La Monnaie / De Munt LA MONNAIE / DE MUNT
© Vincent Dankaerts
Opera

Benvenuto Cellini
Hector Berlioz

Presentation
Opera

An eventful story, a grandiose score, an exuberant staging: all the ingredients you need for a memorable carnival celebration! 

Rome, 1532. Pope Clement VII has tasked the sculptor Benvenuto Cellini with creating a bronze statue of Perseus before the end of carnival. Seeking fame and fortune, the latter accepts the commission, even though his workshop is short on both time and metal. On top of that, Cellini is head over heels in love with Teresa, the daughter of the Pope’s treasurer, Balducci, who for his part is intent on marrying his daughter to Fieramosca, Cellini’s rival in love and art. When the young lovers’ attempt to elope fails, Cellini has no choice but to carry out his task successfully if he wants to avoid certain death … 

La vita, the autobiographical account of Florentine sculptor and goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini, had all the elements to inspire Hector Berlioz. The turbulent life of the famous Renaissance artist was indeed the ideal material for the creation of a vivid opera in which love affairs, political intrigues and artistic jealousy all merge in a composition that is as thrilling as it is gripping. With his sense of theatre, Alain Altinoglu is the ideal conductor for this richly coloured masterpiece, to be staged for the first time at La Monnaie. Director Thaddeus Strassberger is bound to enchant the audience with a colourful show worthy of the finest Carnival celebrations! 

Are you under 30? Then attend this opera on the Young Opera Night (31.1.2026) and we treat you to a personal welcome, a free drink, a free programme book and an after-event.

Dates & tickets

 – 

Location

La Monnaie

Prices

Start ticket sale
27.11.2025

Dynamic ticket prices

Starting from € 12 to € 170
-30 years: € 10 / 25 / 50
-15 years: € 10 / 25 (only via MM Tickets)

Language

Sung in French
Surtitles in Dutch and French

Presentation

Introductory talks in Dutch and French 45' before the start of the performance

Age limit

12+

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Gallery

Gallery

© Vincent Dankaerts
© Vincent Dankaerts
© Vincent Dankaerts
© Clair Bravo
© Clair Bravo
© Vincent Dankaerts
© Vincent Dankaerts
© Vincent Dankaerts
Dates & tickets

Dates

Cast
Cast

Opéra en deux actes et quatre tableaux
Livret de Léon de Wailly & Auguste Barbier
Musique de Hector Berlioz
Premiere Académie Royale de Musique (Salle Le Peletier), Paris, 10.9.1838
Version Paris 2 (1838)

ConductorALAIN ALTINOGLU Director & Set DesignerTHADDEUS STRASSBERGER Costume DesignerGIUSEPPE PALELLA Lighting DesignerDRISCOLL OTTO Assistant Choreographer and DirectorANTONIO BARONE DramaturgSÉBASTIEN HERBECQ Chorus MasterEMMANUEL TRENQUE

Benvenuto CelliniJOHN OSBORN Giacomo BalducciTIJL FAVEYTS FieramoscaJEAN-SÉBASTIEN BOU Le Pape Clément VIIANTE JERKUNICA Francesco LUIS AGUILAR BernardinoLEANDER CARLIER ° PompeoGABRIELE NANI CabaretierYVES SAELENS TeresaRUTH INIESTA AscanioFLORENCE LOSSEAU

° MM Laureate

La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
La Monnaie Choral Academy

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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