We left at the interval...

La Monnaie, Brussels, Sunday February 08 2026 Conductor: Alain Altinoglu. Production and sets: Thaddeus Strassberger. Costumes: Giuseppe Palella. Lighting: Driscoll Otto. Videos: Greg Emetaz. Benvenuto Cellini: John Osborn. Giacomo Balducci: Tijl Faveyts. Fieramosca: Jean-Sébastien Bou. Le Pape Clément VII: Ante Jerkunica. Francesco: Luis Aguilar. Bernardino: Leander Carlier. Pompeo: Gabriele Nani. Cabaretier: Yves Saelens. Teresa: Ruth Iniesta. Ascanio: Florence Losseau. La Monnaie Orchestra and Chorus. La Monnaie youth choir. Photos: Simon Van Rompay/La Monnaie The last time I saw Benevenuto Cellini , it was in Terry Gilliam’s production at the Bastille , in 2018. It was busy. I quote: ‘For the first time ever in my opera-going career, as far as I can remember, I had the unlikely and illogical feeling that the music was drowned in the action, crowded out, overwhelmed…’ In other words, it was ‘Hugely busy, overwhelmingly and distractingly and unnecessarily busy, like some gigantic, hi...

ONP Bastille, Monday March 26 2018 Conductor: Philippe Jordan. Production: Terry Gilliam with Leah Hausman. Choreography: Leah Hausman. Sets: Terry Gilliam, Aaron Marsden. Costumes: Katrina Lindsay. Lighting: Paule Constable. Video: Finn Ross. Benvenuto Cellini: John Osborn. Giacomo Balducci: Maurizio Muraro. Fieramosca: Audun Iversen. Le Pape Clément VII: Marco Spotti. Francesco: Vincent Delhoume. Bernardino: Luc Bertin-Hugault. Pompeo: Rodolphe Briand. Cabaretier: Se-Jin Hwang. Teresa: Pretty Yende. Ascanio: Michèle Losier. Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra National de Paris. People who go to the cinema will know better than I what Terry Gilliam's work looks like - his visual identity. I did once see Brazil on TV, or parts of it at any rate, and hated every second. From what I've read, however, it would seem this production of Benvenuto Cellini is more like his Adventures of Baron Munchausen, and certainly in some respects the visuals were reminiscent of the animate...