A unique event proudly brought to you by the IFAS and The Alliance Française du Cap.

 GERMAN ROMANTIC MUSIC
During the Cradle of the romantic period, Germany left us an artistic inheritance of rare intensity, as well as on the literary and musical levels. In this artistic universe, when poets and the composers combined their art, there emerged master pieces which can suprise oneself without moderation still today

• Felix Mendelsohn-Bartholdy : Kirchenmusik op 39
  - Veni Domine
  - Laudate Pueri
  - Dominica II post pascha

• J. Brahms:Duettos op. 20
  - Weg der Liebe 1
  - Weg der Liebe 2
  - Die Meere.

• R. Schumann :
  - Landliches Lied op 29
  - Zigeunerleben op. 29 N° 3
  - Liebesgram op. 74
  - Nänie op 114

• F. Schubert :
  - Ständchen D. 921

 REQUIEM DE FAURE "a soft Requiem like myself"

January 16, 1888, in the church of the Madeleine in Paris, resounded the first notes of this masterly work, impossible to circumvent in the French repertory. We were in a intimist configuration in spite of the size of the building with 16 instrumentalists, a chorus of children, four tenors and four basses, and a child soloist. Later, the editor of Mr Fauré asked him for a more imposing version. It is the latter which was represented on July 12, 1900 at the Palais du Trocadéro at the time of the World Fair. A question arises today : is this symphonic version faithful to the intentions first of Fauré ? It seems that the width of the orchestra often harms the climate of meditation desired by the Composer. This is why the Paris National Opera Children Choir wished to perform this work, in its original configuration.

Set up in 1985 by the Conseil Général des Hauts-de-Seine through the impetus of its president, la Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine is a unique tool with multiple facets.

A mixture and a clever balance between the love of music, artistic rigour and teaching ability have brought this choir up to a very high standard in this field and thus on an international scale.

Today, 350 children, between the ages of 7 and 16, follow a singing training managed by Gaël Darchen. La Maîtrise also runs a men’s choir and a feminine voice group which allows them to take part in extremely varied productions as wide spread as the shepherd soloist part in Tosca and the oratorios grand choir. All repertoires are approached.

Years of hard work and rigour deserved a distinction : in 1996 la Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine became the official "Paris National Opera Children’s Choir". Then began a long series of collaboration with the most famous international artists (James Conlon, Seiji Ozawa, Valery Gergiev, André Engel, Jean-Louis Martinoty, Patrice Chéreau, Luciano Pavarotti, José Van Dam, Roberto Alagna, Angela Giorghiu, Natalie Dessay, Felicity Lott, Roland Petit ...) who offer the children an unforgettable experience.

From then on requests flow in : Aix festival, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Opéra Comique, Madrid Royal Theatre, Baalbeck Festival, ... the children appear on the most prestigious world lyrical stages. They also become very rapidly wonderful ambassadors for French vocal music. In 20 years of existence, the choir boys and girls have sung in over thirty countries spread out over the five continents.

The original CD’s library shows, not only the artistic quality of this group but also the broad mindedness : The Little Sweep by Benjamin Britten, Stabat Mater by Pergolesi, participation in rock opera recordings (Roger Waters) and original film sound tracks.....

Neither better nor worse, the children from the Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine are the reflection of all the children in the world with, however, an extra characteristic ; a passion for music, a taste for perfection, the wish to take part in a communal production difficult and demanding, to give a little of ones self to an artistic edifice where voice predominates.

 Venue : St Georges Cathedral, Wale Street, Cape Town
 Enquiries : Alliance Française du Cap - Jean-Jacques, Director - 021 423 56 99 - comm.cpt@alliance.org.za

 More about the Choir :
Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine
www.lamaitrise.com
The Maîtrise des Hauts de Seine is supported by the Fondation France Telecom.