The Midsummer Mozartiade festival returns to the heart of Brussels for its 8th edition, from June 17-23, 2024, with the opera Mitridate, re di Ponto at the Théâtre Royal des Galeries as its highlight.
Following the success of Die Zauberflöte last summer, the Midsummer Mozartiade festival presents the opera Mitridate, re di Ponto at the Théâtre Royal des Galeries this summer. Mozart's first opera seria, written at the age of 14, was a great success when it premiered in Milan in 1770. This early masterpiece sets a powerful and moving family drama to music that takes place amid geopolitical conflicts in a region now known as Crimea. This new production is directed by Eric Gobin and conducted by Thibaut Lenaertsleading the Koninklijk Kamerorkest van Wallonië. It is also the first contemporary production in which two young men, a soprano and a countertenor, perform the roles of the rival brothers, originally written for castrati.
Also at the Théâtre Royal des Galeries, the festival's second highlight is the concert Missa Brevis, a project by rising conductor Gabriel Hollander. The program features short masses by Mozart, Haydn, and, with a contemporary twist, Belgian composer Fabian Fiorini.
To open the doors to as many people as possible, the festival also offers various free events at emblematic locations in the city center. From serenades in the Galeries Royales to lectures at the Maison CFC on nearby Martelarenplein and a 100% Handel concert at the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Finisterraekerk on Nieuwstraat.
In July, the production Mitridate, re di Ponto tours to the Théâtre Royal in Bergen during the Festival au Carré and then to the Grand Manège in Namur during the Festival musical de Namur.
Since 2016, Amadeus & Co vzw has organized the Midsummer Mozartiade festival with the main objective of making opera, originally a popular art form, accessible to everyone again. The festival serves as an essential springboard for emerging lyrical talent from home and abroad.