The Menton Music Festival will take place from July 31 to August 14, 2014, at two iconic locations in the “pearl of France” for the ON festivities: The forecourt of the Saint Michel Basilica and the Cocteau Museum.
Just like Avignon, Menton has its OFF festival, whose purpose is to allow a wide audience to attend concerts and perhaps discover music.
As highlighted during the festival’s presentation by Mr. Jean Claude Guibal, deputy mayor of Menton: “The OFF breathes life into the city!” The OFF concerts will be held at the Francis Palmero esplanade and the Square des Etats Unis. The mayor might have surprised many by stating that houses are built from the roof.
We start with the idea and not the means, thus, it is understood that this festival transcends itself through the magic, firstly of the places, this forecourt of the basilica, this old Menton where each stone can tell its story, and then the festival adheres to its tradition and not to a fixed conservatism. The performers are well-known, very well-known, or emerging and will become known.
Menton does not yield to glitter but demands quality and elegance.
Paul Louis Thomas, the festival director, admitted his emotion in having to reveal the program of this edition. He defined the three axes of the festival: eclectic, magical, and excellent. Bach and Brahms are the star composers of this edition.
The question, of course, arose: Do you like Brahms? A nod to Franรงoise Sagan. Let’s let Berlioz define the portrait of the festival, an Italian portrait: “Italian music, a music that always laughs!” Something we will certainly experience on August 8 with humor in music.
A festival must renew itself from year to year, interpreters must succeed each other, this is the richness and authenticity of Menton. A novelty will be proposed to festival-goers by the heritage services: What if the festival were recounted?
It is both the history of the festival with the personalities who have attended since its inception in 1949, that of Menton and a walk through the city, riddles will be posed to the public, a playful way to discover the festival and this city, the pearl of France.
