The famous composer Éric Tanguy wrote a score for reciter and orchestra for him twenty years ago. He testifies today, very affected by the disappearance of this close friend.
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This is a dimension that remains unknown to the actor Michel Blanc, who died on the night of Thursday October 3 to Friday October 4, 2024, in Paris, at the age of 72: his great passion for classical music.
“It was 50% of his life,” confided to us on Friday the composer Éric Tanguy, close friend of the actor, upset by the news of his death. It was with this musician that Michel Blanc managed to realize, twenty years ago, his dream of being on stage with a symphony orchestra.
Michel Blanc was a music lover and had nourished this passion since his childhood. “Outside the circle of musicians and other music lovers, few people knew of this absolute passion”Eric Tanguy tells us. “He played the piano well, especially Brahms and Chopin”.
If he was aware that he did not have the stature of a concert pianist, “the hyper-enlightened amateur that he was often regretted not being able to play a Mozart concerto for piano and orchestra”Tanguy tells us.
The composer – famous, in particular, for having written a piece for the cellist Rostropovitch – then made him a proposal in the early 2000s: “Let’s associate your great talent as an actor with music. I will write you a score for reciter and orchestra”. The text will be written by Xavier Couture, the television man, Seneca, last daya funeral monologue narrating the final hours of the philosopher who was Nero’s tutor.
The Concerto for reciter and orchestra by Éric Tanguy was premiered on November 7, 2004 at the Rennes Opera with the Orchester de Bretagne. “It was a moment of absolute emotion for Michel to recite alongside a symphony orchestra. We were joining his dream”. Subsequently, the piece was recorded on disc with the Orchester national de France conducted by Alain Altinoglu. We hear the text declaimed by Michel Blanc.
The two friends’ project was to have a sequel, this time the actor had written the libretto for a chamber opera composed by Éric Tanguy. Photo of a child with a trumpetwritten based on a play by the Canadian playwright Morris Panych, Auntie & Me, was awaiting an upcoming creation.