Day: 3 January 2024

A trailblazer with 15 albums to his name and an enduring career at Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo as well as at the head of the Académie Princesse Grace’s music department, Massimiliano Greco is a prolific and exciting musician who has spent years building up a vast repertoire of compositions within both the classical and contemporary dance spheres.  

Now his hard work and unique talent have been recognised at the Foligno Danza Festival in Italy, where he was recently awarded the prestigious Music and Dance Award 2023.  

Upon receiving the accolade, the noted Monaco-based pianist said, “I am deeply honoured to receive the Music and Dance Award 2023 and I’d like to say thank you to all people in the dance world for the great inspiration I received in many years working together.” 

According to a spokesperson for the event, the prize is a celebration of a career that has been “marked by a profound dedication to enriching the dance world”. 

Greco continued his acceptance speech by saying, “It is a testament to the power of collaboration between music and dance, and I am humbled to have played a role in this artistic fusion. This recognition only fuels my passion for creating music that moves the soul and inspires the body. I am dedicated to continuing this journey of artistic exploration, pushing boundaries, and nurturing the beautiful relationship between music and dance.”

Click here to read more about Greco’s impressive musical career.

Join the Monaco Life community – the largest English media in the Principality.   

Sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

Photo supplied

Part love affair and part political alliance, the story of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra is one that has intrigued and fascinated generation after generation for more than 2,000 years. It was transformed into a dramma per musica by George Frideric Handel in the 18th century, and now is coming to Monaco for four performances at the end of January.  

First performed on a London stage in 1724, at the King’s Theatre of Haymarket, Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto was a popular opera for the next decade, but fell out of favour somewhat until it was rediscovered by the avid opera community in the 1970s.

A star-studded cast and team

Now Davide Livermore has taken the tale on, reimagining it for a Monaco audience with the support of conductor Gianluca Capuano and the Opéra de Monte-Carlo’s very own director, Cecilia Bartoli, who is set to hold one of the lead roles as Cleopatra. Countertenor Carlo Vistoli will star as Julius Caesar. 

See more: Interview: Cecilia Bartoli on taking the Opéra de Monte-Carlo to new heights

“My point of reference is always the score, and only the score, so the first thing I do is study the music,” says Livermore of the new production. “My job is to understand the intentions of the composer and librettist, and then translate it into a form that speaks to a modern audience. An artist always communicates with the people around him… so if Handel or Verdi presented things to their own audience, I have to find a way of telling mine what they had imparted to theirs and why.” 

The three-act opera depicts the treacherously romantic relationship between Caesar and the notorious Egyptian queen, and takes place during the Roman Civil War of 49BCE and 45BCE. 

It follows a young Cleopatra on her quest to depose her brother to become Queen of Egypt, and Caesar’s part in helping her get there.  

Giulio Cesare in Egitto will be performed on 24th, 26th, 28th and 30th January. A gala night will coincide with the opening performance.  

For reservations and more information, click here. 

Join the Monaco Life community – the largest English media in the Principality.   

Sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

Photo source: Stephanie Klepacki, Unsplash

Artist Houda Bakkali is launching a new exhibit called ‘Monaco with Heart’, combining her signature mix of virtual and the physical to create a unique show of art.

Houda Bakkali’s artworks, boasting bursts of colour and inventiveness, are intended to make her audience give pause. Her latest show, an ode to one of her favourite places in the world and called ‘Monaco with Heart’, is no exception.

Already previewed at private events during the holiday season, the public will now have the chance to enjoy these new pieces both in person as well as virtually.

Bakkali, who calls this exhibition her “fetish work” has been hard at work putting the finishing touches on the show and is now ready to take it to a wider audience.

“I have been working on this for several months and I have finally been able to present it in the place where it was born and where it belongs,” she said. “This series reflects my passion and my connection with Monaco. Here I presented my first work in augmented reality in the first contemporary art salon after confinement in 2020. Some of my most representative works are inspired by Monaco. And here I have exhibited on many occasions at public and private events. Monaco has been part of my career, my inspiration and my personal life since I was a child, since some of my best friends and some of the best hosts of my work are here.”

HER CREATIVE PROCESS

‘Monaco with Heart’ was created as a trilogy that “pays tribute to colour, feminine beauty, the joyful spirit and the dolce vita that Monaco inspires”.

The optimism shines through, and was made using perky themes such as flowers, polka dots, and the Mediterranean Sea to convey a joyful spirit, in what the artist calls “a life designed to be lived with harmony but also with intensity, in the purest Monegasque style, with its sunny days and nights of good friends.”

DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES

The artist has not limited herself in how art can be presented. She embraces innovative technologies, like the use of virtual spaces, whilst respecting traditional processes and techniques.

“Digital art is no longer a trend, it is a reality that is here to stay and that finds its place more and more every day,” says Bakkali. “Public and private institutions are committed to the combination of new technologies and art. The public can experience the potential of digital tools in immersive exhibitions and artists see how new possibilities open up to create and display our works.

“In 2024 I will have the opportunity and honour to develop several projects in this regard in Monaco and bring the public closer to these new technologies through the addictive power of art. Not only with my new series ‘Monaco with Heart’, also through other of my most recognised works.”

Her ambition for 2024 is to reach people far and wide, with the hope she can take this show on the road, with exhibitions in Asia, Latin America, the United States, the UAE and other parts of Europe.

Houda Bakkali also has an upcoming event this month at the Alliance Française for their 40^th anniversary celebrations and other shows planned in Paris, Geneva and Italy.

Join the Monaco Life community – the largest English media in the Principality.  Sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter, and follow us on  Facebook, Instagram , LinkedIn  and Tik Tok.

Main photo: Houda Bakkali inside her augmented reality artwork ‘The Party’; supplied.