Article Date:
Bleuenn Simon
Published on
In Dinan (Côtes-d’Armor), the month of August opens with the 18th edition of the music festival. The festival’s new president, Luca Montebugnoli, came up with the idea to give the classical music festival “a common thread”, so he proposed “The Grand Tour, a musical journey through Europe.”
“The Grand Tour is the journey that the bourgeoisie made throughout Europe in the 18th century, to discover the culture of the continent, intellectual, artistic, and musical,” explained Luca Montebugnoli. To fit this theme, each concert of the festival will be dedicated to a region or country of Europe.
But first, on July 31st, a conference will be offered to all the curious ones, led by the president, who is also a pianist and pianist. He will explain what The Grand Tour was in the Age of Enlightenment, and what the festival’s programming will consist of.
Concerts
Before starting the journey, French music must be discovered. This will be done on August 1st by listening to three French sonatas by three artists from the late 19th century: Gabriel Fauré, Camille Saint-Saëns, and César Franck.
On August 2nd, we will travel to Germany for an evening dedicated to the composer Weber. “He is not the most well-known of German composers, but he is a very important figure in romantic music,” explained Luca Montebugnoli, who will be on stage that night with his pianoforte and four other musicