music lovers are at the Chorégies d’orange every year for large opera productions. This summer, they have been able to discover a William Tell of Rossini, a little short of breath despite the talent of Annick Massis and Jodie Devos. At the end of the next week, the Don Giovanni by Erwin Schrott, accompanied in particular by Karine Deshayes, and Stanislas de Barbeyrac, will take possession of the ancient theatre.
» READ ALSO – Rossini, Mozart, Mahler… The Chorégies of Orange are celebrating a 150th season full of promise
The head of finland Jukka-Pekka Saraste in rehearsals in Paris with the national Orchestra and the Philharmonic. Christophe Abramowitz/Radio France
But the Chorégies also offer some beautiful concerts. For the 150th anniversary of the oldest festival of France, Jean-Louis Grinda has reached a tour-de-force: invited to an evening of the combined forces of the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France, the Orchestre national de France, the Choir and the Maîtrise de Radio France which will join the members of the Choir Munich philharmonic. Meagan Miller, Ricarda Merbeth, Nikolai Schukoff are among the guest soloists. In total, more than 400 musicians and singers, led by the chief Finnish Jukka-Pekka Saraste, will perform the all-too-rare Symphony no. 8 of Gustav Mahler.
In 1910 as in 2019, a concert event
The play was given for the first time in Munich, there are almost a hundred years ago, on September 12, 1910. This is a concert event. In the room, are Richard Strauss, Max Reger, Camille Saint-Saëns, the conductors Bruno Walter and Oskar Fried, the writers Gerhard Hauptmann or Stefan Zweig. On the stage, 1029 performers abound, including 850 singers. The impresario engaged by Gustav Mahler beats the recall for weeks, and he called the composition «Symphony of a thousand». A good shot of marketing. The title remained although it déplût to the master.
fortunately, it is not necessary to have such a workforce to give – and enjoy – this piece is approximately 80 minutes. The symphony opens with a hymn, Veni, Creator, monumental motet polyphonic which could have been composed by Bach as amphetamines. The second part is inspired by the last scenes of the Faust of Goethe by Gustav Mahler transformed into sublime oratorio the atmospheres are contrasting, alternating pages of poetry, intimate, entrusted to the soloists and surges of ecstasy paroxysmal. All sounds like a cosmic hymn that celebrates the destiny of man and the eternal feminine.
Those who will not be in Orange on Monday will be able to enjoy the show broadcast live by France Musique and deferred to 22: 30 on France 5.
