New facilities have been inaugurated at the Hôtel de Conny, which houses the Pierre-Bassot endowment fund. Opening to the public this summer will allow you to admire its collections and old keyboards.
A large audience was able to discover the latest developments at the Hôtel de Conny, during a visit organized on Monday June 17, as a prelude to its opening to the public which will take the form of fortnightly group visits, limited to 15 people, by reservation (the date remains to be specified).
This year saw the rehabilitation of the hotel’s garden level, the restoration of the large lounge on the street floor, the completion of the orangery’s enclosure and roof, and the installation of a gate. From the vestibule to the company lounge – with a William Dowd harpsichord played by Jean-Luc Perrot – via the concert lounge and the romantic lounge, the first visitors were able to admire portraits, sculptures, paintings, and furniture (including a magnificent 18th-century Swiss stove covered with earthenware tiles measuring 2.75 metres high and weighing 900 kg).
The Conny hotel, headquarters of the Pierre-Bassot Fund
Among the visitors, Edith and Joseph de Tarragon, two patrons from Fontainebleau, donated to the Pierre-Bassot Fund a set of 82 manuscripts by the famous baritone and composer Jean-Baptiste Faure (out of 112 of his identified works).
Authenticity
“This is the best destination for these works that we hold from Faure’s direct descendants and which are autograph scores authenticated by an expert, representing the last state of creation before printing, with annotations, remorse. At the invitation of Bernard Spizzi (director of the vocal art center in Bourbonnais), we had lent scores during an exhibition at the Moulins media library. For us, authenticity is the key word,” declares the couple, who say they are seduced by Moulins and who say they are delighted with this way of restoring such a building to the original.
The orangery of the Conny hotel will become a concert hall, in Moulins (Allier)
Due to the work carried out since last winter, the musical activities and those of the Soloists of Tomorrow supported by the Pierre-Bassot Fund have been put on hold. The setting offered by the new developments at the Conny hotel should give them new impetus.
Historical keyboards
The discovery of the hotel, its furniture and its collections will be accompanied by demonstrations of historic keyboards (such as the Pleyel grand piano from 1834, Errard grand quarter piano, Franck upright piano, Errard square fortepiano). Nearly a hundred guests had a glimpse of it during a concert by Guillaume Bellom (Schubert’s Impromptus, Liszt’s 2nd Legend), on a 1927 Pleyel piano.
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Pierre-Bassot Fund. It has a dual statutory purpose: to restore, refurnish and enhance this historic building; to give it cultural content by enriching it with musical collections, by welcoming young classical music talents, by organising residencies, concerts and conferences.
Conny’s Hotel
Polychrome brick hotel, characteristic of 17th century Moulinois architecture, built by the Conny de Lafay family, it was inhabited by the legitimist deputy Félix de Conny, then his son Jean-Adrien, director of the master’s office for 30 years of Moulins. Divided into several properties, it was bought in 1996-1998 by Pierre Bassot, music lover, economic advisor to the expansion committee, business manager and administrator of the CNCS, artistic director of the association Les solistes de tourisme, died in 2008 .
The Conny hotel is the headquarters of the Pierre-Bassot Fund, chaired by Antoine Paillet.
Pascal Larcher
