Brussels’ cultural
life as a scene is linguistically split between French and Flemish
and is booming, despite of a lack of funding partly caused by the
language divide. Obviously, some the art forms cross all language
boundaries.
French-Belgian cinema came to prominence during 1994, with Jan
Bucquoy’s hilarious La Vie Sexuelle des Belges,
while the more serious Flemish film, Daens (1992),
directed by Stijn Coninx, was nominated Best
Foreign Film at the 1992 Oscars.
Contemporary dance came into its own in the 1980s, thanks to Flemish
choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker (Rosas
Company) and Wim Vandekeybus (Ultima Vez Company).
Theatre is celebrated annually during the Kunstenfestivaldesarts
(telephone number: (02) 7022 2199 or (02) 219 0707) in
May.
Opera is performed at the prestigious Théâtre
Royal de la Monnaie, Place de la Monnaie (telephone number:
(02) 229 1211, website: www.lamonnaie.be),
where the rousing performance of an Auber opera
provoked the audience into starting the Belgian revolution in 1830.
Notable touring companies to perform here include the RSC
and Comédie Française.
The principal cross-cultural venue is the Victor Horta-designed
Palais des Beaux Arts, Rue Ravenstein 23 (telephone
number: (02) 507 8200), which hosts major temporary art exhibitions,
French theatrical productions, classical and contemporary dance,
classical music and the finals for the internationally renowned
Queen Elizabeth music competition. The Cirque
Royal, Rue de l’Enseignement 81 (telephone number: (02)
218 2015), allows for varied performances in the round, including
classical music, dance, opera and musicals. The Halles de
Schaerbeek, Rue Royale Sainte-Marie 22A (telephone number:
(02) 227 5960), hosts large-scale operatic, dance and theatrical
performances and pop acts. Flemish-language theatre and contemporary
dance is well represented at the neo-Baroque Koninklijke
Vlaamse Schouwberg or Royal Flemish Theatre,
Rue de Laeken 146 (telephone number: (02) 412 7070 or 412 7050).
The ‘What’s On’ section of English-language
Bulletin, the Wednesday pull-out section of Le
Soir and the ‘Agenda’ section
of the Brussel Deze Week free newspaper, available
every Thursday, all provide cultural listings.
Information and tickets are available at the Brussels
Tourist Office, Hôtel de Ville, Grand-Place (telephone
number: (02) 513 8940) and the Fnac store at the
City 2 shopping complex, Rue Neuve (telephone number: (02) 275 1111).
The Fnac booking line (telephone number: (0900) 00600) is for concert,
theatre and exhibition theatre tickets. Ticket prices are usually
priced around €13–70 for dance and theatre performances,
anything from €15–90 for opera and approximately €6
for tickets to the cinema.
Music
The national opera house, at the Théâtre
Royal de la Monnaie, Place du Monnaie (telephone number: (02)
229 1211), continues to excel. With only 1200 seats, it is best
for visitors to book well in advance. For Flemish opera, one should
take a trip to Vlaamse
Opera, Van Ertbornstraat 8, Antwerp (telephone number: (03)
233 6685), or Ghent’s Schouwburg Straat 3
(telephone number: (09) 225 2425). The Palais des Beaux
Arts, Rue Ravenstein 23 (telephone number: (02) 507 8200),
is home to the National
Orchestra and Philharmonic Society, which organises
most of the major concerts in Brussels. The season, annually consisting
of over 350 concerts, from September to June.
In addition to the major venues, there is the intimate Conservatoire
Royal de Musique, Rue de la Régence 30 (telephone
number: (02) 513 4587), which is tailor-made for chamber recitals.
The auditorium at Musée d’Art Ancien,
Rue de la Régence 3 (telephone number: (02) 508 3211), hosts
lunchtime concerts held on Wednesday, from Autumn to Easter.
