(c) Orchestre Pasdeloup Tales: Orchestre Pasdeloup
Paris, Salle Gaveau — Main Hall
About the Event
Is there a story behind a musical work without words? The Orchestre Pasdeloup takes on two works of program music and two of pure music to draw a parallel.
Gathered in an orchestral suite, the most powerful excerpts from Bizet's opera Carmen take us through the intrigues of short story writer Prosper Mérimée (Carmen, 1847) and present the dramatic portrait of each character, thirsty for freedom at all costs.
In another dimension, Maurice Ravel draws his inspiration from Charles Perrault's fairy tales, Les Contes de ma mère l'Oye (1697). It was at the Salle Gaveau that two young musicians, including future composer Jeanne Leleu, premiered Ma mère l'Oye in its version for two pianos. Ravel wrote of this work: 'The desire to evoke the poetry of childhood in these pieces naturally led me to simplify my style and strip down my writing.
'Music is a social act of communication between people, a gesture of friendship, the strongest there is' (Malcolm Arnold). In this concert, the Orchestre Pasdeloup, conducted by Joanna Natalia Ślusarczyk, also highlights works which, through the dialogue between solo instruments, create new narratives. Best known for his music for the 1957 film The Bridge on the River Kwai, British composer Malcolm Arnold draws inspiration from Bach in his Concerto for Two Violins, commissioned by violinist Yehudi Menuhin in 1962. Finally, Camille Saint‐Saëns's Tarentelle for flute and clarinet tackles a traditional southern Italian dance popularized by Rossini, considered in the 14thcentury to be able to cure tarantula venom. Another imaginary tale or the truth?
Gathered in an orchestral suite, the most powerful excerpts from Bizet's opera Carmen take us through the intrigues of short story writer Prosper Mérimée (Carmen, 1847) and present the dramatic portrait of each character, thirsting for freedom at all costs.
Program
- Georges Bizet – Carmen, suite
- Maurice Ravel – Ma Mère l'Oye, suite
- Arnold Schönberg – Concerto pour deux violons
- Camille Saint‐Saëns – Tarentelle pour flûte et clarinette
Cast / Production
Joanna Natalia Ślusarczyk
direction
Cécile Brey, Arnaud Nuvolone
violins
Julie Huguet
flute
Nicolas Fargeix
clarinet
Gabriele Slizyte
narrator
Address
Salle Gaveau, 45, rue La Boétie, Paris, France — Google Maps
