It is an appointment full of youthful grace that France 2 offers each year during the holiday season. The 9th season of “Prodiges”, the classical competition highlighted fifteen young artists, in three categories, dance, singing and instrument. There were nine left in the race this Thursday evening, then three. It was the dancer Sacha, 12, who won the final. Too bad the jury did not explain their choice, because the result seemed tight in the final trio.
Sora, a 9-year-old violinist, was breathtaking. In her red tulle dress, the little girl interpreted Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” in such a brilliant way that her mother cried with emotion. The juror Gautier Capuçon praised her “impressive archer outfit”, the dancer Marie-France Pietragalla was dazzled by her lightness on stage, as if the little girl “take off from the ground”. For her second visit, the youngest of this edition played the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto, still in a bubble of virtuosity. ” Impressive ! said Gautier Capuçon.
Sacha was all in grace, precise on each movement
Matt, 13, gave a boost, pushing his voice a little further by resting his hands on those of Julie Fuchs. The soprano kept the singer from Nice in the final trio because she wanted to favor “the most advanced prodigy in his vocal career”. He was thus ahead of Abel and his angelic voice and the Polynesian Tinaléi, a fan of musicals. Matt continued with a magnificent interpretation of “Panis Angelicus”, by César Franck. The Divertimento orchestra, under the direction of Zahia Ziouani, enhanced each performance.
Sacha won the final on Dmitri Shostakovich’s waltz number 2. In a green dress, she glided across the stage, flying, hovering. Facing the orchestra, her hands in the air moved in small waves. The 12-year-old schoolgirl was more technical than Esteban, 15, dressed as Pirates of the Caribbean, very happy with his sword in hand. She was also stronger than Léa, 13, who weakened on her support, “because of stage fright or fatigue”, estimated Marie-France Pietragalla. Entrechats, doe jump, jerk, Sacha was all grace, precise on every movement, under the proud gaze of his little sisters and his parents behind the scenes. When Faustine Bollaert announced her victory, after two hours of broadcasting, she burst into tears, releasing the pressure. She won a scholarship of 10,000 euros.
The show made it possible to discover young prodigies, but also to see last year’s winner, Simon Lopez, then 16 years old. The clarinettist released on December 2 “Prodiges 8″, an album in which he plays concertos, famous operas, jazz and tango, accompanied by an orchestra.