Comps Historique and Pradel Association – Fête de l'alto – 4 altos, 4 générations – 06/21/26

Lodovico Beretta: Canzon a quattro 

Sheng Song: Canzon’s Adventure 

Frédéric Chopin: Valse brillante in A-flat Major, Opus 34, No. 2 

Max von Weinzierl: Nachtstuck für 4 Violen, Opus 34 

Ludwig von Beethoven: Trio in C Major, Opus 87 — Adagio 

Jean-Pierre Peuvion: From the diary of a fly for three violas (Bela Bartok) 

Hendrik Waelput: Andante cantabile for 4 violas 

York Bowen: Fantasia for 4 violas in E Minor, Opus 41, No. 1 

Joseph Jongen: Deux pièces pour 4 altos: Légende et Danses 

Noémie Alriau-Gauguier: Viola 

Camille Coelo: Viola 

Ruixin Niu: Viola 

Pierre-Henri Xuereb: Viola 

In France, June 21 has been known not only as the date of the summer solstice, but also as the date of the Fête de la musique since 1982 owing to the initiative of Jack Lang, the indefatigable minister of Culture back then, and Maurice Fleuret, his equally ambitious director of music, whose simple but bold idea was to have all kinds of music played in all kinds of places on the longest day and the shortest night of the year. Other countries soon followed suit, and before long, many cities in many countries celebrated World Music Day. 

In Dieulefit, while reviewing the various options, I immediately noticed an all-viola concert involving no less than four violists spanning four generations. Moreover, it was organized by the two mighty local forces that are Comps Historique and Pradel Association, which is always a good sign, and would take place in the stunning little Romanesque church in nearby Comps at the totally civilized time of 7:00 PM. What more could we ask for? Well, slightly lower temperatures would have been nice, but we were not going to let heat wave hysteria spoil our fun anyway. 

When D-Day came around, it started very early for me as an impertinent bird insisted on serenading me outside my window starting at about 4:00 AM, maybe to make sure I would make the most of that special day. And I did. After a busy morning helping my mom with her never-ending move (Two years and counting) and a relaxed afternoon prudently spent indoors, we resolutely made our way to the wind-swept hill on which the church still proudly stood to join some friends and other music lovers for the sold-out performance. 

We started our foray into the interestingly esoteric program in Venice, Italy, of all places, with “Canzon a quattro”, a short but lovely Baroque composition by Lodovico Beretta, before jumping forward a few centuries and becoming fast acquainted with the definitely more modern vibes of “Canzon’s Adventure” by contemporary Chinese composer Sheng Song. Contrasts seemed to be the name of the game, and we were totally into it. 

Next, we entered much more familiar territory with a viola version of Frédéric Chopin’s Valse brillante in A-flat Major, which gave us an opportunity to happily bask in 19th-century French Romanticism. Same period, same genre, but different locale, Austrian Max von Weinzierl’s Nachtstuck für 4 Violen, Opus 34, stood out for its length and complexity, engaging lyricism and genuine warmth. In fact, a bird apparently nesting in the church’s dome (Or was it my morning suitor that was stalking me?) was not even able to refrain from loudly expressing his whole-hearted approval. 

A small detour to Germany one century earlier brought us to Ludwig von Beethoven, who obviously needed no introduction. The viola version of the Adagio from his Trio in C Major, Opus 87, originally written for two oboes and an English horn, proved again the timeless appeal of masterworks, even with the smaller ensemble of three violas. 

In the 20th century, Hungarian composer Bela Bartok came up with Mikrokosmos, a vast collection of exercises for piano that increase in difficulty as the student progresses. On Sunday, we heard Jean-Pierre Peuvion’s version of “From the diary of a fly”, which was eerily evocative of the restless movements and non-stop energy of a fly. The unfazed musicians overcame the challenge deftly, which was no small feat considering that they had to put up with heat and… flies. 

We went back to the 19th century for a quick but very pleasant Andante Cantabile for 4 violas by Flemish composer, conductor and educator Hendrik Waelput, before moving to early 20th-century English composer, pianist and viola lover York Bowen and his Fantasia for 4 violas in E Minor, Opus 41, No. 1. Written specifically for four violas, it turned out to be delightfully eclectic, highly interactive, and all-around very exciting, and was rightfully a big hit. 

The performance wrapped up with a resounding bang thanks to not one but two pieces by Joseph Jongen, a 20th-century Belgian organist, pianist, composer, conductor, educator and, last but not least, César Franck’s student, a student who, according to Pierre-Henri Xuereb, eventually surpassed the master in talent, but, unfairly enough, not fame. It would have been hard for us to argue as we listened to his two pieces for 4 violas, “Legend” and “Dances”, which the four violists played with blazing virtuosity and infectious enthusiasm. 

