On the occasion of the Antibes Sacred Art Festival, the Cannes National Orchestra took over the Antibes Cathedral to play Cherubini’s Requiem in D minor. It was notably accompanied by the French Army Choir.
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Building on a successful first experience in 2022, the Orchestre national de Cannes has chosen to reproduce a new public and unifying event. As was the case two years ago, this concert on September 20 was broadcast live in many cinemas, cultural venues and on our website, in order to allow as many people as possible to attend this musical evening.
The concert by the Cannes National Orchestra and the French Army Men’s Choir was performed from Antibes Cathedral.
Under the direction of Music Director Benjamin Levy, the Orchestra first performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2. Composed in 1801-1802, this work marks an important moment in his career, as it was written at a time when he was beginning to lose his hearing. Despite this ordeal, the symphony is remarkably joyful and energetic.
Almost in “opposition” to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, the Cannes Orchestra then performed Cherubini’s Requiem in D minor, accompanied by the French Army Choir. This mass for the dead was written in 1816 in memory of King Louis XVI. Both sober and intense, it is distinguished by the absence of soloists and therefore by the focus on the choir and orchestra. It was therefore obvious for the Cannes National Orchestra to invite the French Army Choir to perform this requiem in Antibes Cathedral. Directed by Lieutenant-Colonel Aurore Tillac, it is composed of forty professional singers.
The Antibes Sacred Art Festival, which began on July 23, will close this weekend with two final concerts: Cherubini’s Requiem performed from Antibes Cathedral and broadcast live on our website, and Corsican songs by the “Fiuminale” ensemble from the Saint-Bernardin Chapel in Antibes on Sunday, September 22. The latter will therefore mark the end of the 33rd edition of the festival, whose dual objective is to present classical works, sometimes rarely performed or on the contrary very popular, and to rediscover certain heritage sites in the city.
Cherubini’s Requiem by the Cannes National Orchestra from Antibes Cathedral
Friday September 20 at 9 p.m.
In replay on paca.france3.fr
