CHÂTEAU DE LA ROCHE-GUYON
AURORES BORÉALESThe life and work of Agathe Backer-Grøndahl
SUNDAY, JUNE 22ND 2025 - 16:00
Karen Vourc’h, soprano
Anne Le Bozec, piano
A portrait of Agathe Backer-Grondahl, a virtuoso pianist and the author of more than four hundred works: Norwegian-born soprano Karen Vourc’h and her partner Anne Le Bozec present here the most beautiful pages, evoking the merciless Norwegian landscape, its deserted plains and shimmering silver snowflakes…
Agathe Backer-Grøndahl, described by the famous critic and writer George Bernard Shaw as “one of the greatest pianists in Europe”, was born south of Oslo in 1847. After studying in Berlin, in Italy with Hans von Bülow and in Weimar with Franz Liszt, she went on to perfect her skills at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. She gave concerts in Berlin, London and Paris, but deafness forced her to end her career as a pianist – without, however, ceasing to compose or teach. In addition to a selection of her pieces for solo piano, Karen Vourc’h and Anne le Bozec present here a choice of melodies – among the two hundred and fifty-eight she composed – of great poetry. Their harmonies, at times deeply romantic, at other times spare, emphasize dark texts that depict the majesty of nature, both fascinating and tormented by the elements, as if echoing the impetuous feelings that stirred the soul of the Romantic artist.
PROGRAMME
AURORES BORÉALES
Works by Agathe Backer-Grøndahl
ARTISTS
KAREN VOURC’H
Karen Vourc’h began her career as a scientist (Master in Quantum Physics McGill / Montreal, DEA Physique Théorique ENS Paris) before devoting herself entirely to singing (Opera-studio Zürich, CNSMDP). She is the winner of numerous international competitions, and in 2009 won the Victoire de la Musique award for Lyric Revelation. She is invited to perform on the greatest international stages: Royal Albert Hall (London), NHK (Tokyo), Philarmonies de Paris, Casa da Musica (Porto), Fondation Gulbenkian (Lisboa), Opéras de Paris, Montpellier, Hambourg, Genève, Lausanne, Tokyo… She sings under the baton of Louis Langrée, Sir John Eliott Gardiner, Daniel Harding, Kent Nagano, Michel Plasson and works with stage directors R. Carsen, K. Warlikowski, S. Braunschweig, Barbe et Doucet… Karen Vourc’h began her career with Mozart roles (Pamina, Elvira, Fiordiligi, Comtessa), followed by Bizet (Micaela), Massenet (Manon), Monteverdi… She soon moved on to the 20th and 21st century repertoire, which she particularly enjoys. She frequently collaborates with contemporary composers: particularly Kaija Saariaho and Pascal Dusapin, but also Guillaume Connesson, Mathis Nitschke, Chaya Cernowim, Pierre Bartholomée and Franck Krawczyk. Future projects include Kaija Saariaho’s Quatre Instants in Amsterdam, P.Glass’s Satyahagra at the Opéra de Nice, and a recital tour. On the Aparté label, she has just recorded a disc of melodies by Agathe Backer-Grøndahl with pianist Anne Le Bozec.
ANNE LE BOZEC
Born into a family with a passion for the arts, Anne Le Bozec was exposed to a wide range of artistic practices from an early age. Not only music, but also drawing, plastic arts, literature and poetry were her constant companions. Among the vast repertoire she has tackled with numerous singers are the Franco-Scandinavian pilgrimages with Karen Vourc’h; Pauline Viardot’s Salons and a Ravel-Roussel-Zemlinsky mirror with Sabine Devieilhe; Shakespeare songs and Charles Ives melodies with Isabelle Druet; vocal works by female composers who won the Prix de Rome, with Clarisse Dalles. Instrumental chamber music is not to be outdone: from the complete Beethoven Sonatas with cellist Alain Meunier to French and German sonatas for cello and piano; the two-piano challenge with Flore Merlin; sonatas by Beethoven, Roussel and Schmitt with violinist Hélène Collerette; sonata, trio and quartet literature with a host of partners. Many of these programs have been released on disc (BayerRecords, Hortus, NoMad, Carus, AmeSon, Maguelone, Le Palais des Dégustateurs, Harmonia Mundi labels) or broadcast on radio or television.
HAVE YOU HEARD OF AGATHE BACKER-GRØNDAHL ?
Agathe Backer Grøndahl (1847 – 1907)
Folke Og Skjæmteviser op.43
Fiona McGown, mezzo-soprano
Marianne Salmona, piano