Nearly 80 artists and around twenty groups will enliven, for three days, the Place d’Armes, the Wheat Market, Place Amarger and the streets of the city center with the sounds of Latin America.
On June 21, 22 and 23, the entire upper town of Saint-Flour will vibrate, sing, dance, twirl and celebrate to the sounds of Latin America. This is the musical color, “very festive and very atmospheric”, that Fabienne Testu, the chief organizer of the Hautes Terres festival, wanted to give this year to the 24th edition.
An edition which has a particular character in several respects. Firstly, in terms of the calendar. If the event is traditionally organized on the last weekend of June, kicking off the summer season, this year it has been brought forward by a week to make way for the French pétanque championship which will be held on les Allées, from June 28 to 30.
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The Hautes Terres will therefore begin on June 21, overlapping with the music festival. “But,” reassures the mayor, Philippe Delort, “that won’t change anything. The groups will play as usual on the terrace of the bars.” Fabienne Testu, however, adapted the opening evening of the festival by scheduling only one group on Friday evening on the Place d’Armes, and not two, and from 10 p.m., to let the music festival take place normally. “But as some festival-goers only come to dance, we decided, in order not to penalize them, to reinforce the dances on the aisles that evening, by offering one more,” she explains. Thus, after a warm-up for beginners, at 8 p.m., with CdMDT 15 which will offer a “workshop-ball” formula, the die-hards will be able to perform three balls in a row on the Puy Mary stage (Allées Georges-Pompidou) at 21 1:30 p.m., 11:15 p.m. and 1 a.m.
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As for the traditional stroll which opens the festival at 5 p.m., with the ensembles of the Conservatoire de Saint-Flour co and the animators of the Pays d’Art et d’Histoire, it will, this year, be organized in the opposite direction, from the Walks to Place d’Armes, where “La 45 Salsa” will take the public directly to Latin America to the sounds of its congas, timpani and other Latin percussions.
For the musical part, note a few other small new features: the programming of street troupes will be denser, two concerts will be organized at the Halle aux Blés, the CdMDT 15 will reinvest in Place Amarger, “thus making the link between the Allées and the place d’Armes”, explains Fabienne Testu, and the violin makers’ market will move to rue des Agials throughout the weekend. But no change for the mountain flavors and crafts market, with a few stands of associations and publishing houses, on the Allées. The space dedicated to authors, with signings and readings, will still be set up, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Place de la Halle, in front of the Maison de la Presse and rue Marchande in front of the Cité du Vent bookstore.
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Finally, June 21 will also mark the inauguration of the brand new green space in the city center, Place Robert Saunal, and the second phase of work on Place d’Armes.
The program
Concerts at Place d’Armes (Margeride stage)
Friday June 21. At 10 p.m. “La 45 salsa” (Latin America). Original and classic compositions with the rhythms of brass, congas, timpani and Latin percussion and texts imbued with sensitivity.
Saturday June 22. 15 hours. “Toss’n Turn” (Massif-Central, Scotland, Ireland). On stage, three musicians, including the regional player, François Breugnot, and two Irish tap dancers. At 9:30 p.m. “Calle Mambo” (Chile). A concert that makes you want to dance. At 11:15 p.m. “The Tatanes brothers” (India, Türkiye, Maghreb, Balkans). Great first on the program of the Hautes Terres festival, an electro world after party.
Concerts at the Wheat Hall
Sunday June 23. At 2:30 p.m. “Cant’Alausa” (Massif-Central, Béarn, Quercy, Gascony). Restitution of the project carried out by CdMDT 15, in partnership with the IEO Cantal (Institut d’Estudis Occitans), which brings together 25 singers and amateurs from the department, under the leadership of Guillaume Lopez, singer and musician, and accompanied by Clément Rousse, Pyrenean poly-instrumentalist from the duo Thouxazum. At 5:30 p.m. “Trio Fourniau, Barou, Lopez” (Kurdistan). With her atypical instrument, the hurdy-gurdy, and her powerful voice, Éléonore Fourniau is a recognized interpreter of Kurdish and Alevi music. Accompanied by two virtuoso musicians, she presents her first album, Neynik.
Concert at the cathedral
Sunday June 23. At 16. “Albada” (Pyrenees). Trio of two women and a man.
Balls on the Allées (Puy Mary scene)
Friday June 21. At 20 hours. Beginners’ Ball (Massif Central). Introduction to traditional dances with CdMDT 15, under the guidance of an experienced animator, David Girodot. At 9:30 p.m. “BalOrix” (Massif-Central). Sébastien Rix on chromatic accordion and Patrice Rix on old viola. At 11:15 p.m. “Bodegam” (Occitanie). Energetic ball in the purest bodega tradition. At 1 o’clock.
“Zibobor” (Occitanie). Amplified, joyful and festive traditional ball.
Saturday June 22. At 2:15 p.m. “Frezinat” (Occitanie, Tarn, Ariège). Already present last year, the group of four musicians had achieved great success. He returns this year to both host a ball and stroll the streets.
At 5:30 p.m. “The band at Koustik” (Occitano-Berber). Chromatic accordion, percussion, violin, rubab, guitar and singing. At 11:15 p.m. “Toc Toc Toc” (Massif-Central, Alps, Val d’Aosta). Regional trio to discover. At 1 o’clock. “Gros Vivier” (Morvan Massif). The trio promises us a set rich in sensations, tinged with current music.
Sunday June 23. At 2:30 p.m. “Soun” (Latin-Bourbonnais). “A good and beautiful moment” in perspective, according to Fabienne Testu, with Patrick Bouffard, the hurdy-gurdy pro, Raphaël Fernandez on guitar, Jonas Thin on bagpipes and David Guilhen on bass. At 5:30 p.m. “Thouxazun” (Pays d’Oc). A meeting between the Gersois village of Toulouse Gascony and the Val d’Azun of the Bigorre mountains.
Open stage and ball, Place Amarger
Saturday June 22 and Sunday June 23. Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Eight groups on Saturday and five on Sunday will take turns on the open stage of CdMDT 15, for 45 minutes each. The opportunity to spot groups and program them for the following year at the festival. Registrations at 06.82.32.86.84.
Sunday June 23. At 10:45 a.m. Children’s ball (Massif-Central). Open to children from the age of 5, and their parents, the CdMDT children’s ball, both friendly and festive, is an opportunity to educate young people about traditional music.
The wanderings
Saturday June 22. From 11:30 a.m. and until 6:45 p.m. “Les Trevaires” (Le Puy-en-Velay). A dozen musicians playing traditional Catalan oboes, percussion and a sackbut. The duo Butor Stellaris will take us into his universe.
From 12:15 p.m. and until 8:15 p.m. “Butor Stellaris”. Concert of objects, musical gestures and electronic music, in a completely legendary universe. From 2:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. (and Sunday from 10:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.). “Carabena.” Musical wanderings, sung and dramatized to the sounds of the fife, the oboe and percussion. From 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. (and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.). “Frezinat”.
Sunday June 23. From 11:45 a.m. and until 5:45 p.m. “Calle caribe”. Travel to the Caribbean to the sound of cumbia, merengue, cha-cha and other Latin rhythms.
From 12:30 p.m. and until 6:15 p.m. Yves Durand. After opening the festival last year with a tale about the Florus Solatium, he returns this year with a new “show” inspired by traditional tales, stories and legends, in French and Occitan.
Isabelle Barnérias
