Schedule of events - Opéra de Lille

The piano was a constant companion throughout Mozart’s life, beginning in his childhood when he performed in public across Europe. His keyboard works often resonate with those written for larger ensembles and the opera stage; they served as a laboratory for his new ideas. However, in the 18th century, the piano sounded quite different from today’s instruments. Lighter in construction, the pianoforte—the ancestor of our modern concert piano—offers a sound that is both diaphanous and biting, with a more subdued volume and a marked differentiation of registers, resulting in an entirely different palette of colors.

Virgile Van Essche invites you to a special encounter with the pianoforte. Passionate about the sounds of historical instruments, he will perform on his own instrument the Mozart Fantasies featured in our production of The Magic Flute. Their constant variations in tempo and expressive mood paint beautifully contrasting landscapes.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Fantasy No. 3 in D minor
Fantasy No. 4 in C minor

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, “The Tempest”: 2nd movement

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The Magic Flute: “March of the Priests”
Rondo No. 3 in A minor
Rondo No. 1 in D major

With
Virgile Van Essche, pianoforte

DURATION: 45 min

The art of the lied—that is, singing poetry in German, most often with piano accompaniment—reached its peak during the Romantic era.

Yet we begin our journey with Mozart. While his lieder are less famous than his operas and symphonies, they conjure, in just a few minutes, a deeply expressive portrait of love. Beethoven, too, is rarely celebrated for his lieder; yet his cycle An die ferne Geliebte holds a special place in the history of the genre. This approach would influence Schubert, who brought the art of the lied to its zenith. In his work, the piano gains autonomy and the singing depth. With Grieg, this concert concludes with a new hue. The Norwegian composer, steeped in German culture yet imbued with Nordic sensibility, employs a style marked by bolder harmonies.

Winners of the Royaumont Foundation and the Lyon Chamber Music Competition, Korean pianist Jeeyoung Lim and Canadian pianist Cole Knutson combine virtuosity and intensity to explore every nuance of the Romantic soul.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
An Chloe, Das Veilchen, and Abendempfindung
Ludwig van Beethoven
An die ferne Geliebte
Franz Schubert
Ganymed, Memnon, Nacht und Träume, and Gruppe aus dem Tartarus
Edvard Grieg
Sechs Lieder, Op. 48

With
Duo Vert
Jeeyoung Lim, bass-baritone
Cole Knutson, piano

DURATION: 1 hour

Photo © Karol Miczka

This concert is a celebration of connection—the kind that arises from curiosity about others and a love for distant lands. First comes the collaboration between singer Emma Prat and the Trio Marsa, followed by the convergence of diverse musical inspirations drawn from every corner of the Mediterranean.

This spirit of convergence lies at the very heart of Trio Marsa’s identity, bringing together three virtuoso musicians: a multilingual violinist from Occitania, a Parisian cellist passionate about modal traditions, and a percussionist of Egyptian and Lebanese descent, hailing from Alexandria. Between compositions and improvisation, their pieces tell the story of a shared journey that takes us
from France to the Arab world, via the Balkans and Greece.

Emma Prat, trained in jazz at the Lille Conservatory, sets no limits on her exploration of vocal techniques: she writes, sings, and composes for and with the LUNAR trio, founded the Aâma quintet—which blends sounds from Central Africa and the Middle East—and explores Kabyle music as well as songs from Hispanic and Judeo-Spanish traditions.

Improvisations, original compositions, songs by Fairouz and other icons of Mediterranean music

With
Trio Marsa
Sylvain Rabourdin, violin
Lina Belaïd, cello
Wadie Naim, percussion
Emma Prat, vocals, guitar

DURATION: 1 hour

In the wake of the performances of The Magic Flute, the Concert d’Astrée offers a nocturnal reflection on the central themes of a work that embodies the quintessence of Mozart’s humanism—through the music that preceded it.

The Legacy of Arcangelo Corelli

Let us explore the concept of artistic legacy, specifically that of Arcangelo Corelli, one of the fathers of violin technique. The trio sonata, which he shaped, became the playground for subsequent generations.

