The Mahatma Gandhi Institute (MGI) welcomes French conductor Alexandre Bloch and the 52 musicians of the London Philharmonic on February 14 and 15, after the Caudan Arts Centre. The three concerts are the fruit of collaboration with Mauritian choirs Island Voices and Francis Thomé, guitarist Hansley Félicité, and Indian music specialists Neriyen Veerlapin and Arvind C. Bhunjun. Dominique Bellier
TheLondon Philharmonic celebrates its 80th anniversary by sharing its expertise with musicians from host countries on this world tour. The three concerts programmed at the MGI on February 14th (at 3pm and 7:30pm) and 15th (at 7:30pm) will be conducted, as the previous ones at the Caudan Arts Centre, by the ebullient conductor Alexandre Bloch, before whom 52 musicians from the Philharmonicwill stand with the Island Voices choirs of Katrin Caine and Francis Thomé from the Conservatoire national François Mitterrand, brought together in a single formation.
Among the guest soloists, guitarist Hansley Félicité will make us dream of “the fragrance of magnolias, the song of birds and the trickle of fountains” that Joaquin Rodrigo aimed to capture for his Concerto d’Aranjuezin reference to these mythical Spanish gardens.
Veer takes us to Punjab with British composer Jasdeep Singh Degun, who composed it in memory of his younger brother. The sitar is the key instrument in this piece, set to the rhythm of the tablas and amplified by the breath of the philharmonic orchestra.
The opening of Marriage of Figaro will be followed by the famous Pavane composed by Gabriel Fauré for a countess he called “Madame ma fée”. Two religious pieces (Ave verum corpus by Mozart and Gloria by Vivaldi) conclude the first part, before the audience is swept away by the complete Symphony N°5 by Beethoven…
