Brass Bands are very common in the north and the United Kingdom. Less so in the south. There is one in the Alpes-Maritimes: The Brass Band Méditerranée. This ensemble was born from a beautiful initiative: bringing together the best brass musicians of the department in one group and offering them a particularly favorable place to express their talent. At the origin of the project were Gérard Hostein, trumpet professor and director of the Antibes Conservatory of Music, and his friend Philippe Bleuez, a professor at the Nice Conservatory. Eight years ago, these two musicians decided to bring together students from music conservatories, amateur musicians, and professionals. It uniquely combines music and theater for original and unique concerts.
Frédéric Dupouy, cornetist of the troupe and incidentally communicator, explains the specifics: “There is staging. We create shows. We have been participating in the Estivales for six years. This summer we are going to present our new show ‘La Nef des Fous’ directed by Stéphane Eichenholc.” A mysterious mute clown, with polyphonic accents, stirs a wind of madness over the Brass Band Méditerranée orchestra. The brass catch colds, the musicians blow against the wind, and the scores explode into fits of laughter. The musical interludes become the field of all possibilities: the instruments are repurposed, the musicians play the tightrope walkers, and the conductor imagines himself a bullfighter! Values are inverted and the craziest are not who you would think… A delirious musical show where the whimsical breaths provide the salutary counterpoint to the established order.
