The Belgian conductor Patrick Davin passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday afternoon, just before a rehearsal in opera house De Munt. Davin was 58 years old and would soon be conducting ‘Is this the end?’, The world premiere and opener of De Munt’s opera season.
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‘Much to our dismay, we are pleased to inform you of the extremely sad news that conductor Patrick Davin has passed away this afternoon, shortly before a rehearsal for the opera. Is this the end?. Musicians, singers and employees of La Monnaie are in shock and the scheduled rehearsals were immediately canceled. The thoughts of the directors and employees of La Monnaie currently go out to the family and relatives of Patrick Davin ‘, says artistic director Peter De Caluwe in a press release.
Patrick Davin can look back on a career in which all types of music were covered. He took lessons with Pierre Boulez and Peter Eötvös and was responsible for the world creation of numerous works by Philippe Boesmans, Conlon Nancarrow, Henri and Denis Pousseur, Bruno Mantovani, Jean-Luc Hervé and Kris Defoort, among others.
As a conductor he worked with various prestigious orchestras in different countries such as Germany, France, Switzerland or the Netherlands. For example, in 2018 Davin made a hotly noted debut at the Deutsche Oper Berlin when he was asked to jump in last minute for Berlioz ‘Damnation de Faust, a challenge he masterfully accomplished. In Belgium he has worked for the l’Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, the Brussels Philharmonic and the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, among others.
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