La Passion de Gilles
On purge bébé will be opera number 8.5 for Philippe Boesmans at La Monnaie. It crowns an artistic collaboration of just under forty years. A brief overview.
#1 La Passion de Gilles
Former La Monnaie director Gerard Mortier laid the foundation of Boesmans’ opera career. He commissioned Philippe Boesmans for La Passion de Gilles (1983) in the early 1980s. Based on the story of the “French Bluebeard” Gilles de Rais, the opera was performed nine times to sold-out audiences. Then, unexpectedly, the decision was made to add one more performance. The interest in this dernière was so massive that the audience even occupied the side stairs – unprecedented for a new creation.