Éric Brucher's libretto turns on a young woman caught in a twilight zone between life and death. There she meets other people in a kind of transitional state, all of whom are acutely conscious of taking their leave of the world. Thus, Brucher references the corona crisis that has forced many families to bid farewell to their loved-ones amid the very limited possibilities afforded by the pandemic.
The staging of this “pop requiem” is the work of Ingrid von Wantoch Rekowski, who contrasts the live action on stage with film sequences shot inside the theatre and then integrated into the live performance.
During a rehearsal for Is This The End? just a few days before the premiere, the Belgian conductor Patrick Davin suffered a fatal heart attack. With the consent of his family, La Monnaie is to dedicate its production to the memory of this internationally acclaimed musician. His place at the rostrum will be taken by the Israeli conductor, Ouri Bronchti.
