Keyboard for two tonight ! Four amazing so 'young' hands!

                                                                         

 Martha and Daniel are almost twins ... Daniel Barenboim is roughly two years younger than Martha Argerich, but playing tonight shoulder to shoulder on the same keyboard  on  the rather dark scene  of 'le Grand théâtre de Provence 'without a live audience but for thousands of on line followers, looked so intimate and casual: almost like two very gifted talented always young musicians having a date with the three composers of their evening, Mozart, Debussy and Bizet, with their  magical hands and a unique piano keyboard to share and create a unique sound with their combined hearts and souls.

If I have one moment to remember, it is the second one with Claude Debussy  and his "Epigraphes antiques ' six 'poems' without words but  music,  except for the titles   all  beginning with 'Pour' for ... a purpose,  each of them opening on  a  vast imaginary world. 

 It was fascinating to see both players creating these delicate  musical poems : it reminded me of a comment I readt : Marcel Proust who said once that if language had not been invented music would have been our way of expression. I really felt each piece was  a poem with its own atmosphere created by these wonderful musicians. They were looking so passionate  in their special world together ! their weary  hands seemed so  alert and so young as if age did not count ... had no weight on their agility...it looked so easy...and yet for the two of them how many hours and hours of practice to create this unique sound  with four hands on the piano with the  same intensity and volume, not that easy on a piano?

What my memory selected was the 6th poem ' Pour remercier la pluie du matin' It was so delicate and so Asian to my ears ... my only wish was to find it on youtube to keep it  even more in mind ... and I found it...it was loaded some years ago by the couple of artists who played it and there is the picture  of the CD cover with a very interesting selection of composers they recorded together. 

(Today while trying to listen to the 6 pieces from Debussy with scores, I found the scores of my favourite 'Pour remercier la pluie au matin' beautifully performed, and it is worth thanking the uploader who is also the performer Ruben Yessayan)

The Bizet part was not so surprising and captivating for me. As for the Mozart sonata  K521 which was opening the concert,  it was not a discovery and  a real pleasure to follow tonight with two tremendous musicians who respect, know and appreciate each other so much and for such a long life time . (In an interview on Radio Classique before the concert Daniel Barenboim explained he has known Martha since 1949 when they were both children  in Argentina, and practicing the piano almost with the same teacher) He said Martha was his oldest friend and his 'love' in the music world ... not in life!  he made a point in explaining that so simply. I was moved by this confession ! In fact I could feel  when watching them tonight that they had a huge musical intimacy while playing together.

      Last chords ending Le bal de Bizet  and the concert   plus a smile from Martha !    

 

 

                    

Aix Easter Festival : On line concert tonight ! Martha Argerich and Daniel Barenboim "Pianos"!

On line AIx Easter Festival 3rd concert : "Pasticcio" William Christie and "Les Arts Florissants': "All you need is love"" !!!!!

  This "Pasticcio" is a patchwork of  Love,  happiness and sufferings through melodies and arias from Baroque composers in different countries  to famous Broadway musicals, including the Beatles for a wonderful 'All we need is love' as a last 'encore' and before that a creation of Thomas Dunford, luth player and composer:  'Ocean'. The two singers made the show! With the talent and beauty of their youth, they sang, danced even breakdanced for the cute Jakub Josèf Orlinski (counter tenor)! Léa Desandre (mezzo soprano) and Jakub Josèf Orlinski were smashing! so were all the musicians and their wonderful instruments. Portraits of the two artists from sceenshots of the performance.

Léa Desandre

Jakub Josèf Orlinski

 

It was a festive evening!  It was good to see these baroque musicians, fabulous players and their instruments! I was  fascinated by the 'wind' done in a strange metallic cone that I had never noticed before... for Partenope and a furious aria with lots of trills on an infuriating tune with  blowing wind. It was also danced by both,together for Cheek to cheek ; At the beginning there was  extravagant and stylish break dancing from Jakub Josef Orlinski who is a cute break dancer when he does not sing! And the sweet Lea Desandre sang and danced alone for ' My fair lady 'tune... her white high heels must have been a nuisannce though... she took them off once... Both were very charming.

