Concert of the Orchestre national de Cannes

On the occasion of the retrospective exhibition dedicated to Ellsworth Kelly, the Orchestre national de Cannes presents a concert that creates a dialogue between music and visual perception.

The program invites listeners to engage closely with forms, balances, and tonal colors, in a spirit reminiscent of the clarity and sensitive rigor of the American painter’s work. Conducted by Kyrian Friedenberg, this musical journey spans centuries, from Johann Sebastian Bach to the present day, including several major works of the 20th century. The evening opens with Bach’s Third Brandenburg Concerto, a luminous and dynamic piece in which the strings interact with precision and vitality. The collective energy it generates makes it immediately captivating. With Shaker Loops by John Adams, the strings enter an undulating, almost hypnotic motion. Repetitive patterns gradually transform, creating a vibrant and highly physical sonic texture. The program continues with a world premiere by Jacques Lenot, La Beauté du monde n°13 – L’Infinito, inspired by a poem by Giacomo Leopardi.

True to a compositional style shaped by serial thinking, the composer unfolds music of great formal precision, in which each sound finds its place within a subtle balance. Fratres by Arvo Pärt then introduces a moment of meditation. Its stripped-down writing creates a suspended sonic space where each note resonates with particular intensity. The concert concludes with Mystère de l’Instant by Henri Dutilleux, a fascinating work built on a succession of brief, contrasting sequences. Timbres, rhythms, and bursts of percussion form a rich sonic palette, like a series of musical tableaux inviting the listener to savor the intensity of each moment.

With the support of the Société des Amis of the Fondation Maeght