Over the past 10 years, Ictus and Le Concert d’Astrée have set their stamp on the Lille Opera, attracting a public of unconditional supporters who come out in droves to attend their concerts and productions. From the very first note, they know how to create a unique atmosphere. To celebrate the 10th anniversary since its reopening, the Opera invites them to share the same stage for two exceptional anniversary evenings.

In the first half, with the premiere of a short opera by Helmut Oehring, the two ensembles bury the hatchet and come together to serve a dream team of singers. The founding work from which the opera derives its plot, Monteverdi’s _Orfeo_, here will be mixed by the impertinent Berlin composer with an adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s _Heart of Darkness_ – a dive into the colonial disaster that inspired Francis Ford Coppola’s _Apocalypse Now_.
In the second half, in a spirit of celebration and cheerful combat, Jean-François Sivadier will be the referee in the ring where the two ensembles will wage battle, the Ancients versus the Moderns, in the manner of the “Pan vs. Apollo” musical contests of the 17th century: who is the most worthy for his art? _You cannot forget the Past_, the first contenders argue; _you have no right to scorn the Present_, the others retort – and the ensembles face off valiantly to the blows of masterpieces.

Straight to Hell with this a hallucinatory game that morphs between the Baroque and the contemporary.