Music Festival: Autumn Chapel at the Trinity

Eclectic and chic, free and open-minded, the new program at the Trinity Chapel offers its first highlight of the season with Chapelle d'automne, a veritable mini-festival embracing several interwoven themes. While minimalism, baroque, experimental and crossover music (even pop) have been staples since last season, this series of performances invites us to explore the thread of keyboard instruments across genres and eras.

The adventure will begin with two events centered around the iconoclastic figure of Moondog. Through a concert-lecture with musicologist Amaury Cornut and pianist François Mardirossian, the singular universe of this poet in the truest sense of the word will be explored. Barefoot, clad in a monk's robe and a Viking helmet, roaming the streets of New York and offering his syncretic compositions to passersby, Moondog is an anomaly in more ways than one. Beyond his lifestyle, his music—a skillful blend of jazz, traditional counterpoint, folk, and Native American rhythms—is truly unique. It is this “Moondog mystery” that our duo of speakers will attempt to unravel before Yves Rechsteiner and Riho Ishikawa (at the exploratory organs) – accompanied by the percussion of Henri-Charles Caget – introduce us the following day to this unique music using an unusual set of instruments and in the company of works by J.-S. Bach, Philip Glass or Ravi Shankar…

Taste and colors

But let's continue to follow the thread of keyboards through some anti-heroes who populated ancient times (the Middle Ages here). Thanks to the archaeo-luthier Olivier Féraud and the lecturer Anastasia Volchenkova, we will talk about these forgotten instruments such as the organetto, the clavicymbalum, and the clavicytherium.

And since it is appropriate to judge based on the evidence, this organological presentation will be followed by two concerts showcasing these ancient keyboards in unexpected registers.

The organistrum – a tiny medieval stringed organ – combined with voice, will take center stage in a concert by the Ars Sonic ensemble. Their program will range from medieval repertoire to the exploratory landscapes of "drone" music, based on drones and long sustained notes. This minimalist aesthetic will also be explored by Charlemagne Palestine in a ceremonial concert for organ and harpsichord.

A brief detour into the world of baroque harpsichord with a recital by students from the CNSMD of Lyon dedicated to English music (William Byrd, John Bull, Orlando Gibbons, Matthew Locke, Henry Purcell), and suddenly (baroque) dance makes an appearance! Always associated with the harpsichord, under the direction of Hubert Hazebroucq, accompanied by harpsichordist Jean-Luc Ho, who will explore the French baroque repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Our little journey through time and genres will end with a flourish with this tribute to 80s synth-pop by the legendary Japanese trio Yellow Magic Orchestra, composed of Ryūichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono, and Yukihiro Takahashi. Their hits, rearranged for the harpsichord for this occasion, will be performed by Antoine Souchav', a master of musical acrobatics. While the circle may seem complete… be careful not to lose the thread!

Autumn Chapel – From November 13 to 16 at the Trinity Chapel – https://trinitelyon.com/