43 YEARS OF FESTIVAL

THE AUVERS-SUR-OISE FESTIVAL, YOUTH AND INNOVATION

Summing up the Auvers-sur-Oise Festival is like leafing through 43 years of international musical life. From Rostropovitch and Richter to Cziffra, from Crespin to Bartoli and Barbara Hendricks, the list of stars who have graced the Festival’s rich past is almost overwhelming. But more than a list of illustrious names, the history of the Auvers-sur-Oise Festival can be read in the light of its spirit, which has remained unchanged since 1981. That spirit can be summed up in two words: youth and innovation.

Youth, because since its foundation at the hands of Pascal Escande, the Festival has led to the discovery – or confirmation – of many talents who are now among the established names in classical music. The pianist Hélène Grimaud gave one of her first major recitals here. It was in 1989. The future star was not yet twenty and had not yet met the she-wolf who would change her life by attracting media attention. But her hypersensitivity was already burning up the stage. Ten years later, another talented pianist made his debut in the Impressionist city: Denis Matsuev. The Russian pianist, an ambassador for Rachmaninov and endorsed by the composer’s family, has since etched his name in gold letters in the history of the Festival, inaugurating the DiscAuverS recording collection before leading Pascal Escande on to other adventures or inviting him to the international Astana Piano Passion and Grand Piano Competition Moscow as a member of the jury.

Innovation, because this multicultural meeting can pride itself on having often been at the cutting edge in terms of trends and relations with the public. In 1987, for example, it launched a dialogue between the visual arts and music. A concept that has often been taken up since. Or by establishing, from 2000, annual composer residencies, leading to one or more creations written by a new generation of composers such as Escaich, Bacri, Hersant, Connesson, Beffa, Dusapin, Campo, Mantovani, Waksman and so many others… We remember with emotion the one by the late Henri Dutilleux for the Festival’s Opus 30, just three years before his death.

With each Opus, the Auvers-sur-Oise Festival continues to amaze, showcasing undiscovered talent* and musical performances that push back the boundaries of the classical concert. What’s more, it’s impossible to dissociate the Auvers-sur-Oise Festival from the figure of Vincent van Gogh. In the town whose lights he so marvellously captured, his shadow hangs over every corner. But there’s also something reminiscent of Rimbaudian about the event. An aspiration to the cult of eternal youth. An inclination towards the intoxication of the senses through a taste for the poetic sciences. A breath of revolt, more counterpoint than counterweight, that exalts the soul before exhorting the masses.

THE DISCAUVERS MISSION, THE DISCOVERY MISSION OF THE AUVERS-SUR-OISE FESTIVAL

Since 1990, the Auvers-sur-Oise Festival has been fulfilling its mission of providing residencies for young artists to help them develop their careers on stage and on record. From the Trio Wanderer to Claire Marie Le Guay, via Henri Demarquette, Delphine Haidan, Emmanuelle Haïm, Denis Matsuev, the Folies Françoises and Patricia Petibon, Hisako Kawamura, Hyo Joo Lee, Jean-Frédéric Neuburger, Tristan Pfaff, La Maîtrise de Paris, Sanja Bizjak, Miroslav Kultishev, Luka Okros and Anastasia Kobekina, a large number of young musicians have been able not only to produce their first CD but also to receive help and support in a spirit of residency. “DiscAuverS is celebrating its 30^th year of existence, while confirming its identity as a talent spotter on the European music scene. Since then, some of the Festival’s young artists have gone on to become great performers and enjoy successful careers around the world.