SPRING IS BACK… HEAD FOR MONTE-CARLO !

By Ilaria Sismondini

MONACO. Come and experience strong moments, they will make you (re) discover the unique charm of the Principality booking at  PRINTEMPS DES ARTS IN THE HALLS – An artistic and cultural adventure  – Printemps des Arts is the musical event that brings together musicians from all over the world each year. A meeting not to be missed! The halls are as much a part of the Spring Arts Festival’s success as the concerts themselves. Every year, the public has the opportunity to discover talented artists in an extraordinary environment. The Salle Empire at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, the Salle Garnier located in the Opéra de Monte-Carlo and as well as the Oceanographic Museum, Rainier III Musical Academy, Grimaldi Forum, Saint Charles Church and the Théâtre Princesse Grace all welcome the greatest artists for exceptional shows and concerts every year. The pleasure of (re)discovery – Because discovery is a pleasure, this year the festival invites you to travel to Quebec in Monaco, through music of course, but also dance, theatre and visual arts! A series of 16 concerts, two musical theatre performances, as well as meetings with artists and masterclasses open to the public programmed for this edition under the sign of (re)discovery. The spring festival ha opened  with a concert of soloists from l’Ensemble Contemporains at the Oceanographic Museum. “Dare to come and hear things you may not necessarily hear in the media, music from all eras, original events, in all sorts of places.” Marc Monet, Artistic adviser to Printemps des Arts said.  General Informations: Price: 15€ per concert – Atrium’s ticket office Casino de Monte-Carlo – Tel. +377 98 06 28 28 – Email: printempsdesarts.mc

SATURDAY MARCH 20 –9 am-12pm – RAINIER III AUDITORIUM– Master-class with Bertrand Chamayou, pianist- Free admission, limited seating available. – Reservation required on +377 97 98 32 90

SATURDAY MARCH 20 – at 8.30PM – MUSÉE OCÉANOGRAPHIQUE- CONCERT – LISZT – At the end of his life, Franz Liszt abandoned the demonstrative style and staggering virtuosity that had made him a veritable “hero” of the piano throughout Europe. Dividing his life between Budapest, Rome and Weimar, he recalled his beloved Hungary and those who meant much to him, like Richard Wagner, whose artistic support he readily acknowledged. Devoid of artifice, Liszt’s last works for the piano are very personal. Beatrice Berrut’s inward and expressive playing is perfectly attuned to these late pieces – miracles of poetry, at once sober and evocative, that foreshadow modernity. Program -Prelude, introducing the tenancy of Gérard Pesson as composer in residence– Stravinskiana I-II-III, – Midi/monfort – Daniel Hood, piano – Gym à la noix – Alicia Goncalves, piano– Sans vent Alicia Goncalves et Daniel Hood pianos (students from the Beausoleil music school) – Franz Liszt- La Lugubre Gondole II – 3 Odes funèbres, S. 112 – Am Grabe Richard Wagners, S. 202 – Csárdás macabre, S.224 – Beatrice Berrut, piano – The programme of this concert was recorded for the Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo label and Beatrice Berrut will propose a signing session at the end of the concert. Free shuttle service

SUNDAY MARCH 21 at 11.30AM – OPÉRA GARNIER; 2.15PM and  4PM – OPÉRA GARNIER -(1 TICKET FOR THE THREE RECITALS) – CONCERT – LISZT – Three recitals in one day! The brilliant French pianist Bertrand Chamayou returns to Liszt, for a remarkable marathon encompassing the complete Années de pélerinage. These three collections are like a travel journal, though Switzerland then Italy – at first an amorous journey (in the company of countess Marie d’Agoult) then a mystic one when, a few years later, Liszt added religiously inspired pieces. Taking inspiration from Petrarch, Schiller, Byron and Dante, the composer imbues these pages with all his virtuosity, to convey romantic lyricism and the poetic qualities of the places visited. Free shuttle service

SATURDAY MARCH 27 at 3PM – GRIMALDI FORUM – CONCERT – SECOND VIENNESE SCHOOL– When Alban Berg wrote his Violin Concerto (1935), he dedicated it to the memory of Mutzi (daughter of Alma Mahler and architect Walter Gropius), who had died young. In this work, which feels like a requiem, the solo violin’s flights symbolize the journey of the soul of this young woman of 18, as it flies upwards into mysterious realms. Tedi Papavrami’s marvelous playing goes straight to the heart of this profound masterpiece. The story that inspired Shoenberg’s Pelleas und Melisande (1905) is similarly moving and powerful. Two lovers are unable to declare their love, terrorized as they are by the world around them. Program: Alban Berg Concerto pour violon “À la mémoire d’un ange” – Arnold Schönberg Pelléas et Mélisande, op. 5- Tedi Papavrami, violin- Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo – Kazuki Yamada, conductor

