Flautist Lucie Horsch captivates the 75th edition of the Menton Music Festival

The Alpes-Maritimes festival welcomes the world’s greatest classical artists until August 12, 2024.

A must-see in the summer events calendar on the Côte d’Azur, the 75th edition of the Menton Music Festival (Alpes-Maritimes) takes place throughout the city.

A major event around music that allows spectators to rediscover the charms of certain instruments. This was the case on Tuesday, July 30, thanks to Lucie Horsch who won over the audience with a recorder concert on the magnificent forecourt of the Saint-Michel Archange basilica.

At 24, the young Dutch woman already has 19 years of practice behind her. “The strength of the recorder is the sound, it’s really almost as direct as the human voice, it’s very personal and it’s very touching,” she confides. In the audience, the emotion is just as palpable. “She has an extraordinary talent, a fantastic mastery combined with a lot of kindness,” confirms a spectator.

Accompanied by the musicians of the Caravansérail Bertrand Cuiller ensemble, the flautist performed baroque works by Vivaldi, Castello and Mancini inspired by the Venice carnival. “I learned a lot about breathing by watching a flautist play, it’s beautiful,” reports a spectator. At the end of her performance, Lucie Horsch improvised a few notes of lyrical singing with the other musicians.

For seventy-five years, the Menton Music Festival has brought together the greatest classical talents in this cocoon open to the Mediterranean. Under the starry sky, the forecourt of the Saint-Michel Archange church is constantly renewed. Each concert is savored like a dish from a great chef. “When we build a program, it’s an alchemical work like in gastronomy, we’re going to combine one ingredient with another which ultimately calls for a third and so ultimately, it’s a very creative work so that, between the beginning and the end of the festival, we tell a story,” explains Paul-Emmanuel Thomas, artistic director of the festival.

The rest of the programme promises even more delightful moments with chamber music concerts, but also a tribute to Piazzolla’s tango by the Smoking Joséphine ensemble. Also not to be missed are the concerts by great performers such as pianist Nelson Goerner, the festival mass by the Nice Ottoni brass quintet and, to close, a duet with violinist Renaud Capuçon and pianist Guillaume Bellom.

The Menton Music Festival until August 12, 2024.