FERRAILLE ET IDÉAL

Description

An open workshop where music is written, transformed, and shared. A program built around two works for two pianos composed by Antoine Françoise and Gilles Grimaître, as well as atypical interpretations of works from the contemporary, historical, and traditional repertoire. The two pianists, accustomed to classical and contemporary repertoire, have gradually turned towards creation over the years. A natural evolution born from the desire to go beyond the simple role of duo performers and explore still unknown territories. Composing has then become a way to extend dialogue, to offer a part of oneself, to continue searching, questioning. The duo becomes a kind of permanent work in progress, an ideal in motion. In 2019, Antoine Françoise composed The Isle of D, an intimate and sensual work, built almost exclusively from harmonics, for a concert tour in South Korea. Since its creation, the work has continued to evolve, transform, deepen, to the point of becoming an organic part of the duo. From 2025, Gilles Grimaître will undertake the composition of a new work, conceived as a suite—a dérive—to Antoine's, as if the desire to create a whole (an entire concert) gradually becomes a necessity. A beautiful ideal is currently in the process of composition. The first part of the piece was created at the Cataclysme festival in Geneva, and the complete work is expected to be completed in 2027. For this piece, Gilles draws inspiration notably from the words of Emma Goldman, who, in trying to define anarchism, evokes an ideal—perhaps unattainable for some—in which there still exists a dimension of celebration: joy as a form of resistance. Poline Renou and Géraldine Schenkel met in 2009 under tumultuous circumstances: they performed together a work by Handel during a ceremony in tribute to a deceased infant. This first musical experience, deeply marked by emotion, left the intuition that they would meet again someday in another context. In 2018, they reunited around Géraldine's piano and explored a vast repertoire, from baroque to contemporary, while experimenting with new sounds thanks to the bandoneon, Fender Rhodes, and clavinet. Gradually, their desire to go beyond interpretation led them towards a more personal approach, blending research, improvisation, and creation. In 2025, invited by the Cataclysme Piano festival, they had three weeks of residency in Géraldine's workshop to imagine a new project. A true artistic chemistry emerged: same demands, same curiosity, same sensitivity. Without stylistic constraints, they cross baroque, contemporary, popular music, improvisation, and composition. From this freedom, Ferraille Baroque was born, a unique show where Géraldine's Piano-Ferraille dialogues with Poline's virtuosic and expressive voice. In just three weeks, they created a thirty-minute program that captivates the audience with its originality and unique sound universe, each piece offering a unique musical journey. Ferraille baroque Géraldine Schenkel and Poline Renou A beautiful ideal Antoine Françoise and Gilles Grimaître, piano

Highlights

• Concerts for two pianos by Antoine Françoise and Gilles Grimaître
• Interpretations of contemporary and traditional works
• Continuous evolution of the duo in musical creation

General Information

FERRAILLE ET IDÉAL is an open workshop where music is created and shared. The program highlights original works and unique interpretations, offering an immersive experience to the audience.

Location

Rue du Progrès 12, 2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland

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