©C Lionnet - Bienvenue en France

How the beat of the music can echo the beat of the human heart
Annie Lionnet gave a memorable concert.

The setting for our concert was the Hôtel Ephrussi, official residence of the Egyptian Ambassador to France, a jewel of Second French Empire architecture decorated with historical Egyptian art. Our hosts, the Egyptian Ambassador Ehab Badawy and his wife, as well as their employees, generously welcomed the members of Bienvenue en France into their fine home.

Our talented friend treated us to an original recital, filled with passion and emotion. It was not focused on a particular genre, era or composer, but on the pulse of each work, like the beating heart of a living being.

In music, melody, harmony and rhythm stand out the most to the untrained ear. Rest assured these elements were certainly there, but thanks to Annie Lionnet’s skilled yet uncomplicated commentary we were able to “feel the pulse” in a wide variety of pieces. We went from the calm, almost spiritual regularity of a Bach prelude to Debussy’s constantly changing movements of the sea, passing by the three iconic notes of the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata and the racing heartbeat of a Chopin Polonaise. Lastly, to soothe any weary hearts, we enjoyed excerpts from Haydn, Mozart and Schubert presented and played by our exceptional performer.

For the final act, the hundred or so people present for the concert were able to regain their usual steady heartbeats thanks to the delicious spread of Egyptian delicacies organised by our hosts.

By Jacques Rummelhardt - At the heart of music