Some Magical Musical Moments.
Its the time for Music Festivals
FILMS , MUSIC, DRAMA AND ART
7/20/20254 min read
All over France , summer is the time for outdoor concerts. It is no different here in Hérault. Recently we have attended a number of music festivals, with more to come. In July Montpellier Orchestra takes a break, but all is not lost for music lovers, for that is when the Radio France Music Festival takes over. For a number of days classical music concerts are held in the two main venues at the magnificent Corum concert hall, while jazz concerts are held in the outdoor arena at Domaine d'O. We decided to stay in a local hotel, so that we could enjoy three night time concerts , along with some day time recitals in which young up and coming artists are given the stage. Our first concert set the tone, for it was one of the most memorable I have ever been to. However, at first we were filled with disappointment , for at the very last hour the programme was changed. Instead of Chopin's Piano Concerto which we had been promised, some modern composer's work would be played instead. We had never heard of this before and doubted that we would enjoy it. But then, at least the celebrated concert pianist Yuja Wang was still to play Tchaikovsky's piano concerto no. 1 that was also on the programme. Fortunately our prejudices were ill founded, for the first more recent work by Nikolai Kapustin was an electrifying mix of old and modern. Indeed, everything about this concert was amazing . If you ever get the chance to hear Yuja Wang play...Go!
Full House!
After the concert we strolled with the crowds down the boulevard where the blue light from the fountains played over the trees. Whilst I don't normally like cities especially in the height of summer, the old centre of Montpellier is a calm and cool place to be. Our hotel lay in the Antigone , an area of neo classical buildings and beautiful tree lined squares. Our whole walk back there after the concert was traffic free.
We also enjoyed two lunch time concerts in the Salle Pasteur, a second ,smaller concert hall at The Corum. The first consisted of a young string quartet playing mainly Haydn , whilst the second featured a young violinist accompanied by a pianist. Both recitals were short but sweet, revealing some up and coming talent. Afterwards we enjoyed lunch in one of the cafés on the boulevard that runs between The Corum and Place de la Comedie. It is great to watch as people stroll happily by in this traffic free environment: groups of schoolchildren walking in crocodiles; couples; babies being wheeled in prams; people leading dogs; and even a small impromptu group of singers from a nearby church . Montpellier is such a relaxed place to be with an exciting diverse population. Some children were playing in the dedicated play park, while others investigated the playing fountains.
Where does that water come from, and where does it go?
You can never go wrong with Handel. Our second concert was a concert performance of Handel's oratorio,entitled 'The Triumph of Time and Truth. 'The music was played by les Arts Florissants, a baroque chamber orchestra led by William Christie. There were four singers. The music was utterly sublime.
Our third evening concert was very different. It was held in the outdoor arena at Domaine d'O. We had come to see the great jazz pianist Brad Mehldau . This was part of the wider Radio France Music festival, and like all the other concerts we attended, was to be broadcast on 'France Musique,' our favourite music channel. The arena was full, but we all had allotted places , and the concert was received with rapturous applause. Later that night we drove home , tired but happy.
Towards the end of the concert a full moon rose in the sky.
But that was not to be the end of our summer's musical moments , for now it is the turn of Sète to run a jazz festival at the beautiful Theatre de la Mer, which overlooks the sea. A couple of days ago we attended the first of three jazz concerts that we have booked to see there. But that concert was to be a very different experience altogether. More about these rather unsettling events in my next blog.
