“Creator of the piano recital, Liszt was considered the greatest virtuoso of all time, just as Paganini was for the violin.” With these simple words, Pierre Bailet, president of the Franz Liszt Côte d’Azur Festival, presents the 4th edition of this festival, which this year will take place over six evenings in Nice and the surrounding area.
The opening will be tonight at 7 PM at the Regional Conservatory of Nice with a piano recital by the talented David Violi.
Levens will host the second evening this Friday, the 3rd, at the Maison du Portail at 8:30 PM. Régine Capelle on piano, mezzo-soprano Flore Royer, baritone Nicolas de Rentry, and Julien Faure as the narrative voice will interpret “When Liszt Meets Victor Hugo.”
The third evening will again be in Levens at the Saint-Antonin Church at 4:30 PM with a concert of music by Rossini, Dvořák, and Brahms with Michel Lethiec on clarinet accompanied by the Talich String Quartet.
And here’s the novelty of the 2014 edition: Xavier Lorbat-Jacob, president of Allianz-Riviera and a great music enthusiast, is making the presidential lounge of the stadium available to the organizers for the concert “My Piano is Life” with music by Liszt and Chopin performed by François René Duchâble on piano and Alain Carré, actor and director, a must-see duo that has already achieved great success with this program.
Following that, a major event is scheduled for Sunday, October 19, at the René Cassin Space in Tourrette-Levens at 4:30 PM: the regional choir of PACA under the direction of Michel Piquemal and the voices of Amy Blake (soprano), Ninon Dann (mezzo-soprano), Patrick Garayt (tenor), and Michel Guedj (baritone) will present the Mass in D and Te Deum by Dvořák.
Concluding the festival, there will be a concert once more featuring the voice of Amy Blake, an American soprano, accompanied on piano by Olivier Augé-Laribé. This will be on Saturday, October 25, at the Saint Blaise Church at 6:30 PM.
