I have devoted this most recent recording to dance. The pieces that I perform here are all linked to the art of dance from different eras and different cultures.Throughout history and in most people's perception, dance has always been a source of entertainment and joy, but it can also represent more sombre occasions, with pomp and grandeur.The Chaconne, for example, has become both tragic and sublime over time and today it's rhythm has mellowed!Chopin's Mazurkas can be rustic and folkloric, haunting or lyrical, even dramatic. In short, dance can express diametric opposites and unite those opposites at the same time.That's why I also want to pay homage to Shiva's dance, for this god, the symbol of destruction, illusion and ignorance, destroys in order to awaken human beings and lead them to create a new world.Shiva's divine dance, Tandava Nritya, is regarded by Hinduism as the origin of the cycle of creation, preservation and devastation.Vagharshapat Dance is based upon a melody from 'Yerangi' found in "Six Dances for Piano" (1906) by the legendary Armenian composer Komitas (1869-1935).
Founded in 1906, Les Petits Chanteurs à la Croix des Bois (Little Singers of the Wooden Cross) are renowned as one of the world's most established children's choirs. Founded by Paul Berthier and Pierre Martin, two students on vacation at l'Abbeye de Tamie, the Paris-based traveling choir broke tradition with its lack of affiliation to a particular parish or cathedral. Directed by Father Fernand Maillet, they soon developed an international presence thanks to performances at the Vatican and an appearance in the 1945 film La Cage aux Rossignols, and continued to remain active throughout the 20th century, with singer/songwriter Matthieu Chédid, Les Prêtres' Charles Troesch, and Olympic rowing champion Adrien Hardy among some of their famous former members. By its centenary year, which was celebrated by a France2 show featuring duets with the likes of Tina Arena, Lara Fabian, and Nolwenn Leroy, the choir school had developed into a full-time educational institution, combining regular studies with a global touring schedule.
Les papes, qui avaient quitté Rome pour Avignon depuis plus d'un siècle, inaugurent par leur retour en 1420 le triomphe de la société de cour. La cour de Rome, c'est au moins deux mille personnes qui administrent l'État le plus complexe, le plus cosmopolite de l'époque, gèrent d'immenses fortunes et instaurent un mode de vie brillant dont les fêtes, les fastes, le luxe ostentatoire marqueront profondément le siècle. Mais c'est aussi une cour érudite, dont les grands esprits novateurs, inspirés de vastes desseins, assurent la renommée de Rome "capitale des Lettres"…