An Invitation

Peter, after twenty years leading La Monnaie, where would you situate the opera house in today’s cultural landscape?

PETER DE CALUWE — To use a football analogy, I’d say we’ve reasserted our pos- ition as one of the smallest but most determined clubs in the Champions League. Although we went through a series of crises this past decade, we are undeniably still standing strong – our many award-winning productions and our two-time title as ‘Best Opera House of the Year’ are a testament to this. I firmly believe that, as a federal institution rooted in the capital of Europe, our purpose has become all the more important now that societies are tending towards separation and division. La Monnaie has always been and will always be about (re)connecting, and this on multiple levels.

CHRISTINA SCHEPPELMANN — On a broader level, I think that opera is an art form that de facto brings people together. We work with composers, artists, conductors and singers from across the globe, bridging linguistic and cultural differences through the universal language of music. La Monnaie represents that federating identity very well.

Bridging differences also occurs when tragic stories that are often a mere statistic in the media regain a direct emotionality through the power of music. In that respect, Ali is a striking example of how opera humanizes.

PDC — There is so much in this work, based on the true-life experiences of Ali Abdi Omar. As a 12-year-old boy, he fled the terror of Al-Shabaab in his home- land of Somalia, eventually arriving in Brussels after all the trials and horrors inherent to the Libyan migration route. Each stage of his journey tells us something about the problematic political and economic dynamics that unfortunately continue to determine our geo-political situation today. At the same time, this coming-of-age, in which friendship, hope and humanity survive despite everything, is first and foremost a portrait of the condition humaine. It was important to me that, after the success of the sold-out series in KVS, we can now present this creation in our Main Auditorium too.

CS — Interpreting contemporary stories in a new opera is undeniably rewarding. At the same time, ancient myths haven’t lost any of their force of meaning and expression either. In Medusa, we try to move beyond the familiar narrative. Beneath the Gorgon’s imposed victim role, shaped by the male gaze, lies a powerful female figure that is perhaps in the first place one of a fierce protector. With the combined forces of Lydia Steier, who will not only direct but also wrote a compelling libretto, and composer Iain Bell, a true master of writing for the human voice, Medusa will reclaim her agency in this creation.

The story of Medusa is deeply rooted in our collective memory, in part due to the numerous iconic depictions in Italian Renaissance art. One of the most famous is the sculpture Perseus with the Head of Medusa by Benvenuto Cellini, who happens to be the title figure in the opera with which you open your tenure.

CS — I was intrigued to discover that Hector Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini had yet to grace the stage at La Monnaie. And since the story is set in Renaissance Rome during the carnival season, it was a perfect fit for the first two months of the year. The opera has everything: there’s comedy, glitter and exuberant choreographies, next to orchestral bravura and very demanding vocal lines. In the hands of music director Alain Altinoglu and stage director Thaddeus Strassberger, we are sure to see 2026 kick off with a production that balances out emotional intensity with a splash of sheer entertainment.

Theatrical joy with dark undertones, comical intrigues that bring out the deeper truths of life: there is something profoundly satisfying about works that, in a Shakespearean sense, harmonize two opposing dimensions. Falstaff is another fine example.

PDC — It’s a truism that one comes to understand Falstaff better with age, but I have to admit that it really does feel right to put it on in my final cycle of programming. After all, it was Verdi’s swansong, and a surprising one to his rich oeuvre, which mainly consists of tragic pieces. Here, by contrast, the flaws of humanity don’t necessarily lead to major dramas. Instead, they are approached in an amused spirit of understanding and benevolence. With the same stroke of genius, however, Verdi also adds a markedly new complexity to the opera genre. It’s a piece that is right up the alley of director Laurent Pelly, conductor Alain Altinoglu and baritone Sir Simon Keenlyside, who will make his debut in the title role of Sir John Falstaff.

Talking about debuts, a new management inevitably also comes with a new artistic family. Mozart’s Idomeneo, for instance, is an opportunity for the audience of La Monnaie to get to know the work of both Calixto Bieito, one of the most reformative opera directors at work today, and conductor Enrico Onofri.

CS — In Idomeneo, a man’s public responsibilities as a political leader are proven in the cruellest manner to be incompatible with his personal interests and feel- ings as a father: to avert the wrath of the god of the sea, the king of Crete must sacrifice his own son. The limitations inherent to ethical leadership is a complex yet deeply human theme, which Calixto Bieito will explore in a dramaturgy shaped like a (Cretan) labyrinth, drawing inspiration from short stories by Jorge Luis Borges. And with Enrico Onofri, the score is in the safe hands of a seasoned Mozart conductor.

Staying in the Mediterranean, besides Cellini’s Rome, two more operas this season have a clear link with the Eternal City. Both are revivals of productions that made a lasting impression in a previous season.

CS — Puccini’s Tosca is an opera of remarkable theatricality, crafted as a political thriller and with a score that grips the audience from start to finish. Unfortunately, Rafael R. Villalobos’s production only reached a small segment of La Monnaie’s audience in 2021 due to Covid restrictions. By reviving and performing it now as per score, we want to give everyone the opportunity to experience this operatic masterpiece in its full glory.

PDC — The same philosophy applies to Norma, which Christophe Coppens brought to our house that same year. I find it fitting to conclude my tenure with an opera that revolves around the fate of the Diva – quite literally – and that embodies the intrinsic nature of the genre, as Bellini’s tragedia lirica is the apotheosis of operatic singing. For me, the performance and experience of opera remains above all a vocal ritual, and this divine priestess, with her famous ‘Casta diva’ aria and the bel canto style it exemplifies, always manages to bring the art form back to its essential ingredient, the voice.

