À l’extrême
bord du monde

Harold Noben

we decided, born in love, not to leave each other.— Stefan Zweig

Petropolis, 22 February 1942. Writer Stefan Zweig and his wife Lotte are having a chat in their favourite café. Far from their “spiritual homeland Europe”, the Austrian couple are preparing for another departure: a goodbye that will shake up and divide the intellectual and literary world, while also sealing the fate of these two lonely souls. “Of their own will and in clear mind”, they decide to commit suicide together.

The young Belgian composer Harold Noben wrote a chamber opera for mezzo, tenor and piano quartet about these tragic final days. His piece was composed under the guidance of Benoît Mernier and with the support of the European Network of Opera Academies (enoa). La Monnaie presents the result of this unique collaboration. A one time semi-scenic performance on October 4, by artists-in-residence of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.

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• Programme (3.1 MB)