Rising! (The Occident)

Drama lyrique in five acts, after the play by Maruice Maeterlink

Six marriages, two annulments, two beheadings and the founding of his own Church, against the authority of Rome... in his search for a suitable spouse, the notorious Tudor King of England Henry VIII shrank from nothing. Here we focus on the amorous and political intrigues surrounding the annulment of Henry's first marriage to Catherine of Aragon in favour of his new passion for Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII, a grand historical opera by Camille Saint-Saëns, is characterised by stark contrasts: ardour and modesty, jealousy and renunciation, intimacy and solemnity. La Monnaie in Brussels have entrusted their new production to director Olivier Py and conductor Alain Altinoglu, two fervent champions of the French repertoire. With magnificent sets, high drama and compelling music, this production offers a musical journey which starts in sixteenth century England but still resonates today through a timeless question: How far can a man of power go with his conquests?

The prologue sets the stage for the action: Thespis, Momus and Thalie announce the subject of the play. It is a comedy mocking the folly of man...and the story of a trap set by Jupiter to cure Juno of her jealousy. The trap? It consists in convincing the water nymph Platée that Jupiter is in love with her. Mercury officially declares Jupiter’s love to Platée. When the god appears before her – first as a donkey, then an owl - the nymph calls on the birds of the marshes, but they scare Jupiter away. Luckily he quickly returns and declares his love for Platée. He even wants to marry her. La Folie comes to sing for the fiancée during an absolutely chaotic scene. However, as the couple prepares for the wedding, Juno arrives. Furious, she puts an end to the farce and ascends to the heavens with Jupiter. Humiliated, Platée understands she has been duped. She swims off into the marshes, as the chorus sings an ironic song in her honour.

Debussy's masterpiece, for the first time conducted by the Paris Opera's music director Philippe Jordan, in the fairy staging by Robert Wilson. When Prince Golaud, grandson of King of Allemonde, meets the beautiful Mélisande, he knows nothing about her. Though, he marries her. A few months later, Golaud announces his wedding to his brother Pelléas, who seems to be falling in love with the woman.

French version of Cherubini's opera staged in Brussels by Krzysztof Warlikowski

The famous story of Hamlet and Ophelia is played out between the opposite poles of real and feigned madness, love and avenge. After the murder of his father, Hamlet opposes the marriage of his mother and his uncle, at the expense of his beloved and himself. After their unanimously acclaimed Les Huguenots in 2011, Marc Minkowski and Olivier Py are continuing their highly personal exploration of the 19th-century French Grand Opéra repertoire.