Concertini 2025-26

La Monnaie’s chamber music season offers the talents of our Symphony Orchestra – one of the artistic pillars of our house – the opportunity to expand their repertoire. In a quiet setting and with intimate instrumental ensembles, the musicians perform well-known works and also have some wonderful surprises in store for you. What’s more, in a spirit of eclecticism, we seek to embrace different eras, from the baroque to the present day, and to highlight ensembles encompassing all families of instruments.

As usual, we will draw a link with the works from the opera and symphony programmes. The concerts will thus feature pieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, arias by Romantic composers from Italy, and contemporary works by Iain Bell.

For his part, cellist Sébastien Walnier will take us into the world of jazz, while pianist Jan Michiels will tackle Kris Defoort’s Dedicatio Book II – think back to last season’s great success with the Belgian composer’s first cycle.

The voice will also be very much in evidence. The young singers of the MM Academy will surprise you on a number of occasions, notably during the traditional Wild Cards or the concert presenting the Laureates and Soloists of the new class. Soprano Sarah Defrise will perform works by Luciano Berio and Cathy Berberian. Finally, mezzo-soprano Marie-Juliette Ghazarian (MM Laureate) will return for a recital culminating in Gioachino Rossini’s extraordinary cantata Giovanna d’Arco.

The formula remains unchanged: every Friday lunchtime from early October to mid-June, we open wide the doors of the Grand Foyer for a delightful musical moment accessible to all! Like last season, the calendar and full programme will appear on our website at the beginning of June and in the form of a brochure in September.

24.4.2026	IAIN BELL’S MELODIES 1/2 IAIN BELL (°1980) We Two (2020) CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918) La Cathédrale engloutie (1910) IAIN BELL of you (2016) Lotte Verstaen (mezzosoprano, MM Laureate), Lucas Cortoos (baritono, MM Laureate), Florestan Bataillie (pf)	Abbreviations vl : Violin vla : Viola vc : Cello cb : Double bass fl : Flute hb : Oboe cl : Clarinet fg : Bassoon cr : Horn tp : Trumpet trb : Trombone trb b : Bass trombone tb : Tuba perc : Percussion pf : Piano hp : Harp
8.5.2026 Fiocco room	IAIN BELL’S MELODIES 2/2 AMY BEACH (1867-1944) Pastorale, op.151 (1941) IAIN BELL (°1980) Tom O’Bedlam (2016) GYÖRGY LIGETI (1923-2006) Six bagatelles (1953) IAIN BELL Mad Maudlin (Creation) Emma Posman (soprano, MM Laureate), Kamil Ben Hsaïn Lachiri (baritono, MM Laureate) La Monnaie Chamber Music Ensemble
22.5.2026	LUK NIELANDT & ABDEL RAHMAN EL BACHA LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Sonata, op. 17 (1800) ABDEL RAHMAN EL BACHA (°1958) Canzonetta Romance CLARA SCHUMANN (1819-1896) Drei Romanzen, op. 22 (1853) ABDEL RAHMAN EL BACHA Valse éphémère Hommage à Schumann Papillons ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Adagio und allegro, op. 70 (1849) Luk Nielandt (hb), Abdel Rahman El Bacha (piano)
29.5.2026	HUMORESQUE WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) Ouverture from Così fan tutte, K.588 (1790) FRANZ DANZI (1763-1826) Bläserquintett n°1, op.56 (1821) DARIUS MILHAUD (1892-1974) La Cheminée du roi René, op.205 (1939) GIULIO BRICCIALDI (1818-1881) Pot-pourri fantastico su Il barbiere di Siviglia DENES AGAY (1911-2007) Five Easy Dances (1956) Matteo Del Monte (fl), Sorin Lauren Crudu (hb), Ricardo Matarredona (cl), Alain Cremers (fg), Orane Bargain (cr)
5.6.2026	BRAHMS JOHANNES BRAHMS (1883-1897) Streich-Sextett Nr.2, op.36 (1864-1865) Sylvia Huang (vl), Noémi Tiercet (vl), Florent Bremond (vla), Monika Mlynarczyk (vla), Sébastien Walnier (vc), NN (vc)
12.6.2026 Fiocco room	THE NUTCRACKER DMITRI KABALEVSKY (1904-1987) Ouverture de Colas Breugnon (1936-1938) DMITRI SHOSTAKOVITCH (1906-1975) Suite from Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (1932, arr. 1991) PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Suite from The Nutcracker, op.71a (1892) La Monnaie Brass ensemble
19.6.2026	BEACH / PEJAČEVIĆ AMY BEACH (1867-1944) Piano Quintet, op.67 (1907) DORA PEJAČEVIĆ (1885-1923) Piano Quartet in d minor, op.25 (1908) Sylvia Huang (vl), Noémi Tiercet (vl), Florent Bremont (vla), Sébastien Walnier (vc), Jan Michiels (pf)