PROGRAMS
“Tribute to Nadia Boulanger”
"A rare musical moment. We would like to have four ears to listen to them"
The Baroque is an inexhaustible source of inspiration: this is what the Duo Sostenuto tells us in this program which weaves links between Baroque music and compositions from different currents and eras.
To highlight this repertoire, Marie-Laure and Benoît play on two instruments made for them by renowned luthiers: the 7-string cedar guitar and the ebony and silver transverse flute.
Two unique instruments to discover.
On the program the master of the baroque Bach but also Stravinsky,
Villa-Lobos, Gounod, Piazzolla...
New Program
"Carrying or silky tones, perfectly measured tempos in a supple and fluid dynamic, an artistic force mixed with fervor and ardor..."
Duo Sostenuto offers you a journey to the heart of Hispanic music. You will vibrate on the music of great Andalusian composers (Granados, Albeniz and Falla). French composers such as Saint-Saëns, Chabrier and Debussy or Ravel, will not be left out. Like many artists of their time in search of the picturesque, colors, strong and contrasting sensations, they fed their imagination of Spain and in particular Andalusia. Finally, we will cross the Atlantic to discover Argentine music with the mythical tango singer Carlos Gardel, and of course Astor Piazzolla, the great master and renovator of Tango.
"A rare musical moment. We would like to have four ears to listen to them"
The Baroque is an inexhaustible source of inspiration: this is what the Duo Sostenuto tells us in this program which weaves links between Baroque music and compositions from different currents and eras.
To highlight this repertoire, Marie-Laure and Benoît play on two instruments made for them by renowned luthiers: the 7-string cedar guitar and the ebony and silver transverse flute.
Two unique instruments to discover.
On the program the master of the baroque Bach but also Stravinsky,
Villa-Lobos, Gounod, Piazzolla...
"The trip to the land of Saint-Saëns proposed by the Duo Sostenuto and performed by candlelight literally enchanted the public."
This year, 2021, marks the centenary of the death of Camille Saint-Saëns, a "monument" of French musical heritage.
The programme "On a journey with Saint-Saëns" is a colourful one. It reflects the immensity of his talent, the variety of influences from the many countries he visited and makes us relive his greatest successes such as the Carnival of the Animals, the Danse Macabre or his famous opera Samson et Dalila.
"Extraordinary arrangements. Together, you are a complete orchestra"
The "New World" programme is an initiatory journey into the heart of American music between classical, jazz and tango. It honours great European composers who went into exile and lived in the United States for economic or political reasons.
By drawing inspiration from Indian and Black American folk music, they both paid tribute to their host country and, for many of them, contributed to the birth of the national music of the United States.
You will hear two masterpieces: part of the famous
New World Symphony by Antonin Dvorák and Rhapsody in Blue by George GERSHWIN.
"Harmony, finesse, delicacy: a moment of grace"
Vienna is unquestionably the great capital of music: since the middle of the 18th century, the history of music has been written there. From Gluck to Schoenberg, passing through Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Malher, Brahms... whether they were Viennese by birth or adoption, great composers have written their most beautiful pages here. The Duo Sostenuto offers you a musical journey to Vienna, from the excellence of Viennese classicism to dances inspired by Hungarian folklore with great composers such as Mozart, Schubert, Haydn or Brahms.
"Between a guitar which, in six strings, says all about the Spanish soul and a transverse flute so finely French which never ceases to raise the emotion, the Duo Sostenuto has reached new heights"
Between the end of the 19th century and the first third of the 20th century, Pyrenean artists were at the centre of the revival of Spanish music and the affirmation of the nationalist movement.
The flute, symbol of French elegance, and the guitar, emblem of Spain, join forces to shed light on this period and highlight these composers from different regions of the French and Spanish Pyrenees, all of whom were strongly involved in this evolution.
"These arias from operas almost sung by the flute are magnificent.
Fantastic arrangements! "
With the OPERA PASSION programme, the DUO SOSTENUTO honours opera in all its richness and diversity from ROSSINI to GERSHWIN.
From mythical arias to brilliant fantasies, the great moments of opera are sublimated by the DUO SOSTENUTO: the flute expresses with grace and poetry the warmth and lyricism of the voice, and the guitar slips wonderfully into the richly coloured costume of the orchestra.
"A dive into the world of Debussy:
a lot of sensitivity, musical intelligence and elegance.
A wonderful trip! "
The rich and colourful musical dialogue offered by the combination of flute and guitar in Duo Sostenuto is particularly well suited to the composer's music.
Indeed, he treats his orchestra like a painter treats his palette, each instrument contributing its own colour. For the flute, it is sometimes its pastoral and melancholic character that is exploited, sometimes its voluble virtuosity that comes to animate the sound fabric, but most often it is used for its soft and clear sound that adds a touch of light to the woodwind section. As for the guitar, it is the symbol of his Spanish dream: in his "Iberias", he surrounds his themes of popular inspiration with a harmonic and orchestral accompaniment evocative of Andalusia: castanets, Basque drums, but also imitation of guitar effects and guitar bandas.
Very moving! I was transported to the city of Buenos Aires where my children, grandchildren and ... great grandchildren live!
The Duo Sostenuto and Callia, a young and exceptionally talented violinist, have long shared a passion for the music of Astor PIAZZOLLA, a passion they are happy to pass on to the public with this programme, a vibrant tribute to the master of modern tango.
These three instruments are emblematic of tango. Indeed, the flute and the guitar were the first to accompany the dancers on the pavements of Buenos Aires at the very beginning of the 20th century. As for the violin, it has always been the privileged partner of PIAZZOLLA's bandoneon in his successive formations ranging from quintet to orchestra.
What is it like to live in Russia, in the midst of endless forests, snowfields and icy waters? What mystery lies behind these huge spaces?
There is something indefinable about the Slavic people, this Slavic "soul", a deep despair and at the same time, a passionate and exalted character, an overflowing energy, an artistic sensitivity and a true reflection on life.
Naturally exuberant, the Slavic man feels the need to sing and dance his emotions.
From gypsy music to Russian folk songs, from festive colours to the grandeur of the Nordic countries, the programme lifts a corner of the veil on the sensitive and passionate world of Eastern Europe, thanks to composers who have left their mark on the history of music.
The Duo Sostenuto presents you with a musical journey through the traditions of Christmas in different countries of the world.
The chosen works invite you in turn to dream, to joy and to meditation, just like the Christmas holidays.