With three Russian operas in the new season, De Munt is focusing on harmonious coexistence, not conflict.
The press guests for the presentation of De Munt's new season were seated in the most beautiful spot in the theater, said intendant Peter de Caluwe, in the place where it all happens, on stage, with a view of the most beautiful decor I can offer you, this gem of a venue. And then it was time to get everyone's attention. With a quote from none other than Lenin. "There are decades in which nothing happens, and there are weeks in which decades unfold." COVID and war, both phenomena raise questions about our future, according to de Caluwe. Many projects were in the pipeline, but due to the pandemic some of them ended up in storage. High time now to go on the offensive again without bitterness about our powerlessness over it, but by taking an offensive approach to the wonder and enchantment that opera can bring us.And what kind of program has it become in this difficult period? First something about the mega-project "Bastarda" that was already in the works. The production, spread over two evenings, of Donizetti's tetralogy about the life of Queen Elisabeth I, a family drama about the English Tudors. One of the highlights will be the coronation scene with the audience and a set that extends into the auditorium. Those who want more royal dramas from the Tudor era get "Henry VIII" by Saint-Saëns for free, entrusted to director Olivier Py. And those who remember his staging of "Les Huguenots" know the power of his imagination. A neoclassical masterpiece already planned earlier, "Der Rosenkavalier" by Richard Strauss, had meanwhile already had its premiere in Vilnius, with the sets that De Munt's workshops had already prepared. Now it comes, with a two-year delay, to Brussels as well. The real theme of this opera is actually the transience of our lives. And that musing about "le passage du temps" will be staged by director Damiano Michieletto and conductor Alain Altinoglu will certainly make that refined score shine with the Munt orchestra.
And then - don't be alarmed - indeed three Russian operas. And the first is the opener of the season: Tchaikovsky's "The Queen of Spades". This project, delayed by two years, is now placed by director David Marton in a contemporary guise. Yet mention should be made of Nathalie Stutzmann's Brussels debut as conductor! With "Eugene Onegin" Tchaikovsky achieves an unforeseen double coup at the Brussels opera house, and the same is true for Alexander Pushkin, whose stories both operas are based on. The third Russian in the company is Shostakovich's satirical opera "The Nose". He wrote that musical critique of "tsarist bureaucracy" when he was only 22 years old. The work was banned from the Soviet repertoire for years. The novella by Gogol was his source of inspiration: an absurd story about a man whose nose takes on a life of its own. When you entrust such a theme to La Fura dels Baus and theater maker Alex Ollé, then you get guaranteed spectacle.
"And okay," said Peter de Caluwe, "I know, there are many Russian titles. We didn't let our program be influenced by the current situation, they were planned but above all: we are here to make art, not war. We condemn the war in Ukraine in the strongest terms, yes. But we're not going for cultural exclusion, we stand for cultural openness. European art, literature, film, music will always remain connected to Russian culture. We can't erase that bond. In our new season, Russian and Ukrainian artists will work side by side with our staff, which comprises 38 nationalities." A statement that counts!
Two creations as well. De Munt has always had a soft spot for Philippe Boesmans and this season too this house composer has an opera ready. You wouldn't think anything serious if you read the title: "On purge bébé" or as Boesmans put it: constipation is no laughing matter! A comic opera of course. "Every time I worked on it I had to laugh" Boesmans told us. And he felt a bit like Verdi who wrote "Falstaff" as his last opera, "calmly waiting for the end of my life…." concludes a smiling Boesmans. The other world premiere of the season is for "Solar, Icarus burning" by British composer Howard Moody. A project that perfectly fits the vision of an environmentally conscious opera house, a story about dealing with sustainability, realized by and for the young singers of the MM Academy and the children's and youth choirs of De Munt. And not to be forgotten in 2022, there is also the continuation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Munt orchestra. This year, former music directors Kazushi Ono and Sir Antonio Pappano will also be conducting.
Never superficial entertainment at De Munt but also playfulness, fantasy and especially substance. Hopefully the doors will remain open, masks will be dispensed with and wars will be over.
WHAT: presentation new season 2022-2023 De Munt
WHO: Peter de Caluwe, general and artistic director; Philippe Delusinne, chairman Board of Directors; Philippe Boesmans, composer.
WHEN: 22 March 2022
WHERE: Muntschouwburg, Brussels.