On the occasion of the great inaugural evening of the festival, tens of thousands of spectators gathered on the Grande Conche beach to watch an extraordinary concert that kept all its promises. The classical music festival continues across the city until July 28, 2023.
For 36 years, it has been an unmissable event for lovers of classical and lyrical music, this year again, the Un violon sur le sable festival resounds on the beaches and in the streets of Royan (Charente-Maritime) until July 28, 2023.
A sublime place
The first evening of festivities brought together an exceptional line-up around singer Élodie Fréjé and musician André Manoukian. Faithful among the faithful, the jazz songwriter settled down at his piano to play in front of an audience of spectators the titles of his latest album, Anoush released in November 2022.
“Amazingly, there is a lot less tension than playing in a small room, it’s the miracle of playing in nature and that’s what I love: playing the beauty of the sites in music is great”, he rejoices.
The singer-songwriter Elodie Frégé, gbig winner of the third season of the show Star Academy, joined him to sing the titles of his second album, The game of 7 errors. She also offered a vibrant tribute to Romy Schneider by performing the film’s song Things of life composed by Philippe Sarde. A unique experience for the performer. “It’s magnificent, we have the wind in our hair, the energy of the people and this magnificent orchestra behind us”, savorsshe.
Tribute to Jane Birkin
Led by chef Jérôme Pillement, thesymphony orchestra of the festival composed of 75 musicians from the Paris Opera opened the evening with a moving tribute to Jane Birkin. A week after the disappearance of the singer, they played the score of Baby alone in Babylon, a title written by Serge Gainsbourg in 1983 on the symphony Noh 3 by Brahms.
The evening continued with an accordion performance by Auvergne musician Félicien Brutchant, Latin dance with the duo Fauve Hautot and Christophe Licata and a concert by Argentinian baritone Armando Noguera.
At the end of the evening, the conquered public asks for more. “It’s beautiful, it’s friendly, beautiful music, it’s wonderful”, rejoices a spectator.
For its 36th edition, the Un violon sur le sable festival has once again set itself the ambition of opening up classical music to the general public. Find the highlights of the program in this article from France 3 Poitou-Charente.