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La Monnaie to Kick Off Brussels Season With Yvonne

By Frank Cadenhead
30 Aug 2010

Brussels' opera La Monnaie opens its season Sept. 9 with Philippe Boesmans' Yvonne, Princess of Burgundy, starring Mireille Delunsch, Paul Gay and Dorte Lyssewski. Full season details announced.

**
It is the Cinderella story turned upside down. The new opera by Belgium's most renowned living composer, Philippe Boesmans, Yvonne, Princess of Burgundy, opens the season at Brussels' opera La Monnaie with nine performances from September 9 to 21.

The libretto, by Luc Bondy and his wife Marie-Louise Bischoffberger, retells the story of the Polish playwright Witold Gombrowicz. The introspective prince, constantly badgered to get married, as a protest marries a plain girl, speechless and passive, to spite the royal court. Her presence, according to the opera's announcement, "has the tremendous capacity to reveal everyone's inner turmoil and frustrations" and she is thus marked for assassination.

Yvonne had its world premiere at the Opera National de Paris in January of 2009 where it was applauded warmly by both the audience and critics (including this writer) - not the typical reaction to contemporary fare. Librettist and acclaimed stage director Luc Bondy, who directed the work in Paris, will supervise the production in Brussels. Bondy has been a regular collaborator with Boesmans and this marks their third effort together. With Patrick Davlin conducting the orchestra and chorus of La Monnaie, the excellent French soprano Mireille Delunsch repeats her success as the dissolute Queen Marguerite and baritone Paul Gay returns as King Ignace. Also returning in the title role is the amazing actress, Dorte Lyssewski whose mute but very physical presence is a key to the drama.

La Monnaie (De Munt, in Flemish) will continue their ten-opera season, under the theme "Tolerance,/Intolerance," with new productions of Janacek's Kat'a Kabanova in October directed by Andrea Breth, Puccini's La Boheme directed by Andreas Homoki, Wagner's Parsifal directed by Romeo Castellucci and Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots in a production conceived by Olivier Py. Luigi Nono's opera Intolleranza 1960 was to be newly staged by Christoph Schlingensief in April but his recent passing has La Monnaie searching for a replacement. A world premiere in May is Toshio Hosokawa's new opera Matsukaze which was commissioned by La Monnaie. His 2005 opera, Hanjo was first seen at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2005 and is also part of the Brussels season.

from http://www.playbillarts.com/features/article/8446.html

The opera's website, in English, is at http://www.lamonnaie.be/en/
"Keep your hand on the throttle and your eye on the rail as you walk through life's pathway."

sospiro

Quote from: Soapy Molloy on September 08, 2010, 02:21:20 AM
Just booked for the premiere of Anna Nicole by Mark-Anthony Turnage at Covent Garden next February.

How exciting. You must do a review when you've seen it.

It's only quite recently that people saw operas by composers who were dead. I've read that in Verdi's time the public were always more interested in brand new operas.

Annie

bhodges

This morning I was very sad to learn of the death of László Polgár, the Hungarian bass who was so remarkable in Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle.  One writer commented that he made his career doing the role.  His recording, with Jessye Norman, Pierre Boulez and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, is one of my favorites.

The AP obituary is here.

--Bruce

Wendell_E

"Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." ― Mark Twain

sospiro

RIP Dame Joan

Thank you for your music
Annie

yashin

La Stupenda indeed. Heaven gets another angel for its choir.

I must admit i was not the greatest fan of her voice, i prefer Tebaldi, Scotto and Freni but you have to admit she was one amazing Lucia - i have not seen anyone do the death scene like she did on the Sydney opera Australia DVD. I will rewatch some of it today and look in awe.

Scarpia

I noticed on the Warner Classics site that a Walkure from La Scala with Barenboim is being broadcast to theaters (similar to the Met series, I guess). 

http://www.warnerclassicsandjazz.com/newsstory.php?news=272

but when you click through to the La Scala site

http://www.teatroallascala.org/en/stagioni/2010_2011/cinema_tv_radio/cinema.html

they give a list of venues for shows in non-existent places like "Wahington" and a dead link which is supposed to give detailed information.  (Seems to reinforce the stereotype that nothing made or done in Italy works.)  Anyone heard of this before?


kaergaard

#508
That's what I get:

http://www.teatroallascala.org/en/index.html

The basic Scala link, no mention of it being broadcast, but lots of short video clips!

Scarpia

Quote from: kaergaard on December 04, 2010, 07:14:29 AM
That's what I get:

http://www.teatroallascala.org/en/index.html

The basic Scala link, no mention of it being broadcast, but lots of short video clips!

I only found one dull video with interviews with the director.

The link with scheduling information is working now.  I might be able to see it during a replay.  The "live" version is 11am on a Tuesday Morning in the Eastern US.   I guess in Italy they do not realize that Americans typically have jobs.

kaergaard

click on: "All the vidoes" and you'll get Simon O'Neil as Siegmund, Waltraut Meier as Sieglinde and John Tomlinson's Wotan.


kaergaard

Peter Hofmann, RIP

Opera lovers will remember him as the true White Knight in Shining Armour in his performances as Lohengrin among other Wagner roles. He died at age 66 from pneumonia after battling Parkinson's for some time.

knight66

Oh, I did not know that he had died. I have an aria disc of his from way back. An awful lot seem to be dropping off their logs recently.

Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

kaergaard

Peter Hofmann was Siegmund in the historic Boulez/Chéreau Centenary Production in Bayreuth Die Walküre.


Guido

Geologist.

The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away

kaergaard

#517
Love it! Thank you, Guido. Haven't seen Christian Thielemann move that fast, involved, in the many years I have been following his career!  ;D

knight66

Quote from: Guido on January 01, 2011, 12:31:45 PM
Netrebko performing yesterday. Is it just me, or is this just awful?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH5Kmoh9JHI&feature=player_embedded

Heia! Hieeeeyaaaa! Bloody hell. It is awful.

Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

Scarpia

Quote from: Guido on January 01, 2011, 12:31:45 PM
Netrebko performing yesterday. Is it just me, or is this just awful?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH5Kmoh9JHI&feature=player_embedded

Hmmm, my theory is that now that she is chubby, people are starting to listen to her sing.   8)