Revisit José van Dam’s farewell opera
Don Quichotte (Jules Massenet)
The errant knight Don Quixote dreams of a just and fair world. Accompanied by his faithful squire Sancho Panza, he travels throughout Spain in search of heroic victories worthy of the importance he attaches to himself...
In his adaptation of Cervantes' famous novel of the same name, Massenet blends comedy and tragedy, typical late 19th-century French prosody and ancient folk songs in an opera that is both intimate and epic. This poetic production marked the return of conductor Marc Minkowski in Brussels, while director Laurent Pelly made his debut at La Monnaie. In the title role, José van Dam found the ideal character to bid farewell to the opera stage with the subtlety and emotion that characterised his entire career.
Casting
Conductor: Marc Minkowski
Director, costume designer: Laurent Pelly
Set designer: Barbara de Limburg
Lighting designer: Joël Adam
Associate costum designer: Jean-Jacques Delmotte
Choirmaster: Martino Faggiani
La belle Dulcinée: Silvia Tro Santafé
Don Quichotte: José van Dam
Sancho: Werner Van Mechelen
Rodriguez: Vincent Delhoume
Juan: Gilles Van der Linden
Pedro: Julie Mossay
Garcias: Camille Merckx
Laquais: Marc Coulon, André Grégoire
Chef des bandits: Bernard Villiers
Bandits: Gerard Lavalle, Jacques Does, Aldo De Vernati, Pascal Macou
La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra and chorus
coproduction: Teatro Massimo Palermo
