This new production of Les Huguenots by Giacomo Meyerbeer should be quite an event: this opera has not been presented at la Monnaie since 1870! For the occasion, la Monnaie gathered an exceptional cast: the conductor Marc Minkowski, the producer Olivier Py and, among other singers, Mireille Delunsch, Eric Cutler and John Osborn.

Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots is undoubtedly his greatest, most lasting and justified success. The recurrent flaws of the French grand opera – pomposity, implausibility and exaggerated length – are alleviated by the soundness of the libretto and the musical inspiration. The characters are complex, to begin with Raoul, a man torn between his love, pride and religious sentiment. This Huguenot nobleman who strives to make a career for himself at the Catholic court of the king of France, falls in love with a young woman who appears to be the daughter of the most Catholic Saint Bris. Having rejected at first the girl, whom he thinks she is the mistress of another man, he finds her again only to lose her once more and take her along with him towards her death. Clashing religious fanaticisms, embodied by Saint Bris and the Protestant Marcel, leave no chance to love.
The dramatic structure of Eugène Scribe’s libretto is very efficient. The work presents all the characteristics of a grand opera: representation of a historical event (the theme of the Saint Bartholomew’s massacre was quiet fashionable at the time), people torn between personal desires and collective interests, action-packed plot, plenty of “local colour”

. Of course, these elements are not unique to the grand opera. One finds them in all the literature of the time, in the novels of Alexandre Dumas or Victor Hugo. But Meyerbeer’s talent for recreating an atmosphere and multiplying variations and stylistic contrasts gives the work all its strength
. The skilful mixture of tones and harmonic combinations, including some daring dissonances, enliven the orchestral part. As regards the vocal part, the variety of choirs and ensembles and the richness of the melodies bear witness to a composer at the apex of his faculties. The beauty of the 4^th act forced the admiration of his bitterest enemies and inspired Gounod, Verdi and Wagner.

Marc Minkowski will be conducting the Symphonic Orchestra of la Monnaie. He conducted for the first time the Symphonic Orchestra of la Monnaie at the 2008 New Year Gala, followed by La Cenerentola in October 2008 and Don Quichotte in 2010. Alongside him, Martino Faggiani will be conducting the Choirs of la Monnaie.

The French producer Olivier Py combines numerous talents that make him into one of the most innovative producers of French theatre. This will be his first production at la Monnaie. He cooperates with Pierre-André Weitz for the scenery and costumes and Bertrand Killy for the lighting.

It is not by chance that Meyerbeer’s work was called “the night of seven stars”: one of the main difficulties of this opera is to gather interpreters capable of performing seven main roles. And the difficulty becomes twice as bad when a double cast is necessary. La Monnaie gathered two exceptional casts: on one hand Mireille Delunsch, Eric Cutler, Jérôme Varnier, Marlis Petersen and Julia Leznevha; on the other hand Ingela Brimberg*, John Osborn*, François Lis*, Henriette Bonde-Hansen* and Blandine Staskiewicz*.

Raoul de Nangis is interpreted alternately by two American tenors, Eric Cutler making his début at la Monnaie and in the role, and John Osborn* who made his début at la Monnaie as Eduardo di Ravenswood in Lucia di Lammermoor, in April 2009.
After the creation of Yvonne, princesse de Bourgogne, the French soprano Mireille Delunsch is coming back for her début in the role of Valentine. The soprano Ingela Brimberg* is making her début at La Monnaie.
The French basses Jérôme Varnier, for his début at la Monnaie, and François Lis* who made his début at la Monnaie last season as Alidoro (La Cenerentola), before taking up the role of Jupiter (Platée) in April 2010, interpret the character of Marcel.
The Queen Marguerite de Valois is embodied by the German soprano Marlis Petersen, highly acclaimed Aphrodite in Phaedra (Henze), and the Danish soprano Henriette Bonde-Hansen* who is back for her début in the role and made her début at la Monnaie as Arminda in La Finta giardinierain March.
Urbain is sung by the very young Russian soprano Julia Leznevha, who is making her début at la Monnaie and in this role, as well as by the French mezzo-soprano Blandine Staskiewicz* who made her début in 2008 as Enrico in the concert version of Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra.

The French baryton Philippe Rouillon is the Comte de Saint-Bris, the Canadian baryton Jean-François Lapointe plays the Comte de Nevers. The French ténors Arnaud Rouillon andXavier Rouillon are respectively De Retz and Cossé, the French ténor Avi KlembergTavannes, the French Baryton Marc Labonnette and the French bass Frédéric Catoninterpret Thoré and Méru.

The Dame d’honneur is interpreted by Camille Merckx and the Coryphée by Tineke van Ingelgem. They sing also two Bohémiennes. Maurevert is interpreted byRonan Collett and Bois-rosé by Olivier Dumait. Both sing also two Moines. Marta Beretta,Françoise Renson, Birgitte Bønding et Adrienne Visser (jeunes filles catholiques), Marc Coulon (un valet), Jacques Does (un archet), Alain-Pierre Wingelinckx (un étudiant) etCharles de Keyser (un moine) complete the cast.

Conductor – Marc Minkowski
Director – Olivier Py
Set design and costumes – Pierre-André Weitz

Lighting – Bertrand Killy
Chorus master – Martino Faggiani
Orchestre symphonique de la Monnaie
Chœurs de la Monnaie

PERFORMANCES |
11, 14*, 15, 17*, 21*, 23, 24*, 28* & 30 June 2011 | 6:00 p.m.
19 & 26 June 2011 | 3pm
De Munt | La Monnaie