It was in a vaulted cellar located on rue de la Croix in old Nice, which was formerly used for “banana ripening,” that the leaders of the Ensemble Baroque de Nice (EBN) presented the main features of the upcoming 2008/2009 season at a press conference. No less than 16 concerts under the auspices of the Conseil Général des Alpes-Maritimes, with support from the Provence-Alpes Côte d’Azur Region and the City of Nice. This “14th edition” of Vieux-Nice Baroque en Musique will alternate, as every year, major pieces from the repertoire with works by lesser-known composers.
During this presentation, its Director, Gilbert Bezzina, unveiled the list of upcoming productions for this Ensemble, showing a concern to alternate well-known works with “the continuous discovery of the baroque music repertoire,” of which the Niçoise heritage offers, according to him, a “unique example.”
Yvette Hancy, the President, mentioned the extensions of the success, widely acknowledged by the press last year, of “La Giuditta,” Oratorio by Alessandro Scarlatti staged by Gilbert Blin. In this respect, a CD recorded by Dynamic during the performances on March 7 and 9 at the Church of Saint Martin-Saint Augustin, will be released in January 2009 (see Académie Desprez). The scheduled tour of “La Giuditta” in various renowned festivals — La Chaise-Dieu, Abbey of Lessay in Manche, in Vendée and at the Sacred Arts of Antibes — testifies to the keen and consistent interest of the public for these original, colorful and deeply spiritual works. Yvette Hancy also expressed the hope that, among the events likely to occur during the France-Russia Year scheduled for 2009, a new production by the Ensemble Baroque could extend the particularly successful one performed at the Hermitage Theater in Saint Petersburg in July 2007.
The former elected official of Nice also emphasized the collaboration initiated with several high schools in Nice (Masséna, Guillaume Apollinaire) as well as with the University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis, all partners involved in a unified effort to introduce the Ensemble and baroque music to a younger audience. Firmly committed to this approach, the EBN has also decided to offer a series of special rates for all its concerts, including a 3-euro ticket for minors, job seekers, welfare recipients, and people with disabilities. Finally, for the enthusiasts, there is the “Baroque bar,” an organization in situ with premium acoustics, offering “musical evenings,” “à la salon-like,” Gilbert Bezzina comments, with a drink and a light snack.
Didier Rochette and Hubert Tassy, respectively Director of Cultural Affairs at the Conseil Général and General Director of Culture at the City of Nice, then emphasized the continued support of their institutions for an activity largely appreciated by the Niçoise public and that of its region. Both took the opportunity of the presence of the representative of the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra, Olivier Cautrès, to remind him of a clause in the “Convention which obliged the Opéra de Nice to produce one baroque work each year.”
Speaking on behalf of the Deputy Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, writer Raoul Mille first reminded that “the Ensemble Baroque de Nice belonged to the city’s heritage.” He then insisted on the notion, which is one of the objectives of the Deputy Mayor, of “transversality,” the necessity of linking baroque music to other artistic events, such as literature or theater. Responding to the wish expressed by the President to create a “multidisciplinary International Baroque Center,” the writer emphasized the relevance of this “pooling of forces,” which should ultimately, especially in old Nice, allow music to be heard “everywhere and all the time.”
Ensemble Baroque de Nice
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Website: Ensemble Baroque de Nice
