72 minutes of pure orchestral drama — church acoustics included.
The latest edition of the Festival International de Colmar opens with an exceptional performance from the Orchestre Symphonique du Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie de Bruxelles, conducted by Alain Altinoglu. After Wagner's Prelude to Lohengrin, baritone Stéphane Degout sings Mahler's Songs of a Wandering Companion. The evening at Saint-Matthieu church closes with César Franck's Symphony in D minor, a jewel from the repertoire of the late 19th century.
Direction
Nathan Benisty captures church architecture as performance partner.
Sound
Saint-Matthieu's natural reverb becomes the uncredited soloist.
Acting
Stéphane Degout's voice carries whole lifetimes of wandering.
Director
Nathan Benisty
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Festival International de Colmar, founded in 1980, has become France's premier classical music broadcast event, with this church setting continuing its tradition of unconventional venues.
Altinoglu, now music director at La Scala, programmed Franck's D minor specifically to showcase the Monnaie orchestra's distinctive French-Belgian orchestral tradition — less German weight, more luminous transparency.
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