• Sefarad's

    Sephardic songs revisited by Thierry Pécou

  • Our aim is for this project to be a truly original invitation to a voyage, somewhere between a song recital and a ritual; a voyage into an intimate memory, imbued with the past and an ancestral, traditional, learned repertoire that has highly diverse influences, drawing its sources from popular cultures.

    Bulgarian, Romanian, Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Italian, Greek, Turkish, Arabic North African, and of course Spanish. We wish to transmit this heritage along with the pleasure of sharing, the orality and the simplicity which are part of Sephardic songs, both sacred and secular. The composition of the pieces, the complexity of the rhythms, the rich blend of the timbres and the virtuosity of the musicians reveal the timelessness of these melodies which thus become very much alive and contemporary.

  • This is equally an invitation to remember that this exiled people found a way to maintain its Judo-Hispanic tradition, which was then enriched through the contact with other cultures. Our approach is in a certain way an extension of this tradition of exchange.

    This performance combines music and contemporary art. By associating ancient melodies with contemporary compositions, enriching contributions of artists from different disciplines create a unique and unusual moment of poetry with Sephardic song at the heart of the work.

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Cast

  • GUEST ARTIST

    Gaëlle Méchaly soprano

    Ensemble Variances

    Anne Cartel flute
    Carjez Gerretsen clarinet
    Laurène Durantel double bass
    Thierry Pécou piano
    Karim Touré percussion

  • Stephan Grögler conception, set designing and stage direction
    PEACHOO + KREJBERG costume
    SMARIN Stéphanie Marin design

Performances

  • September 21, 2014
    Arsenal de Metz

    September 27, 2014
    Abbaye de Noirlac

    November 23, 2014
    Théâtre Garonne, Toulouse

    November 29, 2014
    Opéra de Dijon

    February 27, 2015
    Festival Arabesques, Hambourg

    May 19, 2015
    Théâtre de Cornouaille

  • January 24, 2016
    Opéra de Reims

    November 28, 2016
    St George’s Bristol, UK

    November 19, 2024
    Conservatoire & Orchestre de Caen, Auditorium Jean-Pierre Dautel

  • INFORMATION

    Commission Arsenal de Metz. Co-production Arsenal de Metz, Opéra de Reims, Ensemble Variances, operAct. With the support of: Adami, Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah, Journées européennes de la culture juive - Lorraine, Caisse d’épargne, Dodo.

    www.gaellemechaly.com
    www.stephan-grogler.com