Paper giants come alive in the streets of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. To catchy melodies, these dolls dance to the delight of young and old alike. The effigies are far from unknown: on finds the composer Igor Stravinsky, the dancer and patron of the Belle Époque Ida Rubinstein, alongside her protege, the famous Maurice Ravel.
Artistic effervescence
“It was she who commissioned the famous Bolero which surprised everyone. At first it was almost a bit of a joke to pick up on this theme, repeat it and ramp it up. Ravel himself said, not without irony, that he was surprised by the success of this work”, specifies Marc de Mauny, general delegate of the festival.
This artistic effervescence marks the start of the 2022 edition of the Ravel Festival. More than three weeks of festivities, from August 20 to September 11, dedicated to the illustrious composer born in 1875 in Ciboure. Or just a few meters from Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
The curious will be able to take advantage of an extensive musical program, with one concert per day. Reinterpretations of Scheherazade by the Orchester national de Bordeaux, recitals of Mozart on the pianoforte by the Australian soloist Kristian Bezuidenhout. But also a performance by the Orchester de chambre de Lausanne which will play compositions by Faure (the Pelléas and Mélisande), the symphony “classic” of Prokofiev and the reverie and caprice by Berlioz.
Beyond the concerts, the festival promises masterclasses exceptional, with bass-baritone Jean-Philippe Lafont, the violinist Philippe Graffin and the pianist Marie-Josephe Jude, professor at the National Conservatory of Music in Paris. Conferences on outstanding figures will complete the vast program, historical figures like Charles V or more modern ones, like the prolific composer who died in the 90s, Olivier Messiaen.
Ravel Festival, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, until September 11, online ticketing