Opéra Royal de Wallonie
en
en

© Opéra Royal de Liège 2018 - Made by Spade

Cast

Libretto by Lilian HELLMAN,
reworked by Hugh WHEELER and John WELLS
Lyrics by Richard WILBUR, John LATOUCHE, Dorothy PARKER, Lilian HELLMAN, Leonard BERNSTEIN.

Production

  • Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège
  • Les Festivals de Wallonie
  • Palais des Beaux-Arts de Charleroi
  • Candide ASBL
  • Rotary Bruxelles-Europe.

Semi-staged version

Realised with the support of the Tax Shelter of  Belgian Federal Government – Casa Kafka Pictures Movie Tax Shelter empowered by Belfius.

Surtitle: FR

The story

Candide immerses himself in the lessons given by the philosopher Pangloss, who teaches that ours is the best of all possible worlds. Driven from the castle for having kissed Cunégonde, he embarks on a journey during which he witnesses dreadful catastrophes at each step. Overwhelmed by the misfortune of the world, Candide decides to “cultivate his garden” in a small farm that he purchases near Venice.

“LET US CULTIVATE OUR GARDEN…”

Candide, ou l’Optimisme is a famous philosophical tale written by Voltaire. This immensely successful work was first published in 1759 and re-published twenty times during the author’s life. The story, telling the initiatory journey of a naïve character, fully draws on the ideas of the Enlightenment where each land and character effusively represents moral, political and philosophical values, themes that did not leave conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein indifferent.

Bernstein is the author of the two most famous masterpieces of American musical theatre: Candide and West Side Story. Whilst the latter explores a version of Romeo & Juliette transposed to New York in the 1950’s, Candide transposes the French tale into a Comic Operetta in which pastiches and allusions to opera and operetta are combined with the widest possible variety of musical genres. Candide offers a fabulous voyage in which Europe is perceived from an American viewpoint in an amusingly sarcastic tone!

Introduction to performances: curtain-raisers

All the opera performances are preceded by an educational introduction open to all. They take place 30 minutes before the start of the performance, in the company of an opera specialist to provide a pertinent presentation of the work.

Distribution

Plan your visit

  • Surtitle

    The Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège offers to its spectators a surtitle in French, Dutch, German and English, for each opera on the bill.

  • Car Parks

    How to come by car?

    Car parks with discounted rate

    Discounted rate of € 6 for performances and concerts featured in our schedules (in the evening from 18.00 to 01.00 and on Sunday from 13.00 to 19.00). A validation terminal is available in the entrance hall of the Opera House (from when the doors opens).

    Neujean car park

    45, Boulevard de la Sauvenière – 4000 Liège, Belgium

    • Mon. to Fri. : open until 1 o’clock in the morning.
    • Sat. and Sun. : open all night.

    Opéra car park

    1, Galerie Opéra – 4000 Liège, Belgium
    Open 24 hours, 7 days a week

    Other car parks nearby

    • Central Park car park : 26, Place Xavier-Neujean - 4000 Liège
    • Saint-Lambert car park : Place Saint-Lambert - 4000 Liège
    • Cathédrale car park : Place de la Cathédrale - 4000 Liège

  • Catering

    For a meal or a drink during an opera or a concert

    Whether you want a drink or a meal (by booking only), the Opera Restaurant, located in the prestigious setting of the Foyer Grétry, welcomes you before each performance when the Theatre’s doors open.

    During the interval, the Foyer Grétry Bar (2nd floor) as well as the Salazar Bar (4th floor) are open for you to relax and quench your thirst.

    For “Opera for All” Young Audience performances and “Discovery concerts”, the Foyer Grétry Bar is open one hour before and at the end of each performance.

    For information and bookings: +32 (0) 499 42 42 62  - lydia-campoccia@hotmail.com – www.leschefsopera.be

    Drink tokens

    Drink tokens are on sale as soon as the doors of the Theatre open on performance days (in the entrance hall and the main stairs) or during the interval (in the Foyer Grétry).

    For reasons of hygiene and cleanliness, it is forbidden to bring drinks and snacks into the building.

     

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