Joan of Arc at the Stake

Joan of Arc at the Stake

  • Overview
  • Cast
  • Crew
  • Recommendations

Status

Released

Release Date

Nov 17, 2012

Runtime

1h 28m

Genres

Drama, History, Music

User Score

80%

Original Title

Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher

Production Companies

Medici.tv

Director

Jean-Pierre Loisil

Description

On November 17, 2012, Oscar-winning French actress Marion Cotillard joined the Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra for a performance of Arthur Honegger’s oratorio Joan of Arc at the Stake (Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher) at the L'Auditori de Barcelona in Spain, broadcast live on Medici.tv. By Swiss composer Arthur Honegger, Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher (1938) is an imposing oratorio. The libretto is a highly original creation by French poet and playwright Paul Claudel, who dramatises the last moments of the martyr's life. Originally written for actress Ida Rubinstein, the oratorio is written as a flashback in which Joan recalls her life, just before she dies. Honegger creates visually evocative ambiances and fills the orchestra with new sounds (saxophones, ondes Martenot). The initial prologue to the piece was added in 1944 as a symbol of the resistance during the Nazi occupation of France: again, Joan goes beyond her own story.