La Monnaie / De Munt LA MONNAIE / DE MUNT
© Lissyelle Laricchia
Opera

Henry VIII
Camille Saint-Saëns

Presentation
Opera
Who can govern when in love?— Henry VIII (Act I)

London, 1533. A toxic mix of danger and suspicion fills the corridors of Henry VIII’s palace. Rumours are circulating to the effect that the king intends to marry Anne Boleyn – an advocate of the reformed religion – despite his marriage to the Catholic Catherine of Aragon, which he cannot annul without the Pope’s approval … Set against a backdrop of religious conflict, this love triangle will rattle Europe to the core. 

After the success of Bastarda, La Monnaie continues its cycle devoted to the Tudor dynasty with the opera Henry VIII by Camille Saint-Saëns. The sentimental and political intrigues driven by the King of England were the ideal material for a grand opéra by the celebrated French composer, who offers us a score rich in contrasts.  

Our music director Alain Altinoglu and director Olivier Py breathe new life into the virtuosic duets, trios, quartets and choral scenes of this unjustly neglected opera. They offer a musical and scenic journey from the sixteenth century to the present day which asks the perennial question: how far can a man of power go to satisfy his ambitions?

Provided the weather conditions are favourable, the ballet scenes of this opera will be performed on the Place de La Monnaie during the interval. You can therefore exceptionally enjoy your drinks outside. May we only ask you to take your glasses back inside?

Dates & tickets

 – 

Location

La Monnaie

Prices

Dynamic ticket prices
Starting from € 12 to € 165
-30 years old: € 10 / € 50

Language

Sung in French
Surtitles in Dutch and in French

Presentation

Introductory talks 45' before the start of the performance (NL/FR)

Running time

3:30 (90' - 25' interval - 90')

Opéra en quatre actes
et six tableaux
Livret de Pierre Léonce Détroyat
& Armand Silvestre
d’après les œuvres
de William Shakespeare
& Pedro Calderón de la Barca

World premiere
Académie nationale de musique, Paris
5.3.1883

Gallery

Gallery

© Baus
© Baus
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Dates & tickets

Dates

Cast
Cast

ConductorALAIN ALTINOGLU DirectorOLIVIER PY

Set design & CostumesPIERRE-ANDRÉ WEITZ LightingBERTRAND KILLY Chorus masterSTEFANO VISCONTI

Henry VIIILIONEL LHOTE Don Gomez de FériaED LYON Le Cardinal CampeggioVINCENT LE TEXIER Le Comte de SurreyENGUERRAND DE HYS Le Duc de NorfolkWERNER VAN MECHELEN CranmerJÉRÔME VARNIER Catherine d’AragonMARIE-ADELINE HENRY Anne de BoleynNORA GUBISCH Lady ClarenceCLAIRE ANTOINEGarter / Un officier ALEXANDER MAREV *Un huissier de la cour LEANDER CARLIER * Quatre dames d’honneur ALESSIA THAIS BERARDI, ANNELIES KERSTENS, LIEVE JACOBS, MANON POSKIN Quatre seigneurs ALAIN-PIERRE WINGELINCKX, LUIS AGUILAR, BYOUNGJIN LEE, RENÉ LARYEA

* MM Soloist

La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra and Choir
La Monnaie Choral Academy, led by Benoît Giaux

ProductionLA MONNAIE

In co-production with Shelter Prod and Prospero MM Productions, with the support of Taxshelter.be and ING
With the support of the Belgian Federal Government's Tax Shelter

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