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.

3.10.2025	JANÁČEK / DVOŘÁK LEOŠ JANÁČEK (1854-1928) String Quartet n°1, “Kreutzer sonata” (1923) (arr. for piano trio) ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK (1841-1904) Piano Quartet n°2, op.87 (1889) Saténik Khourdoïan (vl), Florent Bremond (vla), Sébastien Walnier (vc), Jan Michiels (pf)
10.10.2025	ITALIANITÀ Works of Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Gioachino Rossini & Claudio Monteverdi Brass quintet
17.10.2025	HAYDN / MOZART JOSEPH HAYDN (1732-1809) London Trio WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) Divertimento n°11 “Nannerl-Septett”, K.251 (1776) Noémi Tiercet (vl), Femke Sonnen (vl), NN (vla), NN (vc), Yaeram Park (fl), Luk Nielandt (hb), Orane Bargain (cr), NN (cr)
24.10.2025	VOCAL PROGRAMME MM Academy Laureates and Soloists
7.11.2025	RUSSELL / BERIO / HINDEMITH ARMAND RUSSELL (°1932) Suite concertante for tuba and wind quintet LUCIANO BERIO (1925-2003) Opus Number Zoo (1951-1970) PAUL HINDEMITH (1895-1963) Kleine Kammermusik, op.24 n°2 (1922) Stephan Vanaenrode (tb), Matteo Del Monte (fl), NN (hb), Ricardo Matarredona (cl), Alain Cremers (fg), Orane Bargain (cr)
14.11.2025	BEETHOVEN LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Trio in C-Dur für zwei Oboen und Englischhorn, op.87 (1795) Serenade für Flöte, Violine und Viola in D-Dur, op.25 (1801) Sorin Loren Crudu (hb), Luk Nielandt (hb), NN (hb), Matteo Del Monte (fl), NN (vl), Florent Bremond (vla)
21.11.2025	CARTE BLANCHE – SARAH DEFRISE LUCIANO BERIO (1925-2003) Sequenza III per voce (1966) 2 Encores per pianoforte (1965-1990) Glossa per clarinetto e viola (1997) 2 Encores per pianoforte (1965-1990) Musica Leggera per flauto, viola, violoncello e tamburello (1974) Quattro Canzoni Popolari per voce e piano (1946-1951) 2 Encores per pianoforte (1965-1990) Berceuse per György Kurtág per 4 strumenti opzionali (1998) O King per mezzosoprano e 5 esecutori (1968) CATHY BERBERIAN (1925-1983) Stripsody (1966) Sarah Defrise (soprano), Stéphane Ginsburgh (pf) & Ensemble de musique de chambre de la Monnaie
28.11.2025	PAGANINI / GLINKA / JACOBI NICCOLÒ PAGANINI (1782-1840) 3 Duetti concertanti, op.1 MIKHAÏL GLINKA (1804-1857) Trio pathétique (1832) CARL JACOBI (1791-1852) Potpourri über die Oper “Zampa” von Ferdinand Hérold, op.16 (1835) Fasli Kamberi (vl), Takumi Nozawa (vla), Alain Cremers (fg)
5.12.2025 Fiocco room	JAZZ CONCERT Jeanfrançois Prins “All Strings Attached” feat. “La Monnaie String Quartet” Works by Jeanfrançois Prins, Heitor Villa Lobos, John Lennon, Hermeto Pascoal among other jazz standards. Jeanfrançois Prins (guitar, vocals, arrangements), Hendrik Vanattenhoven (bass), Daniel Jonkers (drums) Fasli Kamberi (vl), Maeva Laroque (vl), Florent Brémont (vla), Sébastien Walnier (vc)
12.12.2025	HEY JUDE MICHAEL PRAETORIUS (1571-1621) Suite de Danses CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918) La Fille aux cheveux de lin (1910) Trois Chansons de Charles d’Orléans (1898-1908) SAMUEL BARBER (1910-1981) Adagio for Strings (1936) EDUARDO ALONSO-CRESPO (1941-2020) Tres Milongas GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898-1937) A portrait JOHN LENNON (1940-1980), PAUL MCCARTNEY (°1942) Hey Jude (1968) Arranged for brass La Monnaie Low Brass
19.12.2025	SCHUBERT FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Klavier Trio n°2, D.929 op.100 (1827) Sylvia Huang (vl), Sébastien Walnier (vc), Jan Michiels (pf)
9.1.2026	DEFOORT / DEDICATIO II KRIS DEFOORT (°1959) Dedicatio II (2023) Jan Michiels (pf)
16.1.2026	PORTRAIT OF BRIAN LYNN BRIAN LYNN (°1954) First Shout Four For Four (1986) Minstrels Pageant (1996) La Monnaie Low Brass
23.1.2026 Malibran room 12h30 & 20h00	À L’EXTRÊME BORD DU MONDE HAROLD NOBEN (°1978) À l’extrême bord du monde (2020) Opéra de chambre en deux actes pour mezzo-soprano, ténor et quatuor à clavier Livret de Jacques De Decker d’après un texte de Harold Noben Musique de Harold Noben Lotte Zweig : Marie-Juliette Ghazarian (mezzosoprano, MM Laureate) Stefan Zweig : Valentin Thill (tenore) Nana Kawamura (vl), Takumi Nozawa (vla), Sébastien Walnier (vc), Nadia Jradia (pf) Conductor: Harold Noben
