Orchestral conductor Patrick Davin collapsed and died yesterday at the Monnaie opera house in Brussels, just as he was about to begin a rehearsal for a new work, the theatre announced.
Davin, aged 58, was about to begin a rehearsal of the multi-media work Is this the end? which was scheduled to open the new season at the Monnaie.
“To our great dismay we wish to share with you the extremely sad news that conductor Patrick Davin has passed away this afternoon, shortly before the start of a rehearsal for the opera Is this the end?,” artistic director Peter De Caluwe said in a press release.
“Musicians, singers and employees of the Monnaie are in shock and the planned rehearsals were immediately cancelled. The thoughts of the directors and employees of La Monnaie currently go out to the family and next of kin of Patrick Davin.”
The Paris conservatoire posted on Twitter: “It is with shock and immense sadness that we learned of the disappearance of Patrick Davin. He was a friend of the Conservatoire who was greatly appreciated by everyone during orchestral sessions for his high standards, his great kindness and his great musical qualities.”
Davin was born in 1962 in Huy in Liege province, and studied piano and violin at the Liege conservatory, before studying in Toulouse. His teachers included Pierre Boulez and the Hungarian Peter Eötvös.
He was recently named director of music at the Liege conservatory, his alma mater.
As a conductor, his works tended towards the modern, and he was responsible for the first performances of many new works.
The work currently in preparation at the Monnaie, Is This The End?, is a work bringing together opera, cinema and live performance. It remains unclear whether the season opener, scheduled for Saturday, can still go ahead.
Alan Hope
The Brussels Times
