LA MONNAIE / DE MUNT

In this programme text, conductor Kwamé Ryan dissects from a personal point of view the topic of multi-ethnic identity and the musical eclecticism in The Time of Our Singing.

In The Time of Our Singing, the US writer Richard Powers describes how, against the backdrop of post-war segregation in his country, a racially mixed family is both united and pulled apart by music. The novel inspired Kris Defoort for his magnum opus. We paid the Belgian composer a visit, to discuss this La Monnaie commission in the company of his librettist Peter van Kraaij.

Colossal images of barking dogs, naked bodies, a grieving Mary Magdalene, and an emblematic beheading scene. Spanish painter Santiago Ydáñez brought out his brushes for our production of Tosca. We asked him how these newly created works came to be.

New creations, reinvented classics and the return of iconic productions, all together no less than 12 operas; but also the 250th anniversary of our Symphony Orchestra, the full expressive spectrum of the voice in our recitals and the best of dance: this is the La Monnaie season 2021-22, as presented by General Director Peter de Caluwe.

The story of this opera, summarised scene by scene by dramaturge Klaus Bertisch.

After his interpretation of the title role in Handel’s Orlando in 2012, countertenor Bejun Mehta returns to La Monnaie for an original recital centred on the different forms that love can take. We asked the world-renowned countertenor to answer the following questionnaire briefly and boldly.

On the occasion of his upcoming recital, we asked tenor Julian Prégardien to answer the following questionnaire honestly and succinctly.

Despite the second wave of coronavirus infections and the corresponding tightening of sanitary measures, our teams have kept up the hard work behind the scenes in recent weeks to ensure a return to the Theatre in optimal conditions. General director - Intendant Peter de Caluwe guides you through our renewed programming for the second half of the season.

Twelve dancers, backlit in an orange hue reminiscent of a glowing cinders, succumb to one of the monuments of American minimal music. Drumming is without a doubt a key work in the Rosas repertoire. In this interview, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker herself explains how she tackled the choreography.

A fantasy-thriller about the psychological toll of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. A hypnotic mix of electronic and Middle-Eastern sonorities. The enchanting lyricism of sung Hebrew. The Sleeping Thousand is Israeli composer Adam Maor’s remarkable debut on the international opera scene.

A new decade got under way just a little while ago. That sort of ten-year milestone may seem arbitrary, but it is already clear that we face major changes in the near future. If recent years are anything to go by, we can expect a turbulent period in both politics and society, in the context of an ultra-rapidly changing world. That kind of climate forces us to move with the times. We must not, we cannot, sidestep the burning issues in society today.

‘One of the singular artists of her generation’ (The New York Times); ‘a lavishly gifted soprano’ (The New Yorker); ‘This Is Who We’ve Been Waiting For’ (Peter Sellars). For anyone still in doubt: she has the Big Apple lying at her feet. And now Belgium too. A conversation with Julia Bullock, the driving force behind Zauberland.