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.

13.3.2026	VIVA MOZART! WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) Le Nozze di Figaro (1786), Overture (arr. by S.Bergler) “Ach ich Liebte”, from Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1782) (arr. by Manu Mellaerts) “O Isis und Osiris”, from Die Zauberflöte (1791) (arr. by Arthur Frackenpohl) “Papageno-Papagena” from Die Zauberflöte (arr. by Peter Knudsvig) “Der Hölle Rache”, from Die Zauberflöte (arr. by Peter Knudsvig) Rondo alla Turca (1783) (arr. by Arthur Frackenpohl) PETER SCHICKELE (1935-2024) Mozart on Parade for Brass Quintet Manu Mellaerts (tp), Rudy Moercant (tp), Rik Vercruysse (cr), Jan Smets (trb), Geert De Vos (trb b), Stephan Vanaenrode (tb)	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
20.3.2026	FLUTES AT THE OPERA WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) Overture to The Magic Flute for flute quintet, arr. by M.Orriss FRANZ DOPPLER (1821-1883) Potpourri für zwei Flöten Nr. 1 über Themen aus Rossinis Il barbiere di Siviglia CHRISTOPHE WILIBALD GLUCK (1714-1787) Minuet and Dance of the Blessed Spririts from 'Orfeo' arranged for flute choir by Dorli McWayne JOSEPH FAHRBACH (1804-1883) Prima fantasia su motivi dell'Aida di Giuseppe Verdi, Op.78 FRANZ & KARL DOPPLER Rigoletto-Fantaisie, Op.38, for flute quintet, arr. by Gudrun Hinze Matteo Del Monte, Yaeram Park, Sarah Miller, Federico La Rosa & Gitte Bogaers
27.3.2026	MOZART DIVERTIMENTO WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) Divertimento in Es-Dur, K.563 (1788) Sylvia Huang (vl), Florent Bremond (vla), Sébastien Walnier (vc)
17.4.2026	DEBUSSY CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Sonate pour violon et piano, L.140 (1916) Sonate pour violoncelle et piano en ré mineur, L.135 (1915) Trio avec piano en sol majeur, L.5 (1880) Nicolas Dupont (vl), Sébastien Walnier (vc), Julien Gernay (pf)
24.4.2026	IAIN BELL’S MELODIES 1/2 IAIN BELL (°1980) We Two (2020) Of you (2016) Lotte Verstaen (mezzosoprano, MM Laureate), Lucas Cortoos (baritono, MM Laureate), Florestan Bataillie (pf)
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 (Création / Creatie) 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 to Così fan tutte, K.588 (1790) ALEXANDER VON ZEMLINSKY (1871-1942) Humoreske (1939) DARIUS MILHAUD (1892-1974) La Cheminée du roi René, op.205 (1939) GIULIO BRICCIALDI (1818-1881) Pot-pourri fantastico su Il barbiere di Siviglia Matteo Del Monte (fl), Luk Nielandt (hb), Ricardo Matarredona (cl), Vahan Khourdoïan (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), Takumi Nozawa (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), NN (pf)