In the very same year his homeland was dragged into the bloodiest conflict in its history, Ukrainian pianist Illia Ovcharenko (21) forced his artistic breakthrough. In this interview, he reflects on the often neglected yet stunningly beautiful music of Ukraine, the risks of a concerto for one hand and the presence of hundreds of his compatriots during his upcoming La Monnaie concert.
La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra was established 250 years ago. Who better to highlight in celebration of this anniversary than the musicians in the dark? We finish our series of video portraits with Murielle Buis, second violin and one of the warmest personalities in the pit.
La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra was established 250 years ago. Who better to highlight in celebration of this anniversary than the artists in the dark? We invited trumpeter Manu Mellaerts to discuss life as it is in the orchestra, from Brussels to Japan, from Strauss to Wagner.
La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra was established 250 years ago. Who better to highlight in celebration of this anniversary than the artists in the dark? We invited clarinetist Ricardo Matarredona to discuss life as it is in the orchestra, his favourite solo (spoiler: it's Wagner) and the moment that always gives him ghostbumps in the pit.
La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra was established 250 years ago. Who better to highlight in celebration of this anniversary than the artists in the dark? We invited Konzertmeister Saténik Khourdoïan to discuss life as it is in the orchestra, her double role in the pit and her instantaneous obsession with Ein Heldenleben by Richard Strauss.
The La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra was established 250 years ago. Who better to highlight in celebration of this anniversary than the artists in the orchestra pit? We invited cellist Sébastien Walnier to discuss life as it is in the orchestra, his love for Puccini and why the cello stole his heart.
Ian Bostridge has been singing Schubert’s Winterreise for three decades. He explains why he agreed to approach a work he knows so intimately through the dark mirror of Hans Zender’s ‘composed interpretation’.
Elsa Dreisig
Currently preparing for our concert Salome's Dance, where she will sing excerpts from operas by Richard Strauss and Jules Massenet, soprano Elsa Dreisig talks us about her passion for the character Salome and the emotions a musician experiences before and during a concert...
Marking two hundred years since his birth, this article celebrates Belgian composer César Franck by recounting the highlights of his life and work.
At opera performances, he comes to greet the audience only at the beginning and the end, but during our concerts, Alain Altinoglu is the man front and centre. What exactly does a chief conductor do? What is he looking for in his musicians? And where does he want to take the orchestra? In this video he explains it himself.
Thirty-four years after he took care of the world premiere of Philippe Boesmans' Trakl-Lieder as music director of La Monnaie, Sylvain Cambreling puts this impressive song cycle back on our bill. Time to dig up these delightful archive images, with our Symphony Orchestra during the rehearsals in 1988.
A Brueghelian Brabantine or a cosmopolitan who personally knew Rimsky-Korsakov and James Ensor? A 'provincial musician' or an international composer who indulged in jazz and Poulenc, and whose operas were performed several times at La Monnaie? Learn all about the exceptional composer of the Nocturne.
