Le Maître de Musique - Gérard Corbiau

Joachim Dallayrac, an opera singer, suddenly announces his retirement in order to pass on his musical legacy to Sophie (Anne Roussel), whom he senses is the opera singer of the future. He also takes a talented young man (Philippe Volter) under his wing with a view to bringing together these two voices to replace his own.

Gérard Corbiau trained at the IAD (Institut des Arts de Diffusion) before joining RTBF in 1968. Initially a producer for the channel’s flagship programmes, he later moved to the Music-Opera-Ballet department. It was through this channel that he met one of the greatest opera singers, the Belgian bass-baritone José van Dam.  After dedicating a portrait to him in 1982, a deep friendship developed between the two men and gave rise to the project for his first feature film: Le Maître de musique, which caused an immediate sensation upon its theatrical release. Never before had a Belgian feature film received such acclaim from both audiences and critics.  The film was also nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at the 61st Academy Awards.

Throughout his film career, Gérard Corbiau has tirelessly explored the nature of artistic expression. He films artists, musicians and singers, whether in his fiction films (Le Roi danse in 2000 and Farinelli, another huge Belgian and international success, winner of the 1995 Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and nominated for an Oscar) or his documentaries.

During this special evening, at which the film will be screened in a restored version in the presence of Gérard Corbiau, a tribute will be paid to José Van Damme, who passed away on 17 February 2026.