You like
classical music but consider yourself an amateur? This series will let you discover the key works of the repertoire, according to the theme you choose. Why is the
violin still so captivating, centuries after its invention? Probably because it remains the instrument that is closest to the human voice in its expressive possibilities. Having rapidly become the king of instruments in the 19th century, the
piano has never lost its status. Versatile, it can bean orator, at once a potent and confident, flamboyant and poetic, feverish and lyrical. The
cello, with its warm tone and wide register, can touch the listener deeply. As varied as the composers that they inspired, these instruments seduce today as in the past.
Violin
Why is the violin still so captivating, centuries after its invention? Probably because it remains the instrument that is closest to the human voice in its expressive possibilities. Let yourself be moved by some of the greatest works written specifically for violin and orchestra, including
Mendelssohn’s Concerto,
Massenet’s Méditation from
Thaïs or
Saint-Saëns’s
Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, extracts from
Bach and
Prokofiev sonatas or the gypsy repertoire, with its contagious good spirits.
Piano
“My piano is my word, my life.” (
Franz Liszt) Having rapidly become the king of instruments in the 19th century, the piano has never lost its status. Versatile, it can be an orator, at once a potent and confident, flamboyant and poetic, feverish and lyrical. Its various facets are displayed here, from
Beethoven’s classicism, which was revolutionary, to
Gershwin’s jazzed up rhythms, with an obligatory detour through
Chopin’s disquieting romanticism,
Ravel’s fluidity, one of
Schubert’s perfect miniatures and an ageless passage by
Satie.
Cello
The cello, with its warm tone and wide register, can touch the listener deeply. It lends itself admirably to reinterpretations of vocal works and to pure lyricism as, for example, in the magnificent Swan solo in
Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals. Dynamic and spirited, it communicates the effervescence of Spanish repertoire and the raw energy of dance in
de Falla and
Prokofiev as it does feelings of tenderness as imagined by
Haydn and
Mendelssohn. As varied as the composers that it inspired, it seduces today as in the past.
© Lucie Renaud
Translation: Annie P. Prothin
