The event is over.

Join us at the Basilica on December 1st at 15 p.m. for an exceptional concert by Ars Viva Choir – Puy de Musicque !

*Free participation*

A few words about the program

Punctuated by a few pieces specifically linked to the Christmas period, this musical journey will be marked by the seal of diversity, both in terms of genres (popular songs, canons, motets or extracts from polyphonic masses, etc.) and the origin of the musical works (from all over Europe). It will reflect the choir's rich musical journey, alternating secular and sacred pieces for a sound journey through the centuries, styles and genres.

In the background and present in many works of this concert, the barrel. This apparently very simple form (everyone knows the canon on Brother Jacques!), which requires that the voices repeat one by one what the previous ones have just sung, has been used by all composers since the Middle Ages. It allows the listener to witness the construction of polyphony, a bit like experiencing the construction of a church in fast motion. It also allows singers to enjoy the pleasure of conversation in music, by creating a form of autonomy through listening. Polyphony has social virtues! The canons of Marcello or Praetorius carry within them an undeniable force that leads to sharing and "elevation" in music.

The unloved harmonium…

The flexibility and legendary endurance have made the harmonium, an instrument present in almost all our country churches, the faithful and rustic accompanist of services since the 19th century. Its image, sometimes distorted by certain cinematographic caricatures, must be corrected because there is a real repertoire for this noble instrument. This is evidenced by the many pieces by Guy Ropartz, Alexandre Guilmant or Righetti that we will hear during this concert.

Ars Viva Choir Bruno Boterf Musical direction

Domenico Zipoli Pastorale harmonium
Gregorian Chant In natali domini
Vermilion book of Montserrat Mariam matrem
Michael Praetorius Parvulus nobis nascitur
Joseph-Guy Ropartz Moderato harmonium
Benedetto Marcello Messa Canonica: Kyrie-Christe-Kyrie
Michael Praetorius Canticum trium puerorum
Alexandre Guilmant Christmas Scottish harmonium
Morten Lauridsen O magnum mysterium
Michael Praetorius In dulci jubilo
Benedetto Marcello Messa Canonica: Gloria
Jean Emmanuel Filet Constellation harmonium
Francis Poulenc O magnum mysterium
Ludwig van Beethoven O sanctissima
Benjamin Righetti Clumsy Puppy harmonium

Popular and traditional Christmas carols
Where are you from shepherdess?
My beautiful fir tree,
Sweet night,
Long live the wind,
The Angels in our countryside

The Ars Viva Choir – Puy de Musicque was founded in 1973. It was on this date, in fact, that the Choir of the Maison des Jeunes et de la Culture d'Evreux was created, on the initiative of Patrick Belliard, who would assume the musical direction until the end of the 1980s. Over the last decade, the choir "Ars via - Puy de Musicque" has given under the direction of its successive conductors, Alexandre Adamiec (2003-2010) and Marie-Lou Michaud (2010-2013) a wide variety of vocal works, mainly from the sacred repertoire. Approved by the ODIA of Haute-Normandie and subsidized by the city of Evreux and the department of Eure, the choir currently has nearly forty amateur choristers, from Evreux and its surroundings.

After university studies in musicology, Bruno Boterf chose to devote himself to singing. His light tenor voice quickly allowed him to take his place alongside the best conductors in the cantatas and oratorios of Bach and Handel, the sacred works of Monteverdi, Cavalli, Mozart and Rossini… Holder of the Certificate of Aptitude for Early Music, Bruno Boterf, a confirmed teacher (CNSMD of Lyon, Royal Conservatory of Liège) nourishes a passion for polyphony which led him to create his own professional ensemble, Ludus Modalis, a vocal and sometimes instrumental ensemble, whose repertoire finds its source in the vocal music of the Renaissance and the beginning of the Baroque era. He has participated in numerous recordings for the firms Harmonia-Mundi, Ricercar, Alpha, Erato, CBS, Auvidis, Ramée with Ludus Modalis. Artistic Director of the Festival A Rite of Spring which takes place every year in Evreux, he has been directing the Ars Viva choir since September 2013.

To learn more about the Ars Viva Puy de Musicque choir, visit their website: http://choeurarsviva.jimdo.com