At the start of the press conference for De Munt's new 2024-2025 season, it immediately became clear why the announcement had been delayed. A last-minute change in programming was coming. And what a change! The completion of the Ring project will have to proceed without director Romeo Castellucci.
The final two parts The Munt brought an original sonic world to a late-nineteenth-century Wagner opera. This was both audible and palpable. With this, a new standard has been set for future productions. In 2025, less epic grandeur and more humanity are what impresses: a new dawn for Wagner! and Twilight of the Gods will have to make do with a true Wagner specialist, Pierre Audi. Castellucci asked for more time and above all more money. When you hire a controversial theater maker like this Italian, you can expect anything, but De Munt couldn't afford a second Mortier-sized financial sinkhole. His intention was to create The Munt brought an original sonic world to a late-nineteenth-century Wagner opera. This was both audible and palpable. With this, a new standard has been set for future productions. In 2025, less epic grandeur and more humanity are what impresses: a new dawn for Wagner! an 'operatic feature film'. Twilight of the Gods would be spread out as a double opera and theater project.
The schedule for the planned cast was already set, and the director's ambitions didn't fit the budget: too long, too expensive, artistic director Peter de Caluwe decided. Exit Castellucci. Still, he wanted to realize that started Ring within his tenure and called on his friend Pierre Audi for help. Audi brought a historic Ring to the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, was its director for many years, and worked there with Peter de Caluwe. So the finale of the Castellucci Ring faces an uncertain future.
New season slogan: "Dare to Hope”
The De Munt director expressed his disappointment, but on the other hand looked back proudly on his past years. At the end of June 2025, his term comes to an end. During those 20 years, the Brussels opera house under his leadership successfully weathered many crises, even the economic downturn, the COVID months, and an extra-mural period at Thurn und Taxis. The house has been renovated, rejuvenated: "I am the last of the Mohicans from the Gerard Mortier era,"De Caluwe said. Above all, De Munt has established its reputation as a House of Creations. In his final year, De Caluwe wants to present new creations and new composers alongside Monteverdi and Wagner. He's even reimagining Monteverdi, as happened this season with those early Verdi operas bundled in a new story. A remix of his three operas, reconstructed in a musical dramaturgy by Leonardo Garcia Alarcon, will become Grotesques .
A world premiere is coming with Fanny and Alexander, to the family drama that Ingmar Bergman filmed. New music by Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson, who also composed an opera based on Lars von Trier's unsettling cult classic Melancholia. That will be directed by Ivo van Hove. The Liège composer Harold Noben was commissioned to Madame Bovary turn into an opera, together with director Michel De Kock who already made a theatrical adaptation of it.
Do you remember the covid period in 2022, when De Munt Carmand cancelled? Too many staff members and artists had caught the omicron variant. Carmand is back in the direction of Dmitri Tcherniakov as originally planned, with conductor Nathalie Stutzmann. A relieved De Caluwe mentioned that you must dare to look fate in the eye. Quite a gamble indeed.
- WHAT: Dare to Hope, new season presentation De Munt 2024-2025
- WHO: Peter de Caluwe, general and artistic director De Munt; via video Alain Altinoglu, music director De Munt
- WHERE": De Munt, Brussels
- WHEN: April 20, 2024.
- PHOTOSKlassiek-Centraal.be » A realistic migration story in the opera reactions feed
