Title: Bovary
Composer: Harold Noben
Librettist: Michael De Cock, based on Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Conductor: Debora Waldman
Stage Director: Carme Portaceli
Assistant Director: Ricard Soler Mallol
Set & Costume Design: Marie Szersnovicz
Choreography: Ferran Carvajal
Dramaturgy: Marie Mergeay
Lighting: Dimitry Stuyven
Chorus Master: Jori Klomp
Cast:
- Emma Bovary: Ana Naqe
- Charles Bovary: Oleg Volkov
- Berthe: Blandine Coulon
Orchestra & Chorus: La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Production: La Monnaie / De Munt, KVS, Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles, Teatre Nacional de Catalunya
Recording: April 2025
Streaming platform: YouTube
Access: Free streaming
✨ About the performance
La Monnaie presents the world premiere of Bovary, a contemporary opera based on Gustave Flaubert’s groundbreaking 1856 novel Madame Bovary. With music by Belgian composer Harold Noben and a libretto by playwright and director Michael De Cock, this one-act opera delves into the emotional and psychological landscape of Emma Bovary — a woman whose desire for love, freedom, and meaning clashes with the social and moral expectations of her time.
Directed by Carme Portaceli and conducted by Debora Waldman, Bovary explores a familiar story through modern musical language and theatrical interpretation. The opera portrays Emma’s journey from restless longing to self-destruction, with a score described as accessible and emotionally charged. The libretto, crafted as a dramatic quasi-monologue, reinforces the intimate and internal nature of the narrative.
🔍 Overview: Harold Noben & Michael De Cock
Harold Noben is a Belgian composer and pianist based in Brussels. A versatile musician, he has written chamber, orchestral, and vocal works for a variety of ensembles, including the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège and the 12 Cellists of the Berliner Philharmoniker. In 2020, La Monnaie premiered his chamber opera À l’extrême bord du monde, and he was recently awarded the 2024 composition residency prize from the Fondation des Treilles. Noben is also director of the Jean-Jacques Gailliard Academy of Fine Arts in Saint-Gilles.
Michael De Cock is a Belgian writer, director, and current director of the KVS (Royal Flemish Theatre). Known for adapting literary works for the stage, he previously worked on a theatre version of Madame Bovary with Carme Portaceli before transforming it into an opera libretto. His writing often explores human complexity and social issues through deeply personal lenses.
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