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With sunglasses on his nose and a light, loose-fitting outfit, Yvon Demol arrives at his appointment with a light, elegant stride. Hardly surprising for someone who joined the Opéra National de Paris dance school at the age of nine. This Friday at 7.30pm, and again on Saturday at the same time, on the Ajoe stage in Lorient, he will be performing with seven of his fellow members of the Opéra corps de ballet for exceptional performances. Three days after their arrival in Saint-Barthélemy, and having experienced a somewhat "chaotic" end to the trip, as the artist himself admits.
"We missed our connection in Saint-Martin, so we took the ferry on a slightly choppy sea", smiles Yvon Demol. For eight of the 154 dancers at the Opéra national de Paris, this first step marks a departure from the ordinary. However, for Yvon Demol, setting foot on the island of Saint-Barthélemy is not a discovery. This is the fourth time I've been here," he points out. In fact, only two of the eight dancers are here for the first time. "The adaptation time, even if short, should therefore be more than sufficient before the two performances on the Festival program.
"Staying open to the unexpected
On the other hand, performing outdoors in a space as small as the Ajoe stage must seem quite unusual. It's not unusual to dance outside the Opéra," says Yvon Demol. But it's usually in theaters. Dancing on an island, in the open air, outside our regular programming, is very exciting for us. In 2020, we danced on Gustavia harbor. It was very special. There was wind, a bit of rain, yachts, people passing by... At Ajoe, it will be different! And it's all part of the experience. Being in new conditions adds spice to the program. We're used to dancing in the same theater, with our own landmarks, and we know where to turn if something goes wrong. But this is live performance, and we know we can't expect to do the same thing every time. You have to be open to the unexpected! "
From his previous visits to Saint-Barth, the dancer promoted to Coryphée in 2008 recalls the public's "very enthusiastic" welcome, before adding: "You never know what kind of audience you're going to find. For us, it's a very special week. Which adds to the beauty of the island, where I'm happy to find my bearings. What's more, as the Festival invites dancers from the Paris Opera, we have to present works from the repertoire as well as new works. I'm used to staging programs outside the Opéra. So we thought about it and tried to strike a balance between the classical repertoire and this personal creation. "All, of course, in original costumes.
Luckily, these were not lost on the trip from Paris to Saint-Barth. "The Opéra rents us our own costumes," explains Yvon Demol. As each dancer will be doing two passages, we need two costumes. Some of which are very bulky, and fragile. "
"We've made some people jealous!
On stage, Yvon Demol will be joined by "stars" Hannah O'Neill, Germain Louvet and Marc Moreau, "subjects" Aubane Philbert, Bianca Scudamore and Daniel Stokes, and his "coryphée" partner Jennifer Visocchi. Together, they will perform excerpts from Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Don Quixote. I didn't have to convince anyone to come," laughs the dancer. We even made a few people jealous, as others came forward! In Paris, the weather is grey, so just the idea of spending a few days here is enough of an argument. "Corinne Hennequin, president of the Festival de Musique, was not to be denied, however.
Indeed, apart from a long summer break, the dancers of the Ballet de l'Opéra only have a short week's rest at the beginning of January. This year, it's really a stroke of luck," laughs Yvon Demol. The season is very busy and we don't have any time off. But when Corinne gave me the dates, they fell right on top of our vacations. On January 4, we finished our shows. We packed our bags and were on the plane by the morning of the 6th. We'll be leaving again on Sunday, and when we arrive in Paris, we'll head straight to the Opéra to get to work. "After all, the Palais Garnier's 150th anniversary gala is just around the corner, on January 24.
Beyond the prospect of escaping the winter doldrums for a few days, one of the reasons why Paris Opéra dancers decided to take part in the Festival was the quality of its organization. As Yvon Demol is keen to point out. We don't realize what's involved in bringing eight dancers, the costumes, organizing the two evenings - it requires major logistics," recalls the artist. It's not our job. But Corinne (Hennequin) is in charge and everything runs smoothly. When I met Corinne in Paris, I immediately felt that things were going to run like clockwork. I admire the energy it must take them to bring the Festival to life. "The reward for such commitment, from the president as well as all the technicians and volunteers, is undoubtedly to be found in the words of Yvon Demol. And in the excellence of the shows on offer until January 19.
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This week's program
On Monday January 13, a concert for children will be held in Gustavia's Catholic Church at 6:30pm. An interpretation of Serge Prokofiev's 1936 musical tale, Peter and the Wolf, by eight of the Festival's guest musicians: Maureen Nelson on violin (Peter), Alex Sopp on flute (The Bird), Alecia Lawyer on oboe (The Duck), Alec Manasse on clarinet (The Cat), Andrew Brady on bassoon (The Grandfather), Bernard Scully on horn (The Wolf), Matthew McClung on percussion (The Hunters) and Blanche on narration. One of many not-to-be-missed events. For youngsters discovering this tale, as well as for older children, some of whom may have owned a 45rpm copy of Peter and the Wolf as a child, listening to which would send shivers down their spines every time the horn or, for the more sensitive, the oboe entered the stage!
The candlelight concert
If there's one magical moment during the Festival, it's undoubtedly the candlelight concert in Gustavia's Anglican Church. It's scheduled for Tuesday, January 14 at 7.30pm. Audiences will hear Frantz Schubert's String Quintet in C major performed by Jessica and Kobi Malkin (violins), Rebecca Young (viola), Owen Young and Oliver Herbert (cellos). But also Bach's Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G major by Francis Gouton, Beethoven's "Spectacles" duet in E-flat major by Rebecca Young (viola) and Leonard Frey-Maibach (cello) and, finally, three Gershwin preludes for quartet and cello by Oliver Herbert, Owen Young, Francis Gouton and Leonard Frey-Maibach. The evening continues after intermission with performances of the Pièce solennelle for quartet and cellos after Lohengrin, a duo for violin and cello by Kodaly, Villa-Lobos's Assobio a jato and Boccherini's String Quintet in C major.
The orchestral evening will be conducted by conductor Rei Hotoda. ©DR
On Wednesday, January 15, fans of great music, enlightened or otherwise, are invited to the Lorient church for an orchestral evening conducted by conductor Rei Hotoda. The program includes Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmila Overture, Mozart's symphony concertante for violin, viola and orchestra in E-flat, Hendel's Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, Koussevizky's double bass concerto and, after intermission, Dvorák's New World Symphony No. 9.
Reservations and prices
Tickets are now available on the Festival website (www.saintbarthmusicfestival.com). Tickets are still available for all evenings on the program. Tickets cost 25 euros for the two ballet evenings. Admission to the children's concert is 10 euros, 35 euros for the candlelight concert and 40 euros for the orchestral evening.
