When asked if he prefers being called Maestro or “My Colonel,” he smiles and replies: “you know, I’ve never led a military band!” Yet, conducting a “civilian” orchestra is something Lieutenant Colonel Sébastien Billard, head of the Republican Guard Orchestra since 1997, knows how to do magnificently. He proved this on Tuesday, February 17, 2009, at the Toulon auditorium by stepping in at the last minute to replace conductor Philippe Bender, who was detained elsewhere. Much to the gentle dismay of the permanent conductor of the Cannes Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Regional Orchestra, the audience hardly complained.
This impromptu performance was by no means an easy feat. It even included an additional challenge for the former student of Mickaël Levinas at the Paris Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique and First Prize winner in orchestra conducting in 1993: conducting a different orchestra in the first and second half of the musical evening. Indeed, the program initially offered César Franck’s “Symphonic Variations for Piano and Orchestra” and Manuel de Falla’s “Nights in the Gardens of Spain,” two pieces where the famous pianist Joaquin Achucarro completely captivated his audience. The renowned soloist, known for eliciting an “exceptional sound” or a tone “worthy of Rubinstein” according to great conductors Simon Rattle and Zubin Mehta, held his clear-eyed gaze forward, lost in his intense emotional dialogue with the orchestra.
Meanwhile, Sébastien Billard, clearly in harmony with the genuine professionalism of the Regional Orchestra – indeed, this was not their first collaboration – surprised with his very controlled conducting, demanding in its precise onsets which, however, allowed ample room for a nuanced interpretation attentive to the numerous modulations suddenly interrupted by the piano. A pianistic presence significantly more elaborate and substantial for Manuel De Falla’s “Nights in the Gardens of Spain,” where the orchestral direction seemed to give more space to Joaquin Achucarro. Always smiling and generous in his enjoyment of sharing his art with the audience, he graciously offered an encore to them with a nocturne by Alexander Scriabin.
The second part brought a noticeable rejuvenation of the orchestra as it made way for musicians from the Academy of Young Musicians from the Conservatoires of Nice, Cannes, and Antibes, the “Sympho-New,” which will celebrate its twentieth anniversary in 2010! These young artists first performed a section of Claude Debussy’s “Images for Orchestra” where the talents of the First Solo Violin – not only when Berthilde Dufour uses his instrument like a mandolin! – made their mark and elevated other violinists. However, these young artists particularly impressed with their interpretation of “La Valse,” Maurice Ravel’s choreographic poem, which is not the easiest piece. The technical complexity and musical subtleties in the score were skillfully negotiated by the total commitment of this young ensemble – one of the violinists was barely 15 years old – enhanced by the evident confidence and manifest joy of playing under the direction of Sébastien Billard. At the end of the evening, it sufficed to see each of the musicians come both respectfully and also beaming with happiness to thank him warmly. A Sébastien Billard who confessed his “clear preference for this repertoire” and humbly acknowledged having favored “efficiency” in his interpretation. A remark that some might find too modest for a direction that managed to impose a personal inspiration identical for both orchestral formations, yet with the rare intelligence to adapt it to the sensitivities of each.
