It’s hard to believe that this festival started almost three weeks ago and will end this Saturday with a “Scattered Night” at the Oceanographic Museum. Before entering the final sprint, the organizers took a one-day break yesterday, Tuesday – but only in the programming – to refine the last details of this 25th anniversary. No doubt, after the “Cello Night” (April 11) and the “Surprise Journey” (April 12), both nervous and physical exhaustion must have been felt despite the ever-present smiles. For those who did not experience these two major events and the first of the three concerts by the fabulous Zehetmair Quartet (April 13), here is a summary through text and images.
“Cello Night” a Victim of its Success
Usually, cello concerts don’t attract large crowds. However, this “Cello Night,” held in a place as strange and mysterious as Monaco’s Oceanographic Museum, defied the statistics and doubled the expected audience. The atmosphere resembled a school festival, with jostling and a population density pushed to the extreme, similar to the Paris metro during peak hours or a tram in Nice under the same conditions. It was a situation where not a single inch could be moved by inflexible parents, unconcerned with safety issues, who focused only on photographing or filming their dear offspring, especially on the stairs.
After this turbulent passage but without any incidents, it was time for the menu prepared by Chef Marc Monnet, a high-level fare that a crowd wanted to relish without any restraint, seizing the too-good-to-miss opportunity. Several rooms had been planned (three) for this feast but many more guests than expected crowded two exhibition halls – turned into concert venues – packed like sardines. The Albert I and the Whale rooms, both on the first floor, featured just about twenty seats each, all “requisitioned” during the entire evening. The rest of the public, who had managed to make their way in, either had to squeeze into promenades, find a few square centimeters to perch on, or remain standing. However, quite a number of people could not access the “Holy Table” in either of these two small rooms.
For my part, I was whetted by the availability and friendliness of Alain Meunier before and during his concert, at the Whale room, as well as those of Gary Hoffman and David Selig (Albert I room) before, as evidenced by my photos. Unfortunately, I was not able to taste the “specialties” of local star Frédéric Audibert, followed by a multitude of fans like a rock star in his cello specialty, after being congratulated by the great master Rostropovich.
In the main Conference hall, the only one never filled up and where one was sure to find a seated place, the remarkable skill of the Amsterdam Cello Octet was somewhat diminished by their way of presenting it, with the Dutch clearly in a hurry to “leave discreetly” after each of their two performances, even going as far as skipping a piece scheduled for the second part. Perhaps they couldn’t stand the humming of the air extraction machinery from the aquarium, which also poured in more than chilly air?
A “bite” of Peter Wispelwey and a dollop of “delights” with Marc Coppey and Peter Laul before leaving, my thirst for knowledge was not satisfied. Due to lack of synchronization and break time to move between halls, which were blocked from access as soon as the first note was played, there was no chance to “savor” the duo Emmanuelle Bertrand – Pascal Amoyel and naturally the “resident” Antipollan Frédéric Audibert. The “Cello Night,” a victim of its success, who would have thought before this crazy gamble by Marc Monnet and his team? We look forward to a new edition, taking into account the imperfections of this first attempt.
A “Surprise Journey” at the Workshops of the Nice Tramway!
Everyone was looking forward to it, talking about this magical and mysterious moment, as well-guarded as the nuclear code. It was this famed “surprise journey” which I was told “you absolutely must do it.” Participating in the Spring Arts without doing it is like having tickets to the Cannes Festival without climbing the steps during the film presentation for the 9:00 PM show. Unthinkable! Like a few hundred people, I headed to the Promenade des Anglais to catch one of the four buses departing from Nice – three were scheduled from Monaco but 30 minutes ahead of us – to this mysterious destination and the equally secret program. But to reach the bus, just a few hundred meters to go before taking the tram at the terminus, at the base of my residence. Not to be missed, to not be late…
On the yellow bus – colored for the Spring Arts – where I rejoined Hervé who had transported me the day before, I met a cameraman and a soundman, who were quite silent about their affiliation. “We’re following an artist” they eventually let slip in response to my persistence. There was no way to learn more or guess our destination, but I began to doubt when we left to our right the avenue leading to Chagall, too “classic” a location for such a journey. We were undoubtedly headed north, and like Raymond Souplex in the “Last Five Minutes” and his famous “Good Lord, of course,” I blurted out “They’re not really taking us to the Tram Terminus, chances are it’s there.”
The slight doubt turned into certainty when I looked at my watch; just ten minutes before the concert’s start, our destination was the Tram Terminus. Upon arrival, Marc Monnet burst into laughter and disbelief when I recounted this whole trip just to come back to my neighborhood. No more surprise for the destination, but finding ourselves in the workshops for three concerts was a very pleasant surprise. As for the programming, total discovery, the program was revealed just before the distribution of a differently colored booklet for each of the three concerts! Great expertise!
At the opening, a world premiere by Marco Stroppa, masterfully performed by the Korean Hae Sun Kang, in the presence of the composer, the same one that the duo had come to follow. Afterwards, I managed to find out it was a team from the Institute of Acoustics/Music Research Coordination of Paris (IRCAM) and discovered that this outing had been announced on the website, www.ircam.fr.
Performance too brief and somewhat hindered by new machinery, the workshop’s air conditioning. Afterwards, perfect contrast between the modern venue and Christophe Coin accompanied by the Limoges Baroque Ensemble, a somewhat lengthy concert compared to the previous one.
To conclude, the dazzling performance of percussionist Jean Geoffroy on a work by Ivo Malec, also present and warmly applauded just like the performer. Just like in Béliveau’s show, when the subterfuge was discovered, I didn’t play the victim of “surprise-surprise” till the end and took the return bus to again come back home by tram.
An Incredible Quartet in its Mastery
Marc Monnet had so praised the Zehetmair Quartet, the fact of playing all pieces by memory – without any music scores – and face-to-face as couples, that I also had to make this new journey but to the Sporting d’Hiver of Monaco.
As we had appreciated Jean-François Hessier’s reading before the concert at the Empire hall of the Louis XV with the history of the composer Albéniz (also the grandfather of Cecília Attias) and his pieces, Corinne Schneider’s presentation was most pertinent.
It must be said that we had the right person, a musicologist who realized this 2009 edition guide for the Spring Arts between two books, one dedicated to Schubert, at the right time and place. Explanation of each of the works masterfully executed by these two women and two men whom you must absolutely go listen to and see, their performance seems incredibly masterful and light. You have two more evenings, today and tomorrow…
Be cautious, no photos or recordings allowed under penalty of immediately seeing the Quartet leave the hall. In exchange for respecting the artists – who received a “standing ovation” and three encores, you may have the privilege of an “encore” as we did on the first night.
Do not deprive yourself of the tranquility of taking the bus from Nice to Monaco, there is also a stop at Villefranche-sur-Mer, Beaulieu, Eze, and Cap d’Ail because this also contributes to the preservation of the environment by limiting the number of cars that would have to travel with so many people. Just four more nights of music, and this will be the end of the 25th Spring.
*Mark your calendar: For Saturday only, the bus will depart at 6:30 PM from the Promenade des Anglais and not at 7:00 PM as for the other evenings. Remember this and don’t forget to book.*
Tonight at 8:30 PM (Sporting d’Hiver / 2nd floor) Zehetmair Quartet
(Carter, Holliger, and Haydn)
Thursday 16 at 8:30 PM (Sporting d’Hiver) Zehetmair Qua
