Published on February 21, 2024Updated on February 21, 2024
Dive into the heart of musical and artistic exploration with Bruno Mantovani, artistic director of the Printemps des Arts Monte-Carlo. In an exclusive interview, he guides us through a captivating journey within the classical repertoire, exploring the enchanting theme "Ma fin est mon commencement." Discover how music, intimately connected to other forms of art and the senses, opens new perspectives on artistic expression.
A musical journey in three acts
“ I imagined this event as a cycle that would develop over three years. It’s a good pace for a programme, don’t you think?” says Bruno Mantovani with a glint in his eye. Mantovani has been in charge of programming since 2021. After presenting two seasons around the general theme “Ma fin est mon commencement”, in reference to a rondeau by Guillaume de Machaut that revolutionised musical composition in the 14th century, the composer extends the theme in this final part, adding fresh insights: “We will continue to bring together the composers’ youthful and mature works, this time through piano pieces by Robert Schumann, trios with piano by Ludwig van Beethoven, and the first and penultimate symphonies by Mozart, conducted by Laurence Equilbey. In this little exercise of analysis, what ultimately counts is also the combination of works and performers.”
The symphony from Schubert to Strauss, from youth to modernity
The 2024 edition thus lets us hear youthful and late work by Schubert, who was only 31 when he died, with Laurence Equilbey and the Quatuor Modigliani. It gives us the opportunity to explore Richard Strauss’s first orchestral works, in which we can already perceive his signature stylistic elements, and it is interesting to note here that Strauss’s final pieces, which symbolise the end of a tradition, were contemporaries of the first works of Pierre Boulez, a pioneer of the modern era.
The musical world of Aboriginal dreams
After musical portraits of Armenia followed by the United States, this new season sets out to examine our relationship with the earth and the world around us, showcasing a jazz version of The Carnival of Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns and portraits of animals composed by Rameau. “We will present an original symphonic version of The Song of the Earth by Gustav Mahler, but also a more intimate transcription, and I asked Laurent Cuniot to composer his own. In The Inexhaustible Fabric of Dreams, a chamber opera commissioned from Sophie Lacaze, we will also hear a didgeridoo,” says Mantovani enthusiastically. The artistic director loves blending music with other arts, and chose to use images by Sebastião Salgado on the festival posters. There will also be a screening of the film The Salt of the Earth directed by Wim Wenders, which focuses on Salgado’s work.
Harmony of the senses at Printemps des Arts Monte-Carlo
In addition to the events scheduled before and after the concerts, another way to enjoy the festival is through food: Yannick Aléno, chef of the Pavyllon Monte-Carlo, has devised a menu of dishes in dialogue with specially chosen pieces of music. The festival also offers Renaissance dance classes and a collaboration with the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco, which will present the works of three composers in association with the exhibition of work by Pier Paolo Calzolari. The Printemps des Arts thus provides multiple entry points into classical music, its movements and emotions, enriching its meaning.
After the concerts
Exciting opportunities to get up close to the musicians...
• Thursday March 14: At the Club of Foreign Residents of Monaco (CREM), Sandro Compagnon, saxophonist, and Henri Demarquette, cellist.
• Thursday March 21: Café de la Rotonde at te Casino de Monte-Carlo with the Modigliani Quartet.
• Thursday April 4: Café de la Rotonde, with Karol Mossakowski, organist.
Mandatory reservation: +377 93 25 54 10
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