So much so, in fact, that for the loudly requested encore, the fired-up ensemble treated us to the last bars of the joyful “Dances” number again, which instantaneously lifted our spirits up again. Even better, as we were stepping outside, a slightly refreshing breeze was welcoming us back to summertime reality.

Ensemble Vocal Altaïr & Quatuor Grazioso - Magnificat - 06/13/26

Johann Pachelbel: Canon in D Major 

Francesco Durante: Magnificat 

Domenico Scarlatti: Magnificat 

Antonio Vivaldi: Et exulta vit 

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Quia respexit 

John Rutter: Quia fecit 

John Rutter: Et misericordia 

Johann Sebastian Bach: Et misericordia 

Alessandro Scarlatti: Fecit potentiam 

Alessandro Scarlatti: Deposuit 

Antonio Vivaldi: Deposuit 

Antonio Vivaldi: Esurientes 

John Rutter: Esurientes 

Francesco Durante: Gloria and Sicut erat 

Music Director and conductor: Isabelle Fallot 

Until last Saturday evening, it had been an awfully long time since I had listened to any kind—let alone my kind—of live music at all, and while enjoying countless historic, artistic and culinary marvels, as well as the occasional company of dear friends, at various stops between Naples and Aix-en-Provence had kept me happily busy, it had not quite made up for the steadily growing frustration. In fact, I almost felt that the otherwise truly lovely city of Verona was making a point of mercilessly teasing me as I was watching its famous arena getting ready for its equally famous summer opera festival while (admittedly) indulging in la dolce vita at a cafe on its sprawling piazza Bra. 

Fast-forward a couple of weeks ago. As I was perusing the local upcoming events advertised on various boards scattered in Dieulefit, where I am visiting my mom, I excitedly noticed a flyer advertising a concert dedicated to the Magnificat canticle, also known as the “Song of Mary” or “Canticle of Mary”, in the town’s Protestant temple. Granted, it would start at the ungodly time of 9:00 PM, but then again, it was really close by, and beggars cannot be choosers anyway. On top of it, the concert would also be an opportunity for me to check out its interior, which is usually off-limits. 

In the end, I had the chance to take a peek the day before the concert as it was open for the rehearsal. Although it was kind of predictable, I was still taken aback by its resolute bareness, especially after the extravagant glamour I am used to in Italian catholic churches. But I also figured that it would encourage the audience to focus on the music and nothing else, which was a good thing. When one has the good fortune of being in the presence of local favorites Ensemble Vocal Altaïr and Quatuor Grazioso, the least one can do is pay attention to them. 

My mom has been complaining about the cavernous space’s poor acoustics ever since she started attending concerts there, about a quarter of a century ago, and while it did not take me long to realize that she was not wrong, the temple’s convenient location, appropriate size and welcoming atmosphere nevertheless made it a more than acceptable venue for performances. Even better, early birds get to catch not a worm, but a soft cushion that will help them put up with the benches’ hard surface. And that’s just what we did before grabbing prime spots among neighbors and friends. 

 The concert unexpectedly started with an exquisite performance of Johann Pachelbel’s beloved Canon in D Major by Quatuor Grazioso. Although Pachelbel’s biggest hit by far originally appeared half-way in the original written program, the last-minute change quickly proved to be a smart move since it enabled the singers to walk from the back of the temple to the stage down each side aisle to the sound of this classic among classics. All that was missing was a bride walking down an aisle as well! 

Such an otherworldly beautiful introduction was always going to be a tough act to follow, but the Altaïr ensemble led by its intrepid music director Isabelle Fallot went right down to business, after a short introduction by the maestra herself, which was unfortunately hard to decipher due to the microphone and some dreadful resonance. But it did not matter. We were there for the music, and we were about to get a very satisfying dose of it. 

Curated with utmost care and performed with infectious enthusiasm, the intermission-free set of various excerpts from various versions of the Magnificat, all coming to us from different epochs and countries, ended up being not only a real treat to the ears, but a fascinating comparative study as well. To me, the most interesting case was probably the “Et misericordia” aria, whose highly refined Baroque German version by Johann Sebastian Bach proudly stood up to the more muscular modern English take by John Rutter. 

I was also looking forward to hearing Isabelle Fallot who, besides busily fulfilling the job of the choir’s leader, wears many other distinguished hats, including the one of accomplished soprano. And sure enough, her solo in Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s “Quia respexit” and her duo with another talented woman singer for Antonio Vivaldi’s “Esurientes” turned out to be undisputed highlights of an evening that counted many. 

We had been asked to refrain from clapping between the numbers and we had dutifully kept quiet, but once the concert had gone full circle with Francesco Durante, who had opened the singing part of the program with an uplifting “Magnificat” and closed it with a no-holds-barred “Gloria and Sicut erat”, we were not ready to let the artists go just yet and loudly let them know. So, they treated us to a delightful voice version of Pachelbel’s Canon, which did not quite turn into the sing-along Fallot was hoping for, but still wrapped up this enchanted musical evening on a festive note.