Category: kultur

Classical music at Salle Pleyel

My very, very good friend François was gracious enough to allow me to join him and his very lovely girlfriend and his equally lovely niece to see the Orchestre de Paris at Salle Pleyel this evening.

The programme included a piece by Berlioz, a concerto by Chopin and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

The real treat was the pianist for Chopin’s concerto – Jan Lisiecki. I didn’t recognize the name but I read the programme and discovered he is the Canadian child prodigy I had seen in the CBC documentary hosted by John Schlesinger, ‘The Reluctant Prodigy’. He was superb, his nimble fingered playing brought the house down – he played two encores. It was his début with l’Orchestre de Paris.

The other pieces were fantastic as well. The conductor, Paavo Järvi was amazing to watch, he uses his whole body to conduct – beautiful movements.

The acoustics in this room are crystal clear – it has recently been renovated, and there are many classical and jazz recordings from Salle Pleyel.

We returned to François’s place for an impromptu late supper and then I took one of the last métros home. A perfect Parisian evening to end my trip.

Merci François.

Avant le concert à la Salle Pleyel
Avant le concert à la Salle Pleyel

 

Serge Gainsbourg – 20 ans déja [3]

My favourite Serge Gainsbourg song (though that changes once in a while) is about another song – Les feuilles mortes (Autumn Leaves). Serge’s song is called La chanson de Prévert (Prévert’s Song) – lyrics by Jacques Prévert with music by Joseph Kosma. Here are the French lyrics, with the English translation by Alex Chabot.

Oh je voudrais tant que tu te souviennes
Cette chanson était la tienne
C’était ta préférée
Je crois
Qu’elle est de Prévert et
Kosma

Avec d’autres bien sûr je m’abandonne
Mais leur chanson est monotone
Et peu à peu je m’in-
Diffère

A cela il n’est rien
A faire
Peut-on jamais savoir par où commence
Et quand finit l’indifférence

Passe l’automne vienne
l’hiver
Et que la chanson de
Prévert

Cette chanson, LES FEUILLES MORTES
S’efface de mon souvenir
Et ce jour là
Mes amours mortes
En auront fini de mourir

 Oh how I’d like you to remember
This song was yours
It was your favorite
I believe
It’s by Prévert and
Kosma

With others of course I give up
But their song is monotonous
And little by little I lose in-
terest

For that there isn’t anything
To do
Can you ever know where the beginning
And end of indifference is

The autumn passes and brings
Winter
And nothing but Prévert’s
Song

That song, DEAD LEAVES
Wipes itself from my memory
And on that day
My dead loves
Will have finished dying

“Charlotte Perriand – de la photographie au design” at the Petit Palais

I saw a fantastic exhibition at the Petit Palais museum today: “Charlotte Perriand – de la photographie au design”. A French photographer and designer working mainly from the 1930’s to the 1970’s, her photography is stunning and her furniture design is amazing.