Arcangelo Corelli
Trio Sonata in C major, Op. 4 No. 1
Trio Sonata in G major, Op. 1 No. 9
Francesco Antonio Bonporti
Trio Sonata in D minor, Op. 1 No. 5
François Couperin
Le Parnasse or L’Apothéose de Corelli
Georg Philip Telemann
Sonata corellisante No. 2 in A major
Pietro Antonio Locatelli
Trio Sonata in E minor, Op. 5 No. 2
Antonio Vivaldi
Follia in D minor, Op. 1 No. 12

With
Soloists of the Concert d’Astrée
David Plantier, Clémence Schaming, violins
Gulrim Choï  cello
Benoît Hartoin, harpsichord

DURATION: approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

In the wake of the performances of The Magic Flute, the Concert d’Astrée offers a nocturnal echo of its central themes. Let us consider imitation, a technique that came into its own during the Baroque era: voices imitate instruments, instruments imitate voices—and both imitate the sounds of nature.

From the Imitation of Nature to the Imitation of Feelings

Jean-Philippe Rameau
“Papillon inconstant” and “Premier air pour Zéphire,” excerpts from Les Indes Galantes
“Troisième concert,” excerpt from Pièces de clavecin en concert
François Couperin
“Les Lis naissans,” excerpt from the Third Book of Harpsichord Pieces
“Les Abeilles,” from the Premier livre de pièces de clavecin
Louis-Claude Daquin
“L’Hirondelle,” from Pièces de clavecin
Francesco Cavalli
“Luci mie,” from Serse
Georg Friedrich Händel
Mi palpita il cor 
Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre
The Sleep of Ulysses

With
Soloists of the Concert d’Astrée
Gwendoline Blondeel, soprano
David Plantier, Clémence Schaming, violins
Marion Martineau, viola da gamba
Benoît Hartoin, harpsichord

DURATION: approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

Young heroes and heroines searching for their path, between Shadow and Light. Guardian figures who decide to pass on their power to them. And at the heart of this story, instruments with supernatural powers. In the wake of performances of The Magic Flute, the Concert d’Astrée offers a nocturnal echo of the central themes of a work that represents the quintessence of Mozart’s humanism—through the music that preceded it.

As night falls, let us invoke the magical power attributed to the timbre of certain instruments—such as Tamino’s flute or Papageno’s glockenspiel. Percussionist Sylvain Fabre engages in a dialogue with the spirits of those drifting off to sleep: through vibrations—sometimes deep, mysterious, rough, or soothing—he takes listeners on an acoustic journey into the heart of percussion, which might just—who knows—lead them into a trance.

With
Sylvain Fabre, percussion

DURATION: approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

In Mozart’s work, in Tamino’s hands, the flute becomes magical: it overcomes dangers and transforms darkness into light. For this final Sieste of the season, it transports us, alongside other instruments, to distant horizons.

Originally from Catalonia, Efrén López is a virtuoso instrumentalist, specializing in the hurdy-gurdy, the lute, and various plucked string instruments, whose sounds carry us from the eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia. Sylvain Barou is a gifted flutist, rooted in the Breton and Irish traditions, yet drawn irresistibly by musical encounters toward India, Turkey, Armenia, Iran… and just as many wind instruments.

Driven by the same spirit of exploration, the two artists share a common vision of musical tradition as a tool for creation, and a deep understanding of the musical systems they explore. For the duration of a concert without borders, the duo offers us an escape to the crossroads of influences. The program blends original compositions, improvisations, and traditional Armenian, Turkish, Afghan, and Bulgarian pieces.

With
Sylvain Barou: flutes, duduk, bansuri, uilleann pipes, gaïda, zurna, kaval
Efrén López: oud, rubab, saz, hurdy-gurdy, laouto, cistre

In partnership with Attacafa - scène universelle nomade

DURATION: 45 min

Photo © Eric Legret