Guillaume Andrieux & Stéphane Degout in premiere of La Dispute

Albane Carrère & Guillaume Andrieux

The last time that we featured French barihunk Stéphane Degout on this site, he was baring it all for a performance as Hamlet at the Theater an der Wien. Now he's in Brussels for composer Benoît Mernier’s second opera La Dispute, which was commissioned by the Théâtre de la Monnaie. The opera is based on the comedic play by the French dramatist Marivaux and explores the inconsistencies of love and wondering if they stem from men or women. Upon its premiere in 1744, the play was considered a funny, erotic and cruel masterpiece by critics, but received poorly by the public.

Degout is joined in the cast by a barihunk new to this site, French singer Guillaume Andrieux as Mesrin.

Stéphane Degout

The opera's plot centers around the burning philosophical issue of infidelity and a diabolical experiment that brings together four youngsters raised in isolation from the world. Before our eyes, they discover love and their first betrayals. For this work, the Belgian composer collaborated closely with the librettists Ursel Herrmann and Joël Lauwers. This gave him the opportunity to again grapple with the awakening of desire which was a theme in his first opera Frühlings Erwachen from 2007.

Performances run from March 5-19 and tickets are available online.