You know the score !

Aix-en-Provence is famous for its annual summer music festival, the renowned Festival d'Art Lyrique. But long before this event, the city springs to life with music for all tastes and budgets.

Pierre et le Loup

The fun begins in the last weekend of May with a local event called C'est Sud (it's a southern thing!). From a range of events, we choose a free Sunday afternoon concert at a beautiful outdoor performance space created in the courtyard of the former Archbishops' Palace. The local Harmonie Municipale is an amateur wind, brass and percussion orchestra. They play selections from the film music of Marcel Pagnol's autobiographical films set in this area, la Gloire de mon Père and le Château de ma Mère. They are followed by the orchestra of the local music school, le conservatoire Darius Milhaud, who play some introductory Bach, then a splendid performance of Tchaikovsky's Peter and the Wolf. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon.

Dancing to le Big Band

Just time to dash home for a light meal before joining the evening crowds on the cours Mirabeau, Aix's main street, where a full stage has been set up, along with rows of gradins, or bleachers. A big band plays classics from the swing era and dancers crowd the tiny dance floor. It's wonderful to see so many people just having a good time.
Before we know it, it is time for La Fête de la Musique on June 21, the official start of summer, the longest day of the year. All over France, music-lovers of all types from heavy metal to classical opera are encouraged to perform in public, in parks and on the streets. This all-day and all-night celebration began in 1982 and thirty years later it is still a regular midsummer event and has even spread to over 100 countries worldwide.

Every tiny street and square has been commandeered as a performance space.  For those of you keen to improve your French vocabulary, here are some of the types of music listed in the programme issued by La Mairie (City Hall): le funk, le hip-hop, le rap, l'indie pop (honestly!), le reggae, le rock punck (sic). And whatever combinations of the above you care to make. More mature citizens might prefer: le blues, le jazz, le Big Band, l'orphéon (male voice choir), or the orchestra of the local conservatoire (music school).

Rock music on the cours Mirabeau

We opt for a concert in a normally quiet, shady square near the cathedral. A stage with light and sound systems has been set up, and the Orchestre Philharmonique plays Beethoven's Coriolan Overture and la Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz.  We meet friends and settle comfortably at a table, only to discover that the competition from a nearby rock concert makes it almost impossible to hear. Nice idea but ...

So we saunter slowly down to the cours Mirabeau, the famous-tree-lined avenue, where several performance spaces have been set up. Same problem, a bit too loud for us old fogies. So we settle at a cafe with a glass of wine and enjoy the view. As often with performance art, the "off" programme is just as interesting as the official planned events - two harmonica players passing one microphone between them in a tiny backstreet, a guitar-steeldrum combination in the square, people-watching from the cafe terrace. La Fête de la Musique is a time to enjoy and encourage all musical tastes.

Festival warm-up

For many the musical high spot of the summer is the world-famous Festival d'Art Lyrique. Ticket prices for opera performances range from 30 - 240€ for Le Nozze di Figaro conducted by Jérémie Rhorer and needless to say the cheap tickets usually sell out on the first day of sales. The London Symphony Orchestra is here, as is the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming.

Locals can buy a 15€ pass which gives entry to rehearsals and master classes. But go early, there are no reservations, and spaces fill up quickly. The main festival week launches with another free concert, as the cours Mirabeau is again transformed into a magical performance space, complete with stage, orchestra and rows of free seating for the public. We are treated to a selection of famous arias from Mozart operas Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni and La Flûte Enchantée. It is wonderful to see how many children and families take advantage of this musical feast.

Enjoying the show!

Latest of our musical treats is a live projection in the park of Le Nozze di Figaro, direct from the Théâtre de l’Archevêché. The hillside is packed as dusk falls and the performance begins at about 9.30pm. The opera is sung in Italian with French subtitles on screen. The crowd thins out as the evening grows chill, the ground gets harder, and you realize at 11.45pm that there are still two acts to go...... We join the slackers and go home to watch the rest on TV. I loved this production featuring Kate Lindsey singing Cherubino, Kyle Ketelson as Figaro, Petricia Petibon as a red-headed Suzanna, a beautiful set designed by Richard Brunel and even a well-trained gray pointer as the count’s hunting dog.

So we have already enjoyed a truly eclectic range of music in Aix this summer, from grand opera to indie rock, from formal theatre to street corner. As the French say, on connaît la musique!

© 2012 Valerie and Trevor White