Pierre Yovanovitch’s Opera Set for Theater Basel.

Photo by Paolo Abate.

Photo by Paolo Abate.

Photo by Paolo Abate.

Pierre Yovanovitch has envisaged the set for Theater Basel’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto, which debuted on 21st January 2023. Invited to create the set by acclaimed director Vincent Huguet, the project was a lifelong dream realised for the French designer, whose work is primarily centred around residential and furniture design.

A natural storyteller with a fondness for whimsy, this is Yovanovitch’s first foray into stage design, although the project seems like a natural fit. In a 2021 interview with Kinfolk, he stated — “Opera sets are at their most powerful when they reflect the soul of the work, its music and characters. I want to do the same in my oeuvre.”

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Photo by Paolo Abate.

Photo by Paolo Abate.

Photo by Paolo Abate.

Photo by Paolo Abate.

Rigoletto follows the story of a lowly court jester named in the court of the Duke of Mantua, whose world comes crashing down after his daughter Gilda attracts the attention of the Duke. With a focus on Rigoletto’s tragic storyline and the universal themes of vengeance, naivety, and power, Yovanovitch has conceptualised a contemporary, moveable design scheme, creating a bold yet uncomplicated canvas for the psychologically complex storyline.

Three curved walls, nested within one another are painted red on the inside and blue on the outside. Punctuated with a doorway in the centre, each wall can revolve 360 degrees around a circular track. Both framing the characters and heightening the suspense, the movement dictates the shift in acts, closing into a tight circle as the drama reaches climax.

“I created a moving set that could gradually take shape as Rigoletto’s curse evolves. I conceived it as a stripped-down set so that the characters’ souls, in disinheritance, can take up as much space as they need,” he explains.

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Photo by Matthias Baus.

Photo by Matthias Baus.

Photo by Paolo Abate.

Photo by Matthias Baus.

Photo by Matthias Baus.

Photo by Matthias Baus.

Yovanovitch’s unique design language is clearly embedded within the set. From the colossal curved staircase painted in white at the back of the stage, a minimalist chandelier offering three rings of light or the custom furniture there’s a focus on simplicity, proportion and colour.
“The décor also symbolises the passage of time, quickly, and above all what we have done with our lives and what it has done with us,” adds Yovanovitch.

To experience it for yourself watch the short video below. Or, better still, you can catch it live at Theater Basel until 21st June 2023.

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[Images courtesy of Pierre Yovanovitch. Photography by Paolo Abate & Matthias Baus.]