A look back at… : the Orchestra at La Chaise-Dieu festival

“As part of the 53rd La Chaise-Dieu music festival, a free concert took place this Saturday, August 31 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Henri Vinay garden, in Puy-en-Velay. The concert was given by the Republican Guard symphonic orchestra, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Sébastien Billard, and this event brought together about a thousand people, not only on the chairs provided for this purpose but also on the square of the Crozatier museum and the lawns of the park.

French composers in the spotlight

“We began with the opening of the Roman Carnival, by Berlioz”, presented the conductor, Sébastien Billard. It was indeed “an hour of French symphonic orchestral music” which the attentive public could attend on the seasonal scene settled in front of the kiosk, under a sky blue again after a rainy rehearsal earlier in the afternoon. After Hector Berlioz, followed Léo Delibes, a bacchanal by Camille Saint-Saëns, the “meditation of Thaïs” by Jules Massenet, then a waltz extracted from Faust by Charles Gounod. Then, works of Gabriel Fauré and Emmanuel Chabrier, and the concert ended with three extracts from the Arlesienne by Georges Bizet, the last of which was an encore from the enthusiastic applause of the public who rose to honor the talent of the musicians. ”

The full article (in French) and photos are available by clicking on “learn more”.