2023-12-15 11:53:35
«Ah! But if you have read the program carefully you cannot leave like that!», says Paul Agnew, laughing to the spectators who pretend to leave the nave of the Fontevraud church. It’s not because he gave the concert a standing ovation that ” the public’s work is done », laughs the British tenor and conductor. “ It’s your turn to sing now. The artists from Arts Flo’ will spread out in the aisles to support you. »
The “stakeholder” public
No sooner said, no sooner done: the most daring listeners, joined by the choristers of the Palestrina ensemble in Saumur, associated with the operation, launch into two of the pages of the famous Messiah by Handel, whose famous and irresistible Hallelujah. And if the performance is less perfect than that of only the professionals admired a few minutes before, the enthusiasm compensates for the approximations, the generous reverberation of the Romanesque building doing the rest…
« The audience is always part of an artistic performanceassured Paul Agnew before entering the stage. By his presence, his listening, his applause. Inviting him to sing is a natural extension of his commitment. » As a soloist, conductor and, quite simply, a music lover, he “ hates the boundary between the room and the stage. It’s not “us” and “you” but “us together”! » According to him, shared pleasure is the condition, or rather, the essence of the concert.
Musical and poetic fusion
However, it is not a question of falling into demagoguery or endangering musical quality. Hence the preparation of the public who wish to give their voice (read cues) and the decision to concentrate the participatory choirs at the end of the performance, at the time of the “encores”.
The choice of Messiah is not a coincidence. “ As a Brit, I have sung it over a hundred times since my childhood and conducted it around thirty times.counts Paul Agnew. It is an extraordinary score, the fruit of the meeting between the genius of Handel and that of his librettist Jennens who knew how to create a meditation by assembling various biblical texts. This musical and poetic fusion gives the work its prodigious singularity. And its popularity, since its creation in Dublin in 1742. »
In the audience, Mireille did not “ sung as much as she imagined” but does not conceive “no bitterness. It’s not easy, even though I revised well. But we quickly lose track », admits this doctor from Tours who “ formerly » part of a choir. “ The important thing is to get started and if I can repeat the experience, I won’t hesitate. » Shy singer during encores, she is on the other hand an expansive spectator: “ this place is incredible for voices! I had chills the whole time, especially thanks to the mezzo-soprano Lucile Richardot, so poignant in the air “He was despised and abandoned”…”
Sing with the best “pros”
Maryvonne Monjauze, president of the Palestrina vocal ensemble in Saumur – she sings in the viola section – experienced the adventure with the same fervor. Since the members of the group, led by their choir director Aldo Zanotti, received the scores for the participatory encores (five weeks ago), they have refined their interpretation, delighted that Paul Agnew will also come to conduct them during one of their rehearsals.
« He was demanding but above all benevolent, highlighting our qualities and gently correcting our weaknesses.she mentions. And, above all, he gave us tremendous energy. »
For this group of passionate amateurs accustomed to singing a cappella or accompanied on the piano, the prospect of performing with an orchestra – and not the least important one – in front of 500 spectators at Fontevraud took on the appearance of a dream and a challenge. .
Joy and meditation, pain and hope, cross The Messiah, in an interweaving of elegiac or brilliant tunes and choirs with incredible soaring. All these emotional, aesthetic and spiritual landscapes put the listener in a situation of maximum receptivity and arouse his desire to invest himself. Les Arts Florissants understood this well by supporting this project “ d’immersion active » offered to everyone.
Singing with Les Arts Florissants
Given to Cultural Center of Meetings of Fontevraud Abbey (Maine-et-Loire) The Messiah by Handel is part of the program “ Christmas in music in Fontevraud “. Les Arts Florissants directed by William Christie and Paul Agnew are partners of the abbey. A contemporary art trail can also be discovered during this winter period.
The Messiah participatory is given again this Saturday December 16 at 8 p.m. to the Paris Philharmonic. A rehearsal for the participatory public precedes the concert from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. At the same time, Les Arts Florissants offers a toolbox including scores for those who can read the music and the text of the extracts concerned, as well as videos to facilitate learning by ear. This choral “karaoke” will remain available to interested amateur singers.
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