Cultural Compass: Heartbreak at the opera, Open Monument Day, outdoor music and more

After a summer full of outdoor music festivals, the museums, theatres and opera houses are opening the curtains and getting ready to take the spotlight back for the season. Exhibitions, music, architecture, books, festivals… this is Belga English's pick of cultural activities in Flanders and Brussels, published every Sunday.

Puccini’s heart-breaking love story Madama Butterfly is one of opera’s cornerstones and a perfect main stage piece to launch Opera Ballet Vlaanderen’s 2024/2025 season. Cio-Cio San, nicknamed Butterly, falls in love with and marries an American naval officer who then returns to the United States. Left alone and expecting their child, Butterfly faces the agony of abandonment that is even more pronounced when her husband returns to Japan years later with an American woman. As with most of Puccini’s operas, the ending is tragic.

Instead of using typical westernised Japanese imagery as has been the tradition for this opera, ​ Argentinian director Mariano Pensotti has opted to focus on the elements of the story that are applicable in every culture such as the identity of oneself and identity through the eyes of others. Through muted themes of black and white, he and the creative team bring a modern feel to this new production. The opera plays in Antwerp from 16 to 24 September and then moves to Ghent from 4 to 16 October.

^©OBV

Open Monument Day celebrates its 36th year on 8 September with more than 800 monuments throughout Flanders opening their doors to the public. The theme this year, En route! focuses on how people and ideas are always on the move, along centuries-old routes over land, rail or water. The more than 1100 free activities lead visitors on guided tours, workshops, bike rides and more.

Open Monument Day is organised in Flanders by the heritage organisation Herita which manages, restores and opens valuable historical sites in Flanders to the public.

Leuven is the host city this year and is giving visitors a last chance to visit the imposing town hall before it closes for five years for extensive renovation work. Some events and buildings require prior registration.

Two weeks of spectacular events are filling the centre of Antwerp following the re-opening of the Rubens House gardens and new reception area. While the famed house itself still faces five years of renovation, there is cause to celebrate the first instalment’s completion, and that celebration includes incredible musical talent. Heavy metal, pop, rock, electronic, dance and the premiere of a composition from two musicians who stayed in Rubens House to compose this new piece for this opening. They will perform their new work live in the historic garden as an ode to the master painter.

The picturesque Citizens’ Garden is a place of refuge amid the bustling European Quarter in Brussels. As part of the former home of Belgian artist, Antoine Wiertz, this serene spot has become the host to weekly outdoor concerts. From Monday to Thursday, classical ensembles fill the air with music that can be enjoyed among the flowers and sculptures. Wiertz once held soirées in this very spot and during the 19th century.

The programme for the first week of September features the Polish Cello Quartet performing Frédéric Chopin on Monday. Tuesday offers a violin recital with music by Johann Sebastian Bach and Sergei Prokofiev. On Wednesday will be a recital of bassoon and flute performances with music by Michel Blavet, Ludwig van Beethoven and Heitor Villa-Lobos. Finally, a harp and guitar duo will perform on Thursday.

A bit further south in Brussels, the Fiesta Latina will provide an entirely different atmosphere. This lively festival has Flamenco, salsa, wrestling, mariachis, fire eaters, food trucks with delicacies from the four corners of Latin America and more. This festive event will transform the Bois de la Cambre into a vibrant Latin American carnival on 6, 7 and 8 September.

DE SINGEL’s season opens with a bang with the State of the Union and the State of the Youth with TheaterFestival. From 5 to 15 September, performances spanning theatre, circus, dance and more will represent the current state of affairs of the cultural world coming together in Antwerp.

The lineup goes beyond the status quo and calls power into question. Language barriers, identity and questioning cultural and physical borders are some of the topics audiences will encounter. Artists such as Loucka Elie Fiagan bring together poetry, dance, music and video while actress, director and producer Iman Aoun brings her expertise in direction and production. She is also the co-founder of ASTHAR Theatre - the first theatre school for young people in Palestine.

Additional cultural coverage from Belga this week includes: New tourist experiences at Mechelen bring Burgundian Renaissance back to life, Art & History Museum in Brussels to open 12 renovated rooms, Antwerp promotes local performing arts scene with new campaign, Panamarenko House in Antwerp gains provisional monument status,

Ongoing events

Whats the Story? KMSKA
​​Come Closer, Middleheim
​​​5,000 cultural objects from the DR Congo, MAS​
​Jean-Michel Folon, A Journey in Brussels ​
​To Antartica, The Polar Pioneers of the Belgica, MAS
​The Lives of Animals, M KHA

^{​​#FlandersNewsService | KMSKA © BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS}