With the world premiere of ‘Frankenstein’, the first opera of Mark Grey is finally coming to life. We sat down with the American composer and sound engineer, discussing his interpretation of Mary Shelley's famous science fiction novel. How did he and director Àlex Ollé (La Fura dels Baus) manage to transport the centuries-old creature to the present day (and even the distant future)?
On 8 March, the very first opera of the US composer Mark Grey will be created at La Monnaie : Frankenstein. The original novel by Mary Shelley is brought to the stage by La Fura dels Baus in an impressive sci-fi setting. The Catalan collective has previous been invited to La Monnaie for Le Grand Macabre, Œdipe and Un ballo in maschera.
Biting Russian satire and glowing romance. Surprising new productions and long-awaited projects that can finally be premiered. The continuation of the symphonic jubilee concerts, but also of our Troika Dance programme. Behold the imaginative and polychrome 2022-23 season of La Monnaie, presented by its General and Artistic Director Peter de Caluwe.
This intimate video portrait, made on the occasion of his 80th birthday, reveals the life, work and unique personality of Philippe Boesmans through interviews, excerpts from his operas and documentary footage.
To build bridges between people
Just like two years ago, when, in the midst of Brexit, we found ourselves presenting a very British opera season, we are now proposing a totally unplanned-for 2022-23 season in which Russian titles feature prominently. We can imagine that in the current geopolitical climate, this programming might surprise or even raise questions. We have nevertheless decided to run with what was planned, or rather: what, due to the corona pandemic, all ended up in one and the same season. This way, the Russian works seem to form a cluster that was not intended as such, but they do provide us with an unexpected opportunity to endorse our intrinsic mission: to unite, federate and build bridges between people.