Theatre
There are over 30 theatres in located in Brussels. The leading French-language
Théâtre National, lost its home at
the Centre Rogier (currently being demolished) and has taken up
temporary residence in a disused Art Deco cinema palace at Boulevard
Anspach 85 (telephone number: (02) 203 5303). Here aficionados can
find polished renditions of the classical European theatre. A permanent
venue for the National Theatre is at Boulevard Emile Jacqmain. The
main Flemish theatre, Kaaitheater (telephone number:
(02) 201 5959) has two locations, Kaaitheater,
Place Sainctelette 20 and Kaaitheater Studios,
Rue Notre-Dame de Sommeil 81. Innovative productions are performed
in French at the Théâtre le Public,
Rue Braemt 64–70 (telephone number: (02) 223 2966), while
literary discussions and readings take place at the Théâtre-Poème,
Rue d’Ecosse 30 (telephone number: (02) 538 6358). The American
Theatre Company (e-mail: actbrussels@yahoo.com)
is an English-language theatre group located in Brussels, staging
performances at The Studio Theatre, Rue Waelhem
73, Schaerbeek (telephone number: (02) 242 4905).
The one venue not to be missed is the Théâtre
de Toone, Impasse Schuddeveld 6, Petite Rue de Bouchers
21 (telephone number: (02) 511 7137), where classics such as Faust
and King Lear are performed by marionettes manipulated
by 7 puppeteers. Performances are in French (peppered with the local
dialect), Flemish and occasionally in English. It is housed in a
17th century pub and offers a good range of local beers.
Dance
De Keersmaecker’s Rosas Company is closely linked to the Théâtre
Royal de la Monnaie, Place de la Monnaie (telephone number:
(02) 229 1211), while the works of radical choreographers, also
contemporary music and avant-garde theatre are often staged at the
Kaaitheater, Place Sainctelette 20 (telephone number:
(02) 201 5959), and Koninklijke
Vlaamse Schouwburg (Royal Flemish Theatre), Rue de Laeken 146
(telephone number: (02) 412 7070 or 412 7050).
Alternative music, dance and theatre is performed at the trendy
Beursschouwdurg, Rue de la Caserne 37 (telephone
number: (02) 513 8290). Although contemporary dance is extremely
strong in Brussels, there is no dedicated dance venues. An interest
in classical dance is best pursued at the Royal
Ballet of Flanders in Antwerp.
Film
About 50 per cent of films are shown in English (‘VO’
– version originale), with French and Flemish subtitles. Programmes
change every Wednesday. Hollywood blockbusters are shown at the
12-screen, ultra-modern UGC De Brouckère,
Place de Brouckère 38 (telephone number: (0900) 10440). The
cinema also puts on children’s films every Sunday morning
at 1100 hrs for only €1.60 per person (standard rates are €6.60).
State-of-the-art Kinepolis, Boulevard du Centenaire 20, Bruparck
(telephone number: (0900) 00555), boasts 28 auditoriums and Europe’s
largest IMAX screen. The centrally located Actors Studio,
Petite Rue des Bouchers 16 (telephone number: (02) 512 1696) specialises
in arthouse cinema.
Cultural
events
Each year, Brussels is at the heart of a lively cultural calendar,
including the arts festival, Kunstenfestivaldesarts,
in May, and the spectacular Ommegang procession
in early July. The origins of the traditional Ommegang pageant are
rooted in the 13th century, when aristocrats, the nobility and master
guildsmen paid homage to the sovereign in a solemn procession today,
a lively procession recreates the medieval event.
Literary
Notes
Brussels sheltered Karl Marx in exile and it was
here that he wrote the Communist Manifesto during
February 1848. Victor Hugo was temporarily protected
at Place des Barricades 4, before being exiled once again for protesting
against the government’s ban on refugees.
Perhaps the best literary ambassador of Brussels is the boy reporter,
Tintin, created by Hergé (Georges Remy,
1907–1983). Brussels-born Jacques Brel,
the celebrated singer-songwriter of Ne Me Quitte Pas/Don’t
Leave Me (1959), has been adopted by the French as their
own, as have detective writer Georges Simenon, Marguerite
Yourcenar and other Belgian luminaries. But Belgium developed
its own national literary identity during the Symbolist movement
and writers like Emile Verhaeren, Charles Van Lerberghe
and Nobel Prize-winner Maurice Maeterlinck, created
a misty, dreamy ambience for Art Nouveau Brussels. This taste for
the fantastic and otherworldly, hidden in the hearts of staid Brussels
burghers, was continued by Henri Michaux and the
surreal visions of Magritte and Delvaux. Belgians
have commandeered the Francophone comic book industry – Hergé
is just the tip of the iceberg – proof that Belgians do whimsy
and goofy charm far better than some of the French. For a British
take on Brussels, readers should try the modern bestseller, Travels
as a Brussels Scout (1997), by London-born author Nick
Middleton. |
