Bordeaux, Bremen and at Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. Her portrayal of Carmen has earned Extrémo the reputation as one of the foremost exponents of the role across numerous performances including at Opéra de Monte-Carlo, for l’Orchestra National de Lille and Opéra Orchestre national Montpellier at Musique en Fêtes. This season she joins Marc Minkowski and Opéra National de Bordeaux again in the role in a new staging by Jean-François Sivadier.
An active concert artist and recitalist, highlights have included Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with l’Orchestre National de Lorraine, Bach’s St Matthew Passion with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under Nathalie Stutzmann, Shostakovitch’s From Jewish Poetry under François-Xavier Roth, Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder at Opera de Tours, Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death at Festival d’Aix en Provence under Marko Letonja and Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été with the orchestre Régional d’Avignon. In recital, Aude appears this season at Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse accompanied by Etienne Manchon and gives a special tribute programme to Pauline Viardot at Palazetto Bru-Zane in Venice.