Do you know Mendelssohn?

We're sure you know this but we want you to make the best of our concerts. Getting the right seat is part of the fun, of course but to really enjoy a concert we sometimes need some background information. We're not talking about a detailed lecture about the first movement of the symphony you're about to hear. Maybe just a word about the motifs, the composer, the soloist. That's the idea behind our "Backstage" series which we're bringing back this season.

For the opening concert we'll have the pleasure to hear the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir John Eliot Gardiner, accompanying Gautier Capuçon. The LSO will be performing three pieces, two of which by Mendelssohn: Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt and the Symphonie N°5. So we thought it would be worth casting some light on the composer.

In a documentary entitled Mendelssohn Unknown (2009), Anne-Sophie Mutter, Lang Lang, Riccardo Chailly and many more guide you through the composer's life and works. As Charles Rosen noted, "you have to judge Mendelssohn by what he did that was best. And in fact the more you examine [it], you find (...) Mendelssohn to be much better than you thought he was when you started." So hopefully your experience of the concert will also benefit from this screening!

The screening starts at 18:45 in the Espace Découverte and the entrance is free for the lucky ones who have tickets for this special night. If you can't join us on September 10th, you'll find the dates of the next "Backstage" sessions on our website. The page is updated on a regularly basis so be sure to bookmark it, it might come in handy!

-- Julie