On the shores of the Mediterranean

What were Parisian musicians seeking, at the turn of the twentieth century, when they headed for the shores of the Mediterranean Sea? Perhaps they wanted to set foot in a colonised land and pay tribute – as Camille Saint-Saëns did at the end of his Suite algérienne – to the French military presence there. But there was also a desire to explore a part of the world that, for many, represented the cradle of modern civilisation, untouched by the industrialisation that was ravaging Europe. A quest for origins that was part of a reformulation of a national identity, and appeared to be a response to Germany: set against the Nordic myths taken up by Wagner was a heritage that combined the greatness of Rome, the dreams of Cleopatra and the conquests of Spain and Portugal.

Concert followed by an aperitif.