On 21 January, the Jury of the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) announced the winners for the 2020 edition, which mark the tenth anniversary of this prestigious musical recognition. La Monnaie received the award in the category “contemporary” for the double cd of Pascal Dusapin’s Penthesilea.
With Penthesilea, Pascal Dusapin delivered a wild, powerful music drama on the tragic love between Penthesilea, queen of the Amazons, and the Greek hero Achilles. The opera, conducted by Franck Ollu and starring Georg Nigl and Natascha Petrinsky in the main roles, was recorded in full during the world creation at La Monnaie in 2015, and released on double cd by Cypres in September 2019.
This season, Brussels goes all out on Pascal Dusapin. After having presented the world creation of his latest opera, Macbeth Underworld, in September, La Monnaie now joins hands with the Belgian National Orchestra and BOZAR for a special Dusapin day witch concerts, master classes and encounters on 14 February.
From 3 June to 22 September, La Monnaie and Muntpunt are transforming Rue Royale—the small street between their buildings—into a vibrant summer spot. A long table will serve as a welcoming meeting place where locals and passers-by can read, have lunch, play board games, or simply soak up the sun.
To mark Pride Week, La Monnaie decorates its façade in rainbow colours, to show its unwavering support for the LGBTQIA+ community.
A real feast for the eyes and ears in 2023, La Monnaie’s production of Tchaikovsky’s most intimate and celebrated opera, directed by Laurent Pelly and conducted by Alain Altinoglu, is now available on DVD, Blu-ray and streaming via Naxos.
