It is the Bolero of the confined. Twenty-eight musicians from the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra have just performed Maurice Ravel’s masterpiece from a distance, each playing their score from their place of confinement …
“The idea was to continue playing, staying in contact with us musicians and with our audience by recreating an orchestra from a distance,” says Philippe Biclot, percussionist.
“We asked the composer Pierre Ruscher to make an arrangement for a somewhat unusual formation of 28 musicians.”
In the beginning was the snare
Once the score is written, it remains to succeed the feat of playing together … without being physically together. A magic trick that music allows:
“I recorded the famous snare drum ostinato Bolero by Ravel (rhythm, editor’s note) and each musician received this rhythm, which he was able to put in his ears and play his score on this rhythm. Then a colleague from the orchestra did the editing. “
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With the means at hand and all their know-how of virtuosos, they achieved this feat. An initiative encouraged by the director of the Nice Opera:
“From the start of the confinement I sent an email to all the opera staff, musicians, dancers, choir artists, to interpret anything that pleased them and to post them on Facebook and Instagram accounts of the ‘opera “, testifies Bertrand Rossi.
Attract a new audience
“This will allow us to keep in touch with our usual music-loving audience, but I also hope to reach an audience that knows less about opera. Thanks to this desire to show the individuality of each artist on social networks will be able to come and attend in the future to our operas, to our ballets, to our symphonic concerts. “
Pending the resumption of opera activity, the artists continue their activity: “we really enjoyed doing it, we are working this week on a new surprise that should come out this weekend” promises Philippe Biclot.
Reminder :
>> The latest info on the coronavirus in our region.
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