"The discovery of Simon SIMON and Jean-Jacques BEAUVARLET CHARPENTIER happened by chance... By creating a personal laboratory, I explored lesser-known territories of the Baroque repertoire, driven by curiosity and a thirst for discovery. Through playful experiments, I uncovered the works of these two composers, whose harpsichord pieces seemed to me like a true cabinet of curiosities, mixing the bizarre, the frivolous, the incongruous, the frightening, and the strangely beautiful. This discovery made me wonder if the musician's own repertoire is not itself a gigantic cabinet of curiosities, where the performer collects and humbly conveys the musical legacy of their predecessors."

Anastasie JEANNE

Prisme is built around sacred works by French composers of the 20th century. We aimed to offer a sonic palette composed of a wide range of colors and textures while clearly showcasing the connections between all these works, not only through their common theme of spirituality, which is the red thread for this program, but also through their language: the exploration of modality, Gregorian chant, and the melismatic lines between the voice and the organ, which respond to and intertwine with each other.

Prisme navigates between the great pioneers of the French organ revival, such as Jehan Alain, Jean Langlais, Maurice Duruflé, and Louis Vierne. It then guides the listener to lesser-known shores with the magnificent works of André Jolivet, Lili Boulanger, and André Fleury, which are true gems of delicacy. Finally, it also explores more contemporary composers like Éric Cordé (organist of the Cathedral of Dol-de-Bretagne) and François Clément (organist of the Cathedral of Clermont-Ferrand), who bring new shades to the program while maintaining a stylistic unity with their predecessors.

A small troupe of travelers has gathered around them all those who are willing to lend an ear. The storyteller’s words flow and intertwine, skillfully adorned by the smooth melodies of their two accomplices. Thus unfolds the tale of a bygone era, where a queen without a child turns to the services of beautiful and benevolent fairies who grant her a daughter: a princess of unmatched beauty. Her radiant future, due to an unfortunate misunderstanding, is marred by a cruel curse. She will not see the light of day before her fifteenth year; otherwise, she will instantly become a doe...

What is the true nature of a fairy tale? Is it a literary exercise undertaken by many illustrious writers, a fable told to children to make them wiser and more obedient, or is it simply the human spirit trying to escape reality? There are as many answers as there are storytellers. Each one pursues their own goal, with their words, their fairies and elves, their kings and princesses. But what unites all fairy tales and storytellers since time immemorial are those listening ears, the eyes behind which the imagination dwells, and that invisible magic that makes the youngest grow up and the oldest feel younger.

Anastasie JEANNE (harpsichord) / Jérôme SIMON (storyteller) / Morgane COLLOMB (voice)