Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Liège
Founded in 1967, the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège is situated on the border between France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Germany. Due to its geographical location and its high-quality scheduling, it attracts a demanding, and increasingly large, international audience.
Its reputation is constantly growing too, thus attracting internationally renowned artists and prestigious conductors: Ruggero Raimondi, Juan Diego Florez, José Cura, Rolando Villazon, James Morris, José Van Dam, Patrizia Ciofi, Marianna Cornetti, Simone Alaimo, Daniele Gatti, Riccardo Muti, Claudio Scimone, Paolo Arrivabeni – currently Musical Director –, Alberto Zedda and Patrick Davin, to name but a few.
In its scheduling, Italy, the cradle of opera, occupies a choice position. Works stemming from the 19th century repertoire (with Verdi and Puccini topping the bill) occupy a major place on the schedule, but its vocation of discovery also pushes the Opéra Royal de Liège towards the lesser known repertoire of the 18th century, with composers such as Cherubini, Cimarosa and Grétry.
The Opéra Royal de Liège also tackles demanding operas such as Der Ring des Nibelungen in its entirety, Mefistofele, Samson et Dalila, Messa da Requiem, Lucrezia Borgia, Ariadne auf Naxos, Arabella and Boris Godounov.
With an impressive orchestra which excels at various operatic styles and a chorus which has mastered a broad repertoire, the institution is recognised unanimously by the audience, the specialist critics and the professional world, recognition which has earned it an invitation to the Baalbeck International Festival and, next July, the Santander International Festival.
