Creating a chamber orchestra with a piano as the leader, but not the director, based on chamber music listening without a conductor in the traditional sense, is a dream I’ve always cherished. Alongside accomplished musicians and seasoned quartet players, I wanted to create, through this orchestra Notte Bianca, a space for musical freedom where everyone has a voice and can freely express themselves within their artistic responsibility, all within a strong framework.
Notte Bianca also aims to be a space that rethinks the symphonic concert and the relationship to the stage: in an era where concerts are undergoing a true revolution, where pop artists are filling ever-larger venues with grandiose shows, it’s unthinkable to neglect the work on lighting and stage rhythm. Meeting this challenge can only be achieved through intelligent collaboration between the arts. The concept of a tableau, in particular, will allow us to create immersive musical experiences of approximately 15 minutes. This approach should allow the listener to access a deeper level of listening, a total journey where they can surrender to a complete sensory experience.
Because it is our responsibility to offer new ways of sharing music, beyond screens and headphones. It seems to me that this is becoming essential in the 21st century, as audiences yearn for an experience that engages all the senses.
That is why I have surrounded myself with brilliant artists such as the director Jean Christophe Humbert, whose stagecraft is undeniable.
And also with the video artist Gaultier Durhin, whose creative journey has demonstrated a profound sensitivity for crafting moving images that are at once tender, intelligible, and intelligently aligned with instrumental music. While cinema, whose most beautiful musical scores we will be performing, has redefined the role of music by directly linking it to the expression of human emotions, color has always been an essential element in musical language. How can we not think of Scriabin’s work, who dreamed of a keyboard of stage colors to enrich his music with a powerful, visual dimension? It is therefore natural to include some of his works in the Notte Bianca program.
Choreographing Mozart, Bach, or even Morricone in a flow of colors or images with a meticulously crafted tempo, sublimating their masterpieces through exquisitely crafted plays of light and color. Adapting video to the musical tempo, in a concept that is different every day.
This approach aims for accessibility for all, while maintaining a commitment to musical excellence.