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Month: January 2024

Basketball: Roca Team gears up for a busy January after rollercoaster results on court

by: Niki Borisova
04/01/2024

AS Monaco Basket ended 2023 with a win, but lost out to tough opponents Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in the EuroLeague in their first game of the new year.  

It was a bittersweet end to the year for the Roca Team, who suffered defeat to Panathinaikos in the EuroLeague on 20th December with a final score sheet of 90-91 despite strong performances from Alpha Diallo and Mike James.  

Then came a more positive pitting against FC Bayern Munich on 22nd December, which the Monaco side won fairly comfortably –  80-91 – thanks James’ 28 points and Elie Okobo’s 19. 

Next was a Betclic Elite away game against Boulogne-Levallois on 26th December. That ended in victory for the Roca Team, with a score of 77-85 and standout performances from Okobo, who contributed 20 points and eight assists, and Matthew Strazel, with 21 points.   

Then it was time for the final game of the year; a EuroLeague fixture at home in Monaco against FC Barcelona that the Monegasque side won with relative ease (91-70). The game featured a stellar offensive and defensive display led by a dynamic duo in the form of James and Diallo.  

INTO 2024 

The new year began with a EuroLeague game against fearsome opponents Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv at the Bloomfield Stadium in Israel. AS Monaco finished 10 points behind their rivals: 93-83.  

Despite the defeat, the team’s performance was commendable. On each side of the court, James and Maccabi’s Bonzie Colson both stood out with 27 points apiece, and the game was marked by similarly intense competition throughout. 

UPCOMING HOME GAMES 

AS Monaco’s next EuroLeague fixture at home will be against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on 9th January. The Monegasque side will also play Real Madrid at the Salle Gaston Médecin on 19th January.  

In the French Betclic Elite league, the closest home game will be against Le Mans on 21st January.

For all fixtures, home and away, click here.  

 

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Photo credit: AS Monaco Basket

Mairie de Monaco confirms Georges Marsan’s replacement in light of corruption charges 

by: Elsa Carpenter
03/01/2024
camille svara

Following weeks of silence regarding the mayor’s arrest and subsequent indictment on corruption charges, the Mairie de Monaco has announced that Camille Svara will be replacing Georges Marsan “for an indefinite period”.  

It is almost three weeks since news broke that Georges Marsan, Monaco’s mayor of 20 years who had been elected to office for an unprecedented sixth term in March 2023, had been among six individuals arrested on suspicion of corruption. He reportedly spent 48 hours in police custody between Thursday 14th and Saturday 16th December.  

On the day of his release, a statement made by the General Prosecutor of Monaco was published by the Monaco Matin that confirmed a judicial investigation has been opened “on counts of active corruption against a national public official, passive corruption by a national public official, active influence peddling and passive ‘illegal taking of interest’ by a national public official and criminal association”. 

See more: Monaco Mayor Georges Marsan among five individuals facing corruption charges

Marsan responded via his legal advisor Thomas Brezzo with comments that were similarly released by the French language newspaper:  

“My actions have always been for the benefit of [Monaco’s] citizens, and have always been motivated by the general interest and standing of the Principality of Monaco… I believe I am being subjected to abusive measures and real harassment. I confirm: I have never taken advantage of my position. I cannot wait for my innocence to be proven,” said Marsan through his lawyer. 

MARSAN TO BE FORMALLY REPLACED  

On Wednesday 3rd January, it was announced by the Mairie de Monaco that Camille Svara will be replacing Marsan. 

Svara has been a member of the Municipal Council since 2003 and has previously headed up the Department for Seniors and Social Action as well as the Médiathèque de Monaco. The 67-year-old, who is married with two children, has a Master’s degree in private law, a diploma from the Ecole Nationale des Impôts and is an Officier de l’Ordre de Saint-Charles, one of Monaco’s highest national honours. 

According to the Mairie, Svara has agreed to assume Marsan’s responsibilities at the head of Monaco’s Municipal Council “for an indefinite period”. 

“This provision allows all municipal services to continue their missions and thus guarantee the continuity of municipal public services,” concludes the statement. 

 

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Photo source: Mairie de Monaco

Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo’s Massimiliano Greco honoured with prestigious cultural award

by: Stephanie Horsman
03/01/2024
massimiliano greco

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.

 

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Photo supplied

‘Monaco United’: Free subscriptions to watch AS Monaco Basketball on Skweek

by: Cassandra Tanti
03/01/2024

The Michel Pastor Group is offering free subscriptions to its Skweek broadcasting platform so fans can catch all the action of the Roca Team’s thrilling second half of the European season.

It was announced on Wednesday 3rd January that the Michel Pastor Group, a premium partner of AS Monaco Basketball, is offering fans living in Monaco a subscription plan to Skweek.

Titled ‘Monaco United’, the campaign allows fans of the Principality to watch AS Monaco performances in the Euroleague basketball from the Skweek platform.

“Team spirit, competitiveness, surpassing oneself: these values embodied by the Roca Team for several years were revealed in a striking way last season and are confirmed this season,” said Jean-Baptiste Pastor, Chairman and Managing Director of the Michel Pastor Group. “These values are also ours, and we have applied them within our companies for over 40 years. With this Monaco United program with Groupe Michel Pastor we want to share our passion and this commitment to the team with every Monegasque and Monaco resident, all united behind the Roca Team.”

Fans can create an account and access the free subscription plan via the ‘Monaco United’ option on the website: https://app.skweek.tv/signup.

RELATED ARTICLE:

Interview: Skweek, the burgenoning behemoth of basketball broadcasting

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Main photo by Monaco Life

 

Monaco’s annual citrus harvest is about to begin

by: Niki Borisova
03/01/2024

Did you know that the boulevards and avenues of Monaco are home to more than 1,000 citrus trees? Among them are 580 untreated bitter orange trees or oranges amères that are harvested for their crop by the municipal gardeners of the Principality each winter.  

These trees are spread across the Condamine, Moneghetti and Monte-Carlo districts, and their fruit, known as bigarades, are a distinctive feature of the local landscape. 

HARVEST AND DISTRIBUTION DATES 

Though the schedule of the harvest depends on the weather conditions and the maturity of the crop, the Monegasque government has released a preliminary timeline for the collection and distribution of the several tonnes of bitter oranges that are expected this season.  

In the Condamine neighbourhood, the harvesting will take place on Rue Princesse Caroline from 29th January to 10th February and on Rue Grimaldi from 15th to 26th February. Over in the Moneghetti neighbourhood, the Boulevard de Belgique will see harvest activities from 15th to 26th January.

Meanwhile, the Monte-Carlo neighbourhood will have its harvest on Avenue de Grande Bretagne from 8th to 19th January, on Boulevard de Suisse from 22nd to 26th January, and on Boulevard d’Italie from 29th January to 2nd February. 

Residents interested in obtaining a share of these bitter oranges during the harvest can do so by simply asking the gardeners on-site.

In 2023, just over two tonnes of the total eight-tonne harvest were distributed free of charge to locals and to the Lycée Rainier III, where the bigarades were transformed into delicious jams and jellies by the school’s culinary students. 

For more information, call +377 98 98 22 77. 

 

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Photo credit: Manuel Vitali / Monaco Communications Department 

Opéra de Monte-Carlo’s Cecilia Bartoli to star as Cleopatra in ‘Giulio Cesare in Egitto’

by: Stephanie Horsman
03/01/2024

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. 

 

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Photo source: Stephanie Klepacki, Unsplash