Thursday 15th - Saturday 17th July 2010 - Elne(
Map)International Festival “Elne Piano Fortissimo"
On the keyboard of history, young artists face the future with their fingers.
Elne..... Catalan heartland of fine arts in French Roussillon: prestigious concerts in its superb Romanesque Cathedral, next to one the finest cloisters in France and close to some of the finest French beaches, discovery of young local talents at the Espace Gavroche.
Piano...... International Festival dedicated only to piano, unique in Roussillon. An absolute must among summer rendez-vous for music lovers and others.
Fortissimo....... with its warm welcome and with its exceptional beauty and quality of sound of the centuries of Cathedral’s nave, the Elne Festival has attracted great pianists as well as a growing audience, every year more enthusiastic and moved by the great variety of individual talents and deep emotions.
"Thanks to an ever-growing audience, attracted by the quality of our pianists, the « Elne Piano Fortissimo » Festival is taking deeper and deeper roots in this Mecca of the Roussillon’s History.
This Fifth Festival remains faithful to its original goal by inviting well known artists as well as new talents on the International scene. All of them are well recognised for their musical skills and styles, they are all happy to share with their public the great masterpieces of the world’s Repertoire with virtuosity, warmth, subtleness and enthusiasm through generous and inventive programmes.
The Festival’s programming also offers more space for young talents from the South of France. Two fascinating conferences are also scheduled to pay tribute to two genius of Romantic Music, Chopin the European, and Schumann the Visionary, whose bicentennial we are celebrating this year.
Thanks to the support from artists who have already performed in Elne and who have said how much they appreciated our City’s warm welcome and friendliness, the beauty of the Festival’s location in its Cathédrale and its brilliantly tuned acoustics and who are happy to give us in return the best of their art, the reputation of “Piano Fortissimo” has been acclaimed by famous personalities of the world of music and arts. Several of them have agreed to support it by joining our Honorary Committee.
So, united by the same enthusiasm, organisers and artists are expecting you to share an intense emotion with them. Music, as a source of joy and fulfilment of the soul, is open to everyone.
We hope to see you here. For your pleasure and for ours."
Michel Peus,
Artistic Director
Tuesday 15 June: Espace Gavroche
PRELUDE TO THE FESTIVAL
10am and 2pm: Educational Concerts
Mehdi KANSOUSSI, professor at the Regional Music School Perpignan Méditerrannée has prepared for Elne’s school children two Educational Concerts - Piano in all its shapes and forms from the 18th to the 21st century - with masterpieces of MOZART, LISZT and CRUMB. This young, generous and promising pianist intends to transmit his fascinating message to young audiences.
9pm: Public Concert “From BACH to PROKOFIEV”
by award winners from Elne’s School of Music and CRR Perpignan Méditerrannée and their professors, Laurence CLAUDE, a moving personality with an already established sensibility and rigour, and Jacqueline ABECASSIS-SCHLOUCH, a concert performer with a fine sense of musicality and undeniable technical skills.
Thursday 15 July: Espace Gavroche
7pm: Conference “Around CHOPIN”
by Michèle TOSI
with the participation of Luce DULUCQ-PUJOL. They will play several Etudes, Mazurkas and Nocturnes, the Fantaisie impromptu and Barcarolle.
Michèle Tosi, agrégée, professor of Musicology at the CRR Perpignan Méditerrannée, covers also local and national musical events for the media.
Luce Dulucq-Pujol, Gold Medal from the CRR Perpignan Méditerrannée, teaches in Paris while finalising her entry into the professional music world.
9.30pm: Recital by Sarah RISTORCELLI – Young Talent Discovery, South of France
Her recent successes at Paris CSNM are a good springboard for a brilliant career. She knows how to share her sense of virtuosity, sensibility and enthusiasm.
Friday 16 July: Cathedral
7pm: Recital by Vanessa WAGNER
An atypical and multi faceted artist, Vanessa Wagner is among the best pianists of her generation. Her skin deep sensibility and the intensity of her touch let no one indifferent and generate genuine enthusiasm from the public and media
9.30pm: Recital by François CHAPLIN
His music sound like a song, the beauty of his fingertips touch looks like if his his hands were sliding on the keyboard. He can be at the same time sensible and quivering, lyrical and bold. An extraordinary pianist the Festival is proud to present once again.
Saturday 17 July: Espace Gavroche
11am : Recital by Alain POU and Sylvain HADERLE, Young Talent Discoveries, South of France.
Alain Pou, a post graduate student at the CRR Perpignan Méditerrannée is promised a great future. Sylvain Haderlé, Gold Medal from CRR Montpellier, is also a promising talent. Both share good musical skills with a sound technique.
4p.m: Chapelle Sant Jordi
Conference by Brigitte FRANCOIS-SAPPEY on “SCHUMANN, A German Soul”.
Musicologist, pedagogue, producer, speaker, Brigitte François-Sappey plays an important role in the musical world through her many works on French and German Romanticism, well received by critics.
7pm : Cathedral
Recital by Ingmar SCHWINDT
This young German pianist is heading for the top. He is one of these musicians who are going much further than virtuosity to reach this fragile, sensitive thing we call the essence of music. His mastery of the art of piano is at the same time delicate and full of strength
9.30pm : Cathedral
Recital by Xiao-Mei ZHU
This artist embodies modesty and humanity. Under her fingers, music takes an amazingly elegant and absolute lightness of character. This exceptional pianist captivates us with her melodic inventiveness and her fascinating charisma.
Reservations taken from 14th May
By post to: Service Municipal du Tourisme, place Sant Jordi, 66200 Elne- Tel : 04 68 22 05 07- Email :
contact@ot-elne.fr
Inshop or online: FNAC, Carrefour, Géant, Système U, Intermarché- 0 892 68 36 22 ( 0,34€ TTC/min)
www.fnac.com,
www.carrefour.fr
Espace Gavroche : free admission
Cathedral : from 5€ to 36€ Free admission for children under 10 years old
Site: www.elne-piano-fortissimo.fr for details and programme
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