As part of the second edition of the festival des Ecoles d’art américaines taking place from July 8 to August 3 at Château de Fontainebleau, the FEU is delighted to host a summer concert on its premises given by the winners of the Ravel competition and Andrew Briggs, FEU resident and Harriet Hale Woolley scholarship fellow 2018-19.
Free admission, sign up here:
Program
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Sonate pour violoncelle et piano (1948)
I. Allegro – Tempo di Marcia
II. Cavatine
III. Ballabile
IV. Finale
Andrew Briggs, cello and Nathan Brandwein, piano
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Quatuor à cordes en Fa majeur
I. Allegro moderato – très doux
Marija Strapcane et Natalie Xia, violins, Chloé Thominet, contralto and Andrew Briggs, cello
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
Quintette pour piano nº2 en La majeur, Op. 81
I. Allegro ma non tanto
II. Dumka – Andante con moto
III. Scherzo (Furiant) – Molto vivace
IV. Finale – Allegro
Natalie Xia et Marija Strapcane, violons, Chloé Thominet, contralto, Andrew Briggs, celo, Junhui Chen, piano (1st and 2nd movements) and Mihai Diaconescu, piano (3rd and 4th movements)
About the Écoles d’art américaines de Fontainebleau
The Écoles d’art américaines de Fontainebleau (EAAF) aims to raise awareness of French culture, particularly music and architecture, among foreign students. Every summer since 1921, the EAAF has been based at the Château de Fontainebleau. With the latter’s initiative, they created in 2018, the festival des Ecoles d’art américaines, which “fully integrates the artistic programming of the American Art Schools into the life of the castle, by highlighting their original history, the relevance of their teaching, the talent of their students, while making the public discover the prestigious settings of Fontainebleau”. Indeed, the festival offers, through music, a new approach to the site. From July 8 to August 3, 2019, public masterclasses, student auditions, lunchtime concerts and conferences will follow one another, focusing on two themes: Nature and Women. It is also a celebration of two composers, Clara Schumann for the bicentenary of her birth in 1819 and Hector Berlioz, who died in 1869, 150 years ago. A major concert, presented by Frédéric Lodéon, will be given on July 14 on the theme of Nature. On July 28th, the festival will also welcome two renowned gambists for the “invitation to Madame de Maintenon” concert. The concert program is part of the illustrious legacy of Nadia Boulanger, a major figure of the Conservatory. Present since 1921 as a professor of orchestration and composition, she became music director in 1949 and remained so until her death in 1979. Nadia Boulanger welcomed the greatest instrumentalists, conductors and composers of her time to Fontainebleau to perform the great works of the repertoire but also unknown compositions and promote creation. Thus, the 2019 edition features Le Carnaval des animaux de Saint-Saëns or Schoenberg’s La Nuit transfigurée. This new opus also aims to introduce the music of Fanny Mendelssohn, Mel Bonis, Rebecca Clarke and Lili Boulanger. The 2019 edition also dedicates a “Composition Day” to the contemporary repertoire, with works by Giang Balwin, winner of the 2018 Ravel Prize, and established composers such as Madeleine Isaksson, Allain Gaussin, Michael Levinas, Sofia Goubaïdoulina and Olivier Messiaen. The many instrumentalists who perform in concerts in the Chapelle de la Trinité or give masterclasses are all prestigious musicians who choose to come and teach at Fontainebleau to put their talent and pedagogy at the service of students.
Discover the full Festival Program!