If you’re wondering what you’re going to do now that the end of year festivities are over, here is a round-up of some of the Monaco concerts and shows that will staged over the first few months of 2019.
Airnadette, Salle Prince Pierre, Grimaldi Forum, 11 January
Airnadette perform rock musicals without instruments. In their shows, the talented airband culture zap through a juxtaposed soundscape of some of the biggest hits of the last few decades, with classic lines from films, TV shows, commercials and political speeches thrown in. Le Pire Contre-Attaque (The Worst Counter-Attack) sees them journeying through time and space to find a missing member of the band.
The band members are masters of lip-sync and comedy. They have enthralled audiences in their native France and beyond with their fast-paced, zany performances since 2008. If you’re looking for extraordinary entertainment, go and see their Monaco show.
Delgrès, live session, Grimaldi Forum, 28 March
Paris-based trio Delgrès play Creole blues with an urban twist to convey messages that defend the human cause. The band takes its name from Louis Delgrès, a mixed-race officer who fought against the return of slavery to Guadeloupe in 1802.
Pascal Danae, the band’s founder and lead vocalist, plays the dobro guitar. He is flanked by drummer and backing vocalist Baptiste Brondy and sousaphone player Rafgee.
With his former band Rivière Noire, Pascal Danae triumphed in the Best World Music Album category in 2015 at the prestigious French Victoires de la Musique awards. He has worked with numerous stars, including Neneh Cherry, Peter Gabriel, Gilberto Gil and Youssou N’Dour and Morcheeba. The Monaco concert is free, but booking is recommended.
Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival, Espace Fontvieille, 17-27 January
The 43rd edition of the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival will bring together more than 150 artists from 15 countries in the permanent big top in Fontvieille.
As usual, the performers will be hoping to take away a prestigious Gold, Silver or Bronze Clown award, which reward the most impressive acts.
During this colourful highlight of Monaco’s entertainment calendar, look out for Russia’s dazzling Royal Circus, which brings together 68 dancers and artists dressed in haute couture, and the National Acrobatic Troupe of China. For those who love to see what the complicity between humans and animals can achieve, five bison will be performing with Marcel Kremer, one of Germany’s most highly reputed animal trainers. British lion trainer Martin Lacey Jr, who won the Gold Clown in Monaco in 2010, will be back to amaze audiences with his beautiful felines.
On Saturday 19 January, between 3pm and 4pm, the Open Door Circus Festival is an opportunity to watch the animals rehearsing. Admission is free.
Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi, Opéra de Monte-Carlo, 25, 27, 29, 31 January
This co-production by the Opéra de Monte-Carlo and Opéra-Théâtre de Metz takes the opera Giuseppe Verdi composed at the age of 80 to the stage of the beautiful Salle Garnier. Falstaff is based on Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor and was premiered at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala in 1893. It was first performed at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo in 1919. Monaco’s famous opera company created its own production in 2010, which was lauded by the press. January’s performances are conducted by Maurizio Benini, with Nicola Alaimo in the role of Sir John Falstaff. Both are familiar faces in the world’s most prestigious opera houses.
Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, Auditorium Rainier III, 3 February
French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet will perform works by Claude Debussy, Edvard Grieg and Igor Stravinsky, conducted by Kazuki Yamada, artistic and musical director of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra. Jean-Yves Thibaudet has played with numerous orchestras around the world, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Orchestre National de France. He has also performed for several films, including Atonement, which won an Academy Award for Best Original Soundtrack.
Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Grimaldi Forum, 25-28 April
The two creations that the Ballets de Monte-Carlo will take to the stage of the Grimaldi Forum’s Salle des Princes in April are the result of a prestigious collaboration over several months. Jean-Christophe Maillot, director and choreographer of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo since 1993, invited Goyo Montero, the multi-award-winning director and principal choreographer of the Ballet of Nuremberg, to work with his dancers in their Monaco studio. Expect an inspirational Monaco show.
To visit Monaco apartments for sale around the Principality’s entertainment venues, please contact us.
