It was my first visit to the Seine Musicale, the large concert hall built by Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines on Ile Seguin in Boulogne and the occasion was a performance of the Pacific Northwest Ballet from Seattle. A large contingent of West coast benefactors made this evening very special as did my discovery of the new stage of … Read More
Maria Yanouchevskaïa remembered in style
It was a unique moment of emotion and talent listening to Macha Yanouchevskaïa’s friends and former pupils at the conservatory of Issy les Moulineaux. Macha was a dedicated cello teacher and taught chamber music to young teen agers who were all there to pay their respects to the musician they adored. She died in December 2015 and all the pieces … Read More
A summer opera festival at Baugé
Priscilla de Moustier has a beautiful salon in the Faubourg Saint Germain and she is generous enough to let young musicians use it. It was a lovely evening that she organized to announce this year’s festival of opera in Baugé, a little village between Le Mans and Saumur, where opera fans Bernadette and John Grimmett, have created sixteen years ago, … Read More
A singing marathon for Easter week
We were in a very special place that Monday evening, the hôtel Collot where Nicolas and Alexis Kugel sell the most beautiful furniture, objects and paintings of Paris. To please their friends and to help the Orchestre Idomeneo conducted by Debora Waldman, they decided to organise an intimate evening of baroque music with two stars, soprano Magali Léger and mezzo … Read More
Two new French actors enchant our evenings
A film and a play have revealed two newcomers on the French scene, Galatea Bellugi in “l’Apparition”, a film by Xavier Giannoli and Rod Paradot who plays an unhappy teenager with Yvan Attal in “Le Fils”, the new play by Florian Zeller. Both are fabulous actors with original looks, a genuine naiveté and singular beauty.
Tokyo-Paris a long lasting love and a year of celebrations!
When Richard Flahaut introduced pianist Gen Tomuro in the salons of France Amérique, he talked about the great understanding of music that the Japanese and the French share. And this young man who studied with Philippe Entremont and is finishing a masters in London, is proof of it. His program of Granados, Schumann, Poulenc and Stravinsky was absolutely delightful and his … Read More
Comte Ory sings at Opéra Comique and in Versailles
With this new production of “Comte Ory” by Gioachino Rossini, Théâtre National de l’Opéra comique proves that, after one year post-renovations, it has found its marks with its director Olivier Mantei. The work directed by a team from Comédie Française, Denis Podalydès, Eric Ruf and the magical Christian Lacroix for costumes, has been sold out for months. It will have … Read More
“Singing in the rain” on stage at Grand Palais
Two things led me to go and see Théâtre du Châtelet’s production of “Singing in the rain” even though it is sold out until January 11. Robert Carsen, the genius director who has never disappointed me, and the fact that it takes place at the Grand Palais, under its huge glass roof, an unbeatable decor. It was great fun!