30.1.2026	RAVEL / CLARKE / SATŌ / DEBUSSY MAURICE RAVEL (1875-1937) Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn, M.58 (1909) Sonatine (1903-1905) REBECCA CLARKE (1886-1979) Shorter pieces for violin and piano - Midsummer moon - Lullaby SŌMEI SATŌ (°1947) Birds in warped time (1980) CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Sonate pour violon et piano en sol mineur, CD 148 (1916-1917) Femke Sonnen (vl), Yasuko Takahashi (pf)
6.2.2026	PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION MODEST MOUSSORGSKI (1839-1881) Tableaux d’une exposition (1874) La Monnaie Brass Ensemble
13.2.2026	WILD CARD MM ACADEMY : AMOR ETERNO ALONSO MUDARRA (c.1510-1580) Fantasía X (1546) Triste estava el Rey David JOSÉ MARÍN (1619-1699) Al son de los arroyuelos JUAN VÁSQUEZ (c.1500-c.1560) De los álamos vengo MARIN MARAIS (1656-1728) La Paysanne (1701) JOSQUIN DESPREZ (c.1450-1521) Adieu mes amours Mille regretz HONORÉ D’AMBRUIS (c.1660-c.1702) Le doux silence de nos bois ANONYME J’avais cru qu’en vous aimant MARC-ANTOINE CHARPENTIER (1643-1704) Feuillages verts, naissez, H.449a JOHANNES HIERONYMUS KAPSBERGER (1580-1651) Figlio dormi NICCOLÒ PICCINI (1728-1800) Chaconne CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI (1567-1643) Si dolce è ’l tormento, SV 332 JOHANNES HIERONYMUS KAPSBERGER Già risi Gwendoline Blondeel (soprano, MM Laureate), Quito Gato (guitare, luth, vihuela), Pernelle Marzorati (harpe), NN (viole de gambe)
20.2.2026	FRENCH PROGRAMME Works by André Lafosse, Eugène Bozza & Roger Boutry Brass Quintet
27.2.2026	DONNE DI ROSSINI & PÉCHÉS DE VIEILLESSE GIOACHINO ROSSINI (1792-1868) La regata veneziana Farò come colui che piange e dice, Francesca da Rimini Odia la pastorella Chanson de Zora, La petite bohémienne La Veuve Andalouse, Chanson espagnole L’Amour à Pékin, Petite mélodie sur la gamme chinoise L’Orpheline du Tyrol La légende de Marguerite Giovanna d’Arco (1832) Marie-Juliette Ghazarian (mezzosoprano, MM Laureate), Kira Parfeevets (pf)
6.3.2026 Fiocco room	BELCANTO VIRTUOSO GAETANO DONIZETTI (1797-1848) Concertino pour clarinette et orchestre de chambre, IGD 76 Soloist: Ricardo Matarredona (cl) GIOACHINO ROSSINI (1792-1868) Concerto “da esperimento” pour basson et orchestre de chambre (c.1845) Soloist: Vahan Khourdoïan (fg) GIOVANNI BOTTESINI (1821-1889) Gran duo concertante Soloist: Sylvia Huang (vl) & Marc Terré Garcia (cb) La Monnaie Chamber Music Ensemble
13.3.2026	VIVA MOZART! Arias from Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Le nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte… La Monnaie Brass Quintet
20.3.2026	FLUTES AT THE OPERA FRANZ DOPPLER (1821-1883) Fantaisie sur La Sonnambula, op.42 Rigoletto-Fantaisie, op.38 Aida-Fantasia Matteo Del Monte (fl), Yaeram Park (fl) e.a.
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 / RAVEL CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Sonate pour violoncelle et piano en ré mineur, CD 144 (1915) MAURICE RAVEL (1875-1937) Trio avec piano en la mineur, M.67 (1914) Nicolas Dupont (vl), Sébastien Walnier (vc), Julien Gernay (pf)
24.4.2026	IAIN BELL’S MELODIES 1/2 IAIN BELL (°1980) We Two Of you 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 GYÖRGY LIGETI (1923-2006) Six bagatelles (1953) IAIN BELL Mad Maudlin Emma Posman (soprano, MM Laureate) Kamil Ben Hsaïn Lachiri (baritono, MM Laureate) La Monnaie Chamber Music Ensemble
22.5.2026	WILD CARD MM ACADEMY LOUISE FOOR GIACOMO PUCCINI (1858-1924) “Sole e Amore”, SC 63 (1888) “Terra e Mare”, SC 73 (1902) “Donde lieta usci…”, extr. de La bohème, SC 67 (1895) “Foglio d’Album”, SC 81 (1907-1910) GEORGES BIZET (1838-1875) “Pastel”, WD 107 “Les adieux de l’hôtesse arabe”, WD 72 (1867) CHARLES GOUNOD (1818-1893) “Il ne revient pas”, extr. de Faust (1859) PIETRO MASCAGNI (1863-1945) Intermezzo, extr. de Cavalleria rusticana (1890) FRANCESCO CILEA (1866-1950) “Ecco, respiro appena”, extr. de Adriana Lecouvreur (1902) AMILCARE PONCHIELLI (1834-1886) La Danse des heures, extr. de La Gioconda (1876) RUGGERO LEONCAVALLO (1857-1919) “Qual fiamma avea nel guardo! … Stridono lassù”, extr. de Pagliacci (1892) Louise Foor (soprano, MM Laureate), Marie Datcharry (pf)
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) 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)

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