Lionel Bringuier has been appointed as Artiste Associé with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice and will lead the orchestra during the 2019/20 season for a total of five concerts. Born in Nice, Mr. Bringuier has a long history with the ensemble, having played his very first solo as a cellist at the age of 13 and which he directed two years later for the very first time.
“I chose this program with the orchestra in mind, who I have known for several decades. I know the immense quality of its musicians and I know what finesse and intensity they can show! I cannot wait to share these musical moments with them and the people of Nice.” – Lionel Bringuier
The concert series will begin with Lionel sharing the stage with pianist, Hélène Grimaud, with whom he has performed many times, notably at the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the Gewandhausorchester, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and, most recently, at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Violinist Renaud Capuçon will also join Lionel in Nice. The two musicians share not only a colorful common past on stage (Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and many more), but also a long-standing friendship, that is both deep and sincere.
The first two concerts on September 26 & 27, will be held as part of the Victorine Festival, an event organized by the city on the centenary of the famous film studios. Lionel will present two works of the iconic film Fantasia in a personal interpretation that is already acclaimed by critics: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas and The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. To crown this evening, Hélène Grimaud will play Maurice Ravel’s concerto en Sol Majeur, a work of great strength, celebrated for the complexity of the emotion that it presents.
On January 26, the program will be 100% made in Nice: Lionel Bringuier invites his brother, Nicolas Bringuier, to perform Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1. The two brothers have played this work many times together, and also separately, and for Lionel, the interpretation by his brother remains a firm favorite. On June 19 & 29, Renaud Capuçon returns to present the romantic Violin Concerto in D major by Brahms. This last concert will end with Shostakovich’s most performed work, the Symphony No. 5 in D minor, an intense piece that hides the torments of his time under a false recklessness.