“Enthusiasm” swept me away
 It takes about 2 hours by train from Paris. When getting closer to the Atlantic Ocean, there is a town called Nantes. The specialty in this area is delicious oyster and aromatic dry white wine. Once upon a time, the town flourished as the center of the Principality of Bretagne, and it still has remnants of medieval days with the magnificent castle of the Grand Prince.
As I heard that the most popular musical event in France was being held in Nantes, I went there. This year, it was held from January 28 to February 1, out of which, 3 days from Friday to Sunday was the main event. Although I gained some information before I went there, what I heard and what I saw was totally different. It was the most unique and most enjoyable festival I have ever experienced.
The venue is a gigantic congress center. Once you step into the center, people are crowded in and it is like a trade show or a gala. Exactly as the title of La Folle Journee, I was swept away with “enthusiasm.”
Surprising price of concert tickets which enable you to participate in several concerts
 There were many large and small halls at the congress center, and 50 to 70 concerts were being held in one day from early morning to late night. A concert was 45 minutes long without a break and the average ticket price was 1500 yen, therefore, you can go to several concerts by yourself. Although I could not get used to the atmosphere, I gradually got caught up in the enthusiasm of the people. I desperately opened the program and made a plan and went to listen to many concerts by running around the venue. One of the most interesting ones was Mendelssohn’s “Midsummer Night's Dream” performed by the Orchestre Lamourex headed by Maestro Yutaka Sado. As it was accompanied by readings by famous actresses, the children were very much excited with joy. Ms. Sayaka Shoji performed a sonata with a pianist, Mr. Akira Wakabayashi, and they received great applause. In addition, a galaxy of stars including Barbara Hendricks (soprano), Nelson Freire, Nikolai Lugansky (piano), Renaud Capucon (violin), performed and I wanted to listen to everything.
This unique music festival was realized by a charismatic music director, Rene Martin. He broke down the barrier of classical music and aimed for “democratization of classical music” so even beginners can enjoy it. The artists who were inspired by the concept and his enthusiasm agreed to perform for much lower fees just for one time a year, and the price-slashed tickets became possible. 120,000 tickets were sold in 5 days.
Joy of spending time at the theme park of classical music
 In fact, I was most impressed with the theme of this music festival. It changes every year, and this year’s theme was the “1810s”. Composers who were flourishing during this period, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt and Mendelssohn were featured. There were also many elaborate concert programs, and what may be the secret to its popularity is that included were satisfying contents not only for beginners but also music experts.
Another thing I was impressed with was that the venue was becoming like a “classical music theme park.” People enjoyed themselves at cafes or restaurants between concerts and stepped into booths of record companies or CD shops. For one full day, you can enjoy “A Day of Enthusiasm” of only classical music at the venue. This is what I mean by saying “the scales fell from my eyes,” and since returning home from Nantes, I talk to everybody I see about “A Day of Enthusiasm.”
Yuiko Ishitoya
A freelance music journalist. She writes for music magazines such as “Ongaku no Tomo”, “Mostly Classic” and “Monthly Piano” as well as “Mrs.”, “Waraku” and “Fujin Gaho”. She is the author of “Cheers for Maestro”, “Opera can be enjoyed after seeing it”, “Why are opera singers popular?” and “General Knowledge about Opera”, etc.
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Dates and Time: Apr 29 (Fri) to May 1 (Sun), 2005 9:00 ~ 23:00 |
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Theme: Beethoven & His Fellows |
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Venue: Tokyo International Forum (all halls) and the surrounding area |
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Performing Artists: 500 (Asian 300 / European 200) (To be changed.) |
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Number of Concerts: 150 concerts in 3 days |
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Admission: Average \1,500 for 1 concert |
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Host: Tokyo International Forum |
The program will be announced in early October!
For further details, please see
http://www.t-i-forum.co.jp/ |
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