January 22, 2022
On Sunday 13 February 2022 at 4.30 pm, the Musée de la Vie Romantique (Paris, France) will host a concert in tribute to Pauline Viardot, a key figure in the Centre Européen de Musique. This figure of romantic music will combine the softness of the harp with the voices of a soprano and a tenor.
The singer Magali Léger, soprano, the singer Jean-François Lombard, tenor, and the harpist Valeria Kafelnikov will perform the key works of Pauline Viardot and the composers with whom she was close: Bellini, Rossini, Berlioz, Gounod and Bizet.
The concert programme:
A premiere by the ensemble Le Salon
Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868)
"La serenata', duet for soprano, tenor and harp
''Languir per una bella'', aria from the opera L'italiana in Algeri, for tenor and harp
Pauline Viardot (1821-1910)
Aime-moi'', melody for soprano and harp
Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835)
Malinconia, Ninfa gentile'', canzona for tenor and harp
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
Tornami a dir che m'ami'', duet from the opera Don Pasquale, for soprano, tenor and harp
Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835)
''Introduction and variations on themes from the opera La Norma'', for harp
Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835)
"L'Abbandono'', romance for soprano and harp
Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
''Dites la jeune et belle'', melody from Les Nuits d'été, for tenor and harp
Pauline Viardot (1821-1910)
Hai Luli'', melody for soprano and harp
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
Un guardo ed una voce'', duet for soprano, tenor and harp
Free admission upon reservation: click here to book
An exhibition of artworks about Pauline Viardot
On the occasion of the bicentenary of the birth of Pauline Viardot, the Musée de la Vie Romantique will be presenting an exhibition of some fifteen artworks selected from its collections from 6 July 2021 until 4 September 2022.
"This selection of paintings, drawings, scores and photographs pays tribute to the virtuoso pianist and singer with an exceptional voice who was Pauline Viardot. A student of Franz Liszt, friend of Ary Scheffer, George Sand and Frédéric Chopin, she encouraged young talents such as Charles Gounod, Georges Bizet, Camille Saint-Saëns and Gabriel Fauré throughout her career," the museum explains on its website.
The museum is thus committed to "highlighting her activity as a composer and teacher and invites us to rediscover the admiration she aroused during her lifetime".
In 2021, the Centre Européen de Musique initiated several events and commemorative acts on the occasion of the bicentenary of Pauline Viardot's birth, in partnership with the Institut de France (colloquium-concert) and the Opéra Comique (day of tribute to Pauline Viardot). This year 2022 also marks the end of the restoration work at the Villa Viardot in Bougival, which began in January 2019.
Musée de la Vie romantique 16 rue Chaptal Paris 75009
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