'A Choris ' (Renaldo Hahn)is a favourite of mine, Lea Desandre has a special touch  and a light soft  voice  here which suits this melody. Some Rameau excerpts were also familiar, the Cole Porter ones were well known of course but surprising in these 'covers'! I enjoyed all of them really and was so pleased to sing along 'All you need is love ' with all of them smiling happily and cheering their fantastic instruments on the Beatles music were surprisingly 'jolly' ! They were all singing along and smiling !

William Christie

 

The last excerpt from Monteverdi's Incoronazione di Poppea, ' pur ti miro' was exquisite, both singers and musicians gave a superlative rendition of this aria. I liked the way Lea and Jakub moved and sang in harmony so simple in their touching way but mesmerising. Sharing that diverse creative musical evening with them all was like being on another planet, festive and comforting, miles away from the mess we seem to be sinking deeply in. Still the future is sure to be better sooner or later! Being part of this musical extravagant and moving 'love story' with ups and downs was such a treat! It was heart warming to see them smiling while performing, enjoying themselves so much. Smiling is catching!

 

 

 

 

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On line Aix Easter festival : second concert: Cello and Piano with Sol Gabetta and Bertrand Chamayou from Grand Théâtre de Provence

 Cello is by far my favourite instrument, although I had to study music and piano playing for fiffteen years with a monthly rented piano all these years of studying, (it was first rented by my biological father for his voice rehearsals at home at the top of an old house in Rue Longue des Capucins in Marseille, 'chambre de bonne'  on the top floor. with no lift: it stopped a floor below..... I used to sleep opposite the piano in a very narrow room. Some very warm days at night I could hear the piano cords swoon, and on winter windy days they would snap loud.  I always thought the piano was alive next to me almost breathing like an old companion. I was small enough to camp under the keyboard, it was a nice shelter when I got scolded)…But I had no coordination and never succeeded to get beyond average playing. So I am a poor piano player not like my son who is so creative and followed Aix school of music for years .The only reward is that I  can read music and ' sing 'in my mind while reading music!I can decipher... ). 

I found on the net that Chopin wrote a unique sonata, the last he wrote (he died so young!) for cello and this is the one I enjoyed so much on the second night of the festival. The two musicians shared timing, intuitive  harmony and very nice expressions of feelings on each instrument, giving the piano the follow on role.The cello is expressing more than the piano  does this time, which is unusual for Chopin.

 Sol Gabetta  had a masterclass here at  the Easter Festival five years ago. I enjoyed the way she was guiding younger players. But I could not get a ticket for her concert. This time I am so happy to have the opportunity to attend all the concerts on line which is a dream as I would never be able to follow all the concerts, it is  simply unaffordable for me ... so I am very grateful to the organisers and to the artists who came to France, to Aix they already know because some of them are faithful to

Renaud Capuçon who created this international event now. It must be sad to play in front of an empty Grand théâtre de Provence, still they can perform and give to an immense on line audience the joy of their  musical gifts, they can share music with us and sharing is caring, loving ! Each night (two concerts followed so far ) I am so moved at the end when they bow that I feel like crying... this period here in France is such a mess... we are officialy entering our third  not complete 'lockdown' "A la Française' ... which means that some of us who do not care much will still move around as they like .. Still for three weeks education is stopped in kindergarten, schools grammar-schools, universities, presence one day a week somehow... it's not allowed to go further than 10kms around living address... unless special motivations to move more... all this is always very confusing and not strict enough. So... How  marvellous it is  to attend music on line or listen to my record collection or go to my very old piano as worn out as me... (Forty three years ago having a place of   "our own's" where a piano was possible, I bought a 'piano d'étude' like my childhood companion, and of course this piano was not new and  not very expensive,  it had a mellow rich sound  and a good touch when playing chords. I liked. It is a  "Ruch, a very old one, hard to keep in tune these days...)

All the concert are on live broadcast at 8.30 PM on Radio Classique. They are also on streaming on that site: inlivestream

 

The Britten pieces were new and somehow funny to my ears like 'who's going to have the last word' brief and vigourous dialogue between the two musicians, I enjoyed it too like a challenge !(but was not moved )
And the Schumann which opened the evening:
Phantasiestücke, op. 73 was delicate and poetic.I loved it a lot, but my favourite is still the Chopin cello sonata.

Some screeshots from the concert on line:

 

 

 

 

CHOPIN Sonate violoncelle-piano op 65

• Allegro moderato
• Scherzo : Allegro con brio
• Largo• Finale : allegro