This brings us to the most intimate form in which to experience the human voice. How will lied recitals figure in your programme this season?

PDC — Alongside Norma, we are also putting the Italian art form of the Aria da camera in the limelight. Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti and Verdi wrote a number of exquisite salon pieces for various voices, here performed by such La Monnaie favourites as Enea Scala and Raffaella Lupinacci. We also welcome back some artists that have accompanied me during my whole tenure: Véronique Gens, the undisputed ‘Reine’ of French mélodie, Barbara Hannigan, the star of contemporary music, and Christoph Prégardien, who will bid farewell to the stage with a programme centred on memories. In the cherished intergenerational spirit of our house, he will pass the torch on to students of our MM Academy during an open masterclass with them. With Vocalissimo, we have always aimed to bring a fresh perspective to the classical recital genre and open it to larger audiences, moving away from the fixed singer-plus-pianist format. Projects like these beautifully embody that vision, I believe.

CS — It can indeed be refreshing to reassess the codes of the genre. Why, for instance, should grand baroque arias only be reserved for the main stage, whereas historically they were rather composed to suit a more intimate setting? That’s what Xavier Sabata and Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu will prove with Furioso, a programme that explores the becoming of the operatic baroque hero Orlando through the sinfonias and arias of Vivaldi, Handel and Porpora. Above all, it is essential for this format to narrow the gap as much as possible between the works and the audience. By devoting a recital to Philippe Boesmans, we celebrate the oeuvre of a contemporary Belgian composer in tune with the artistic identity of La Monnaie. The approach of our Idomeneo, Joshua Stewart, is another. In his recital, he will not only deliver a wide range of musical styles, including jazz, but he is also one of those artists that can really draw the listener in by sharing the stories behind the songs and their personal significance to him.

The search for multitalented artists is also what drives Troika Dance, a collaboration between the three main cultural venues that represent the Flemish, French-speaking and federal levels in Brussels. Which form will this partnership take in 2025–26?

CS — With the new Rosas creation, celebrating the music of Jacques Brel, and the revival of Il Cimento dell’Armonia e dell’Inventione – this time with a live performance of Vivaldi’s Le quattro stagioni – we are reinviting dance to the stage of La Monnaie. It is a genre that has been part of this house’s DNA for decades and one that I will invest in more in the coming seasons.

PDC — The Troika project emerged from the city’s fertile creative underground. Since its launch in 2018, many performances and artists have risen from this subsoil, supported by our house with care and dedication. The desired effect was to show the audiences of each individual institution the way to the others, and we clearly see that this has been achieved. A necessary evolution to break down the walls between the different art forms on offer.

La Monnaie is more than an orchestra in the pit and soloists on the main stage. It encompasses our Symphony Orchestra, Chorus, Children’s and Youth Choirs as well as our MM Academy. And all this in-house artistic talent will be given prominence outside opera productions this season as well. What do you have in store for them?

CS — With Alain Altinoglu as our main symphonic ally throughout the season, we keep beloved concert traditions alive. Our Music Director ushers in the new year with a festive programme in the exuberant carnival atmosphere of Benvenuto Cellini, and at the family concert, Tchaikovsky’s ballet classic The Nutcracker may work its magic on young and old alike. Following Idomeneo, the orchestra will get the chance to showcase its feeling for Mozart on the concert stage as well, and I am also particularly looking forward to the star part of our Children’s and Youth Choirs in Fire in my mouth, a gripping contemporary oratorio by Julia Wolfe that we present in synergy with the Belgian National Orchestra and Bozar.

PDC — Celebrating young talent is also what we do at the Ravel concert in November. Alain Altinoglu will not only conduct two recently discovered scores of the composer, but also his popular opera L’Enfant et les Sortilèges featuring many a Soloist and Laureate of our MM Academy. This key educational project, which is very dear to me, will be celebrating its tenth anniversary this season and I am particularly looking forward to seeing all these talented singers, who have gone through the various stages of our training programme, share the stage together. Timur Zangiev and Antonio Méndez, two exceptional young conductors who impressed our orchestra in previous seasons, will each join this rich symphonic programme, and, last but not least, the La Monnaie Chorus will perform the most beautiful ‘prayers’ from known and lesser-known operas under the direction of their Chorus Master, Emmanuel Trenque.

CS — All in all, a symphonic season that is best summed up by the concert title with which we honour Belgian composer Luc Brewaeys in April: Fasten Seat Belts!

Many projects, and the offer for schools and families in particular, reflect the ongoing importance that La Monnaie attaches to the education of young performers and audiences. Do you believe the future of La Monnaie is assured?

CS — I’m certain of that. Our mission is to make opera accessible to as many people as possible, welcoming a diverse audience – from children to centenarians, from devoted opera enthusiasts to curious newcomers. Returning to the collective, unifying power of opera that we mentioned earlier, I sincerely believe that its profound resonance with human emotions gives it the potential to touch everyone. The key lies in ensuring that we open our doors wide enough to invite all into this transformative world.

PDC — The responsibility to introduce children and young people to the arts – and classical music in particular – has largely shifted to cultural institutions. We must embrace this role with the utmost dedication. It is about education, not just for the younger generation, but for society as a whole. I am convinced that edu- cation and culture offer one of the most overlooked solutions to the confusion and challenges our world faces today. Our mission is a vital one, and we must rise to meet it.