Soprano Juliette De Massy and pianist Samuel Boré enthrall audience with renditions of French poetry and music at an event held in connection with Francopphonie week. PHOTO: EXPRESS
In the dim glow of a few chandeliers, the sound of piano created an aura of both romance and melancholy. However, there was more to the bitter-sweet melodies emanating from the hall at a local hotel on Monday evening.
Soprano Juliette De Massy and pianist Samuel Boré enthralled a sizable audience with renditions of French poetry and music, weaving tales of love, friendship, liberty and prosperity among other intertwined humanistic themes. The duo in black exuded an air of serenity coupled with an understated elegance.
“We are both very passionate about poetry as well as music so we chose to work on couplets of poets as well as composers,” said De Massy, highlighting stylistic compositions by Henri Duparc, Charles Debussy and Francis Poulenc.
Organised as part of the Week of Francophonie, the music recital offered a slice of French culture to locals as well as diplomats.
Transporting the audience to the late 19th century and the early 20th century Paris, the duo paid homage to renowned French poets such as Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine and Guillame Apollinaire.
Punctuated by subtle notes of music, De Massy’s performances were soulful and animated in the same vein - the ebb and flow of her vocals coinciding with her fluid gestures. The practised pauses lent the pieces a musicality of their own, thematic and captivating.
At the conclusion of each piece, Boré lifted his fingers off the piano with dramatic ease while De Massy smiled expressively, eliciting generous applause from the audience. Holding up printouts of poems and their English translation, many of the listeners took solace as they read the music being played, whether or not they could understand the language.
“Of course it is in French but music is a universal language and you may appreciate the beauty of the melody,” said French Ambassador Phillipe Thiébaud as he opened the show.
The event was organsed to encourage cultural contact between the French-speaking countries and Pakistan in an interactive manner, the ambassador added. “Cultural diversity is a major asset for all countries of the world.”
The week-long activities highlight a common endeavour of the French-speaking countries to promote cultural contact and friendship with Pakistan.
International Organisation of La Francophonie is a body of countries sharing French as a language of culture, dialogue and government, comprising 57 countries.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 19th, 2014.
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