SUNDAY MARCH 28 at 2.30PM – MUSÉE OCÉANOGRAPHIQUE – CONCERT – WORLD PREMIERE AND SECOND VIENNESE SCHOOL – Inexhaustible, the string quartet genre has always inspired the greatest composers. At the end of the 19th century, Schoenberg wanted to pay glowing homage to Mozart, though his almost expressionist flights paved the way for modernism. Webern took the opposite stance, opting for an aphoristic approach. French composer Frédéric Durieux (b. 1959) here unveils his String Quartet no. 2, its predecessor having received its first performance at the Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo in 2007. His subtle and elaborate sonorities will be ideally served by the Tana Quartet, which has long focused its efforts on the promoting of contemporary works. Program: Frédéric Durieux – Diario Ellittico, first performance of a joint commission by ProQuartet and Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo – Arnold Schönberg – Quatuor à cordes en ré majeur – Anton Webern Cinq pièces pour quatuor à cordes, op. 5 – The Tana Quartet is supported by the DRAC Hauts de France and receives further support from SACEM, Spedidam and Adami. Free shuttle service

SUNDAY MARCH 28 at 4PM – SALLE EMPIRE, HÔTEL DE PARIS – CONCERT – SECOND VIENNESE SCHOOL – Unique in its genre, the Schoenberg’s String Quartet no. 2 (1907-1908) introduces a soprano voice in the last two movements, singing verses by the poet Stefan George. With this work, the human voice leaves the operatic stage to enter the intimate world of chamber music. Anna Maria Pammer is one the few singers who feel able to tackle this poetic score, so perilous is it in requiring the soloist to soar in vertiginous registers. In its version for string sextet, the romantic Verklärte Nacht (1899) here feels like a “chamber symphonic poem”. Program: Arnold Schönberg- Verklaerte Nacht, op. 4 (version pour sextuor à cordes) – Quatuor à cordes n°2 en fa dièse mineur, op. 10 (avec soprano) – Zemlinsky Quartet – Anna Maria Pammer, sopran, Michal Kaňka, cello, Josef Klusoñ, viola Free shuttle service

FRIDAY APRIL 2 at 2PM-5PM – AUDITORIUM RAINIER III – Master class with Vincent Lhermet, accordion – free admission, subject to seating availability – reservation necessary +377 97 98 32 90

SATURDAY APRIL 3 at 3PM – AUDITORIUM RAINIER III CONCERT HALL – CONCERT – SECOND VIENNESE SCHOOL AND CREATION – A remarkable combination of three concertos! This triptych illustrates the way composers can take inspiration from the old to continually create the new. In his Kammerkonzert (1925), Alban Berg uses the ancient concerto grosso genre to attempt to promote dissonance as an expressive element. Arnold Schoenberg, for his part, affirms his admiration for Brahms, in his transcription for orchestra of that composer’s Piano Quartet! French composer Gérard Pesson (b. 1958) here unveils a new concerto: Chante en morse durable (2020). In this work, here given its first performance, he plunges into the sound world of the accordion, using the orchestra as a huge echo chamber for these extraordinary sounds. Program: Gérard Pesson – Chante en morse durable, pour accordéon et orchestre (world premiere – a Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo commission) – Alban Berg Kammerkonzert pour piano, violon et treize instruments à vent – Johannes Brahms / Arnold Schönberg Klavierquartett g-Moll für Orchester, op. 25 – Kit Armstrong, piano – Renaud Capuçon, violin – Vincent Lhermet, accordion – Les Siècles – François-Xavier Roth, direction – Free shuttle service

SUNDAY APRIL 4  – CONCERT IN 2 PARTS at 2.30PM – OPÉRA GARNIER – 1ST PART – FRENCH MUSIC AT THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY – At the beginning of the 20th century, the great oak that was Debussy concealed a forest of other masters whose music evoked nature with poetry and lyricism. Aline Piboule performs these forgotten pieces with a skill that perfectly captures the landscapes traversed by her recital. The virtuosity of these occasionally ambitious pieces is always used to serve considerations of melody, light and color.Program: Prelude, introducing the tenancy of Gérard Pesson as composer in residence – Adieu Paul Salard, piano – La lumière n’a pas de bras pour nous porter pour piano amplifié – Albertine Monnet, piano (students from the regional conservatory of Nice) – Gustave Samazeuilh – Le chant de la mer (excerpt) Pierre-Octave Ferroud – Types (excerpts) -Abel Decaux Clairs de lune (excerpts) – Louis Aubert Sillages, op. 27 – Aline Piboule, piano – The program of this concert was recorded for the Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo label. At 4PM – OPÉRA GARNIER – 2ND PART – LISZT, SECOND VIENNESE SCHOOL AND WORLD PREMIERE -Supported by the Festival Printemps des Arts since the start of her brilliant career, French pianist Marie Vermeulin proposes a demanding recital that highlights works rarely publicly performed (Liszt’s 6 Polish Songs and Schoenberg’s Six Little Piano Pieces op. 19) as well as the first performance of a work by Marco Stroppa (b. 1959) – a cycle of studies distantly linked to Debussy. The concert is an invitation to explore the limits between music and silence, before culminating in the massive monument sculpted by Liszt to the memory of Johann Sebastian Bach. Program:Prelude, introducing the tenancy of Gérard Pesson as composer in residence – Origami Chopin Jeux d’os aux capucins – Lily Malivel, piano – Speech of clouds Stella Almondo, piano (students from the regional conservatory of Nice) – Franz Liszt 6 chants polonais, S. 480 – Arnold Schönberg 6 petites pièces pour piano, op. 19 – Marco Stroppa 6 études paradoxales, world premiere – a Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo commission – Franz Liszt – Variations on Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, S. 180 – Free shuttle service