Jun
2023

Rainier III Academy GALA

AUDITORIUM RAINIER III

In the presence of H.S.H. Prince Albert II, H.R.H. Princess Caroline of Hanover, H.S.H. Princess Stéphanie accompanied by her daughter Camille Gottlieb, Mélanie-Antoinette de Massy, H.E. Mr. Pierre Dartout, Minister of State, Monseigneur Dominique-Marie David, Archbishop of Monaco, Yvette Lambin Berti, Secretary of State, H.E. Mr. Pierre Dartout. Pierre Dartout, Minister of State, Monseigneur Dominique-Marie David, Archbishop of Monaco, Yvette Lambin Berti, Secretary of State, Patrice Cellario, Government Counsellor - Minister of the Interior, Isabelle Berro-Amadei, Government Counsellor - Minister of External Relations and Cooperation, Françoise Gamerdinger, Director of Cultural Affairs, as well as senior representatives of the Prince's Palace and the Conseil National, members of the Comité de Commémoration du Prince Rainier III, Mayor Georges Marsan and members of the Conseil Communal, hosted the Gala Concert of the Académie Rainier III, the first part of which was dedicated to Prince Rainier III as part of the commemoration of the centenary of his birth.

In his welcome address, Mayor Georges Marsan recalled the extent to which Prince Rainier III had left his mark on Monaco's relationship with the living arts, and the extent to which music, in all its forms, was at the heart of his generous vision. Georges Marsan then handed over to Jade Sapolin, Director of the Académie Rainier III, who presented the evening's program, before warmly thanking teachers and students for their involvement in the preparation of this concert, as well as the Centre National Nadia et Lili Boulanger and its Director, Alexandra Laederich, for their collaboration.

In the first half, three top students had the honor of being accompanied by the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra. Alexey Dimitriadis admirably interpreted Nadia Boulanger's "Fantaisie" for piano and orchestra, then it was Yanis Farrugia's turn to sublimate Marc-César Scotto's "Portrait" for solo piano, before concluding with violinist Carola Longo's magnificent interpretation of Ernest Bloch's "Nigun" for violin and orchestra. This first part was punctuated by the voice of Jules Renoux, reciting several extracts from letters written by Prince Rainier III to Nadia Boulanger.

The evening continued with a speech by Karyn Ardisson Salopek, in charge of Culture and Delegate to the Académie Rainier III, who presented an exceptional violin, designed and made by the students of the Atelier de Lutherie and their teacher, Roberto Masini, as a tribute to Prince Rainier III, carefully arranged in a case entirely handcrafted by Dimitri Musafia, a craftsman in Cremona (Italy). The piece, which took over 400 hours to make, was warmly presented to H.S.H. Prince Albert II.

The second half began with excerpts from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's tale "Le Petit Prince", performed by the Theatre Department, which then handed over the stage to classes from the Academy's other Departments: Early Music, Electroacoustics, Jazz, Amplified Current Music and Voice.

The concert ended with Antonin Dvorak's "New World Symphony", performed by the Collective Practice Department class and the Académie's Youth Orchestra, followed by two covers of the French variété repertoire, Michel Berger's "Evidemment" and "Quand on arrive en ville", a song from the rock opera Starmania, written and composed by Luc Plamondon and Michel Berger.

Photos / Ed Wright Images / Mairie de Monaco