a ninth edition of celebrations with the Autumn Concerts

City of musicians lulled by the waves of the Loire, Tours is preparing to welcome the 9^e edition of the Autumn Concerts, from Friday October 11 to Sunday October 20, 2024. This always surprising festival has just revealed some elements during a press conference.

The 2024 edition will see the return of a great baroque star, the countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, who came to Tours for the first time in 2017, accompanied by the Arpegietta, to perform this year French music from the 17^e century in Purcell, passing through the sensuality of the Italian music of Monteverdi.

This program also marks the anniversary of the 20 years of collaboration between the singer and this ensemble, committed to working on the interpretation of the time.

A concert in memory of Alexei Navalny

“The music was not played as we had long imagined it to be. The instruments were not the same, as was the arrangement of the orchestra. There was no conductor for a long time, until the end of the 19^e century “, explains Alessandro di Profio, artistic director and creator of the festival.

Another anniversary will be celebrated, still at the Palais des Congrès, that of the 200 years of the 9^e Beethoven’s symphony. It will not be played in the original version, but according to a transcription for two pianos by Liszt, with Vardan Mamikonian and Ilan Zajtmann. “The instruments, two Erard pianos, one from 1845 and the other from 1849, are being restored. This program will be complemented by works from other Liszt transcriptions of works by Wagner and Schubert. » Scheduled at the Palais des Congrès, this concert will be dedicated to the memory of Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, who died this year in detention.

Five voices to sweep away centuries of vocal music

Always a surprise, with the Journey in polyphonyfrom Palestrina to Arvo Pärt, proposed by the Consonance ensemble, a regular at the festival. Its director, François Bazola, moved to Tours in 1977 for the faculty of musicology as well as singing and direction. “I am attached to this city, the cradle of humanism. My children attended music classes at flexible times. Playing at the Fall Concerts makes sense,” he said, to present a program “degrowth” with five voices to sweep away centuries of vocal music.

The second weekend will mark the return to the treble, with another countertenor, Samuel Mariño, in demand at all festivals. “His biography reflects his life: unique,” writes the festival. Born in Caracas (Guatemala) in 1993, his youth was marked by harassment and difficulties, particularly linked to the fact that he did not identify as male or female. He has become an ambassador for this quest for respect. He will perform Vivaldi tunes for an evening marked by virtuosity and agitation.

This last weekend will correspond to the 50^e anniversary of the Jacques Moderne ensemble. He will celebrate it with Orpheus’ Descent into Hellby Marc-Antoine Charpentier. There will also be a foray into the contemporary repertoire with a work by Patrick Burgan based on a poem by Louis Labé. Another birthday for someone who was also born five hundred years ago…

Contact and complete program on: concerts-automne.com