Festivités des arts de la Renne : 2026 l'art des cordes

By booking only: a tasting of botanical canapés and floral delicacies by Alexandra Henrissat.

Friday 2 October at 8.30 pm: This programme offers a musical journey spanning nearly two and a half centuries of history, from the Baroque era to the early 20th century. It highlights the dialogue between two string instruments: the violin and the cello. At times equal partners, at others supporting or extending one another’s lines, together they reveal the full richness of chamber music, where timbres complement and echo one another. Johann Sebastian Bach’s Sonata in G major, BWV 1021, composed around 1730, follows the Baroque tradition of the sonata da chiesa. In this style characteristic of Bach, the violin develops a rich melodic line whilst the basso continuo – carried in particular by the cello – forms its harmonic and rhythmic foundation. Far from being a mere accompaniment, the bass line plays a full part in the musical architecture and the contrapuntal dialogue. Georg Friedrich Handel’s Sonata in G minor, Op. 1 No. 6, published in the 1720s, continues this Baroque aesthetic whilst asserting a more theatrical and expressive character. Influenced by Italian opera, Handel favours melodic lines and contrasts of emotion. Here again, the cello, as part of the basso continuo, underpins and energises the musical discourse, contributing to the dramatic tension and harmonic richness of the whole. With the Aria from Sonata Op. 3 No. 4 by Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, the programme draws on the 18th-century French tradition. Mondonville, a virtuoso violinist and a leading figure of the Concert Spirituel, blends French elegance with Italian virtuosity. In this Aria, the violin unfolds an expressive and ornamented melody, whilst the cello supports the line with a supple and expressive bass line that reinforces the vocal quality of the music. A leap through time takes us to French Romanticism with Benjamin Godard’s Aubade, Op. 133. This brief and luminous piece evokes the gentle, poetic atmosphere of the morning. The violin unfolds a melody full of charm, whilst the cello brings depth and warmth to the soundscape, helping to create an intimate and lyrical atmosphere. The programme concludes with Reinhold Glière’s Eight Pieces, Op. 39, composed in 1909. In these character pieces, the two instruments engage in a more equal dialogue. The cello is no longer confined to a harmonic supporting role: it fully shares in the musical expression, alternating with the violin in moments of lyricism, virtuosity and poetry. This development bears witness to the transformation of musical language and the role of instruments at the turn of the 20th century. Thus, this programme illustrates the evolution of writing for strings, from Baroque basso continuo to the genuine dialogue of modern chamber music. The violin and cello emerge here as two complementary voices, capable of uniting their timbres to create a richly expressive palette.

Saturday 3 October at 6.00 pm: In the ‘Suite d’un goût étranger’, published in the *Quatrième Livre de pièces de viole*
(1717), Marin Marais imagines music open to influences from elsewhere. Each piece evokes a real or imagined foreign land: ‘Marche tartare’, ‘Américaine’ or even ‘Arabesque’ with its unusual accents. Through these characterful pages, the composer delightfully blends styles, colours and cultural imaginations, reflecting Baroque Europe’s fascination with sounds and stories from distant lands. Performed by gambist Atsushi Sakaï and theorbo player NN, this unique suite reveals the full expressive richness and creative freedom of one of the great masters of the viola da gamba.

Saturday 3 October at 8.30 pm: Abderraouf Ouertani presents a programme of solo oud divided into two parts.
The first part consists of pieces for the oud, whilst the second part provides an opportunity to
present his experiments with the oud’s timbre and his explorations of new
sounds through the electrical and electronic amplification of the acoustic instrument.
These will be pieces taken from his fifth and latest album (due for release in late 2026).
All the pieces in the programme are composed by Abderraouf Ouertani.