Premiered in 1784 at the Académie Royale de Musique, where it ensured the institution’s fortune, La Caravane du Caire was one of Grétry’s most famous operas, its popularity continuing into the 19th century. After the recording made under the direction of Marc Minkowski in 1991, Guy Van Waas proposes an energetic new version that enables us to discover a few variants in relation to the previous version. This production, realized by the Palazzetto Bru Zane of Venice, benefits from a fascinating musicological presentation by Alexandre and Benoît Dratwicki. The libretto is typical of the oriental subjects that were so highly prized in the late 18th century. Here, the beautiful Zélime, sold as a slave to a pasha, is rescued from the seraglio thanks to the courage of her beloved Saint-Phar and the loyalty of another Frenchman, Florestan. The work is peppered with comical situations, tender or bravura arias (including a pastiche of Italian-style coloratura) and embellished with numerous ballets, some of which contribute an original note of exoticism.
L'Orchestre Sympathique was a progressive jazz rock quartet founded in 1976 by classicaly trained vibraphonist/percussionist Jean Vanasse, flautist/pianist Francois Richard, and drummer Mathieu Leger. They were joined by various bass players over the years. They released three live albums over their careers including this one recorded live at the La Grande Passe in April of 1979. They never could secure a record deal so there were no studio albums released unfortunately. The band would eventually move to Paris, France and toured Europe extensively from 1981-1985. This album is of particular interest to progressive music lovers, sounding very much like early Maneige.
«Ceci n'est pas un essai sur le Congo. Cinq longs séjours, à l'invitation d'une ONG, ne permettent pas d'écrire sur un pays. Ce n'est pas non plus un récit de voyage. Alors quoi? C'est assurément un livre sur les filles des rues que j'ai rencontrées à Pointe-Noire et Brazzaville, dont j'ai voulu décrire la force et les blessures. Mineures n'ayant pas d'autres ressources que la prostitution, souvent orphelines et déjà mères, elles se métamorphosent dès la nuit tombée pour "faire la vie". Mais peut-être est-ce aussi un livre sur ce monde qui est le leur, avec sa misère et ses mystères, et sur ce qu'il a déplacé en moi…»
En 1999, dans L'épreuve, E. Plenel analysait la yougoslave et montrait comment une partie de la classe politique et intellectuelle française se montrait sensible aux intérêts du pouvoir serbe au nom d'une position national-républicaine. Dans le présent ouvrage, le journaliste entend démontrer comment ce soutien à l'impérialisme russe en France se perpétue avec l'invasion de l'Ukraine. …
It was at Le Concert Spirituel that the Germanicstyle symphony made its appearance in Paris. This story began in the 1750s with the arrival of musicians from Mannheim, including Johann Stamitz, in the French capital. Subsequently, various composers such as the Belgian François-Joseph Gossec appeared as the creators of the earliest French symphonies before Haydn’s symphonies enjoyed a very particular success there. This set, released on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Les Agrémens, takes up most of the recordings conducted by Guy Van Waas in a repertoire bringing together composers played in Paris at the end of the 18th century (Gossec, Grétry, Haydn, Krauss), and announcing the beginnings of the Romantic symphony with two recording premieres: a symphony by Hérold and Beethoven’s Second Symphony.