There are still some genuine music lovers and dedicated artists in Paris, and my evening at Atelier von Nagel in the 11 th arrondissement was living proof of it. When I came out of the metro station, Rue des Boulets, and asked my way to 20 rue Bouvier, a nice lady with a stick, told me « we are … Read More
Bryan Hymel, a Parisian triumph
Discovering a new singer is not always easy nor pleasant, but hearing American tenor Bryan Hymel for the first time in the Grandes Voix series, at Théâtre des Champs Elysées last night, was so exciting that my heart was beating hard and so was the whole theater’s. People stood up and gave him a triumphal ovation for ten minutes at … Read More
A Happening at Opéra comique
Sunday night is not my favorite evening to go out but the association of artist Christian Boltanski and Jean Kalman, the most brilliant lighting engineer alive, made it a must to attend « Pleine Nuit », a performance at Opéra Comique, which is under works until 2017. Described as an « Errance poétique et musicale dans le chantier de l’Opéra … Read More
An evening at Radio France
It was a chilly Sunday night and security was high at the Radio France auditorium, a definitely beautiful concert hall. And I could not have been happier to hear James Conlon conduct the Orchestre National de France in Johannes Brahms and Dvorak.
“The Winter’s Tale” à la Donnellan
Going to Théâtre des Gémeaux in Sceaux, a family friendly suburb south of Paris, is always a matter of utter excitement. The friend who invited me, was just as intense. We left early for an 8.45 pm show, and found ourselves perfectly on time for a bohemian buffet dinner at the theatre. A very nice and pretty waitress, who had … Read More
Radio France, music by excellence
Radio France, the state organization run by the dashing Mathieu Galet, owns seven public radios, and runs two orchestras and two choirs. To host their concerts, which are usually transmitted live on France Musique, a new fabulous auditorium has been built by AS architecture studio and reopened on November 14 of last year.
A very special birthday at Glyndebourne
Only someone as extravagant and talented as Yale graduate, Cambridge PHD, City star turned historian again, Theodora Zemek, could have pulled off a birthday party as brilliant and fun as it was. On the stage was « Die Entführung aus dem Serail » by Mozart directed by David Mc Vicar, and sung by a cast of International singers from Lithuania, … Read More
A Peruvian barytone becomes French
I have known Rudi Fernandez Cardenas for over ten years and met him while he was still studying at Conservatoire National de Musique, in La Villette. How he was born in Iquitos, Peru, in a city that can only be reached by boat or plane because it is in the middle of the Amazone… How he was a soprano at … Read More