Paul from Paris
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4/2/2006 5:04:59 AM
Morning Kiddie Konzerts.....but a surprisingly good work.
Right after I got out of Conservatory, I worked for a year for the Jeunesses Musicales de France. It was a pretty good gig for a young musician, but more importantly, it gave me the power to play in front of any audience in any situation and not really be fazed by anything. The worst thing about the Jeunesse Musicale gig was having to get up at six several times a week to face three hundred SCREAMING children in a dark theatre and having to entertain them without microphones for an hour. It's sort of like combat training and after you can do that, playing for a crowd of nice suburban people who actually listen quietly becomes THAT much easier.....
So, yesterday I had to get up at six (I'm not a morning person at all....) and take the train to the other side of Paris to Rambouillet for a kiddie Konzert....I wasn't playing, thank god, but one of my composers had written a piece that I really wanted to hear and the only time was for this morning gig. The kids were really good and seemed to enjoy themselves (Rambouillet is NOT an underprivileged suburb by any means.....that's the place where Marie-Antoinette had her dairy where she used to play farmgirl....).
The work "Tonton Claudio" was really exceptional. It's sort of a "young person's guide" to insturments and it's the story of a little girl who has an uncle who's a famous conductor who invites her to visit him and shows her all the instruments of the orchestra. Every instrument has a variation which starts with a famous solo (the Faun for the Flute, Brahmns 1st for the Horn etc) and then the music takes off from there. It's one of the best things that I've heard in a long time. I'll be putting some of Jean-Yves work on this site pretty soon, since he's really an important composer who's not getting the exposure that he deserves.
So, actually, it IS possible to enjoy a kiddie Konzert.....
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