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.

Rome, 1532. Pope Clement VII has tasked the sculptor Benvenuto Cellini with creating a bronze statue of Perseus before the end of carnival. Seeking fame and fortune, the latter accepts the commission, even though his workshop is short on both time and metal. On top of that, Cellini is head over heels in love with Teresa, the daughter of the Pope’s treasurer, Balducci, who for his part is intent on marrying his daughter to Fieramosca, Cellini’s rival in love and art. When the young lovers’ attempt to elope fails, Cellini has no choice but to carry out his task successfully if he wants to avoid certain death… Alain Altinoglu is the ideal conductor for this richly coloured masterpiece, to be staged for the first time at La Monnaie. Director Thaddeus Strassberger is bound to enchant the audience with a colourful show worthy of the finest Carnival celebrations!