Conductor Raphaël Merlin is invited to conduct the Orchestre de l'Opéra de Rouen Normandie on Saturday 22 June 2019 with a program combining works of A. Pärt (Trisagion, Silouan's Song, Für Lennart in memoriam), R. Harper (Refuse symmetry as certainly) and H.M. Gorecki (Three pieces in old style).
But this beautiful musical program will not be the only originality. It will be a show choreographed by Alban Richard, director of the National Choreographic Centre in Caen, with local residents aged between 17 and 85.
For four seasons now, Alban Richard has been using local residents to work with them on a choreographic creation. A strong moment, a human adventure that forges links on the territory and leads to a public representation. After Insane in 2016, a Fantôme-Danse in 2017 and Haunt and Hunt in 2018, this new creation in 2019 is the result of seven weekends of work.
Raphaël Merlin is an artist with several hats: cellist, composer and conductor. He owes his international reputation to the exceptional career of the quatuor Ébène, but at the same time cultivates his other artistic talents.
As a conductor, Raphaël Merlin founded in 2014 “Les Forces majeures”, a chamber musicans co-operative: this energetic and versatile ensemble (traditional repertoire, contemporary, jazz…) instantaneously got an international success for its Rossini record (Aparté) with Karine Deshayes, released in 2016. Concerts with Nicholas Angelich, Edgar Moreau, Sayaka Shoji, Sarah Nemtanu, Inva Mula, Florian Sempey, Amel Brahim-Jelloul, Marc Mauillon…got interest by the French radios such as Radio Classique, who broadcasted live a French program including the Fauré's Requiem at Invalides Cathedral. An album recorded with Les Forces Majeures and cellist Edgar Moreau, including Gulda and Offenbach's Concertos, is released in December 2018 on the label erato / warner classics. Next season, he will conduct the Orchestre Pasdeloup at La Seine Musicale (Neuilly) with a program which combines Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5, performed by Gilles Apap, and Bartók's Romanian Folk Dances.
For ever Now with the Orchestre de l’Opéra de Rouen Normandie
