In October, our production of Shell Shock was released on CD.
Whether you call it shell shock or post-traumatic stress disorder, war creates serious psychological rounds. A hundred years after the outbreak of the Great War, the Belgian composer Nicholas Lens has written a dance-oratorio on this theme, using lyrics by the well-known Australian rock singer Nick Cave. In twelve poems or canto he evokes the anonymous protagonists of the war in a highly personal and fluent style: soldiers, mothers, orphans, prisoners, etc.
The world premiere of this production – and incidentally the very first opera staging by choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui – took place on 14 October 2014 at La Monnaie in commemoration of World War I.
In October 2016, an audiorecording was released on CD by the label Universal Music Company.
>> The CD is available for purchase at Standaard Boekhandel, Proxis.com and on Apple iTunes.
>> Listen to a fragment on YouTube.
Are you a Belgian culture lover and fan of the Queen Elizabeth Competition? For an audience survey, UGent students are curious to know your opinion about this prestigious competition.
This autumn, sail through the cultural heartland of Middle-Europe. From 6 to 23 November 2025, Rivages du Monde and La Monnaie invite you to a musical cruise on the Danube to mark the 10th anniversary of the MM Academy.
To expand its ranks and welcome new voices, the Cassandra Choir is organising two audition evenings, on 20 and 27 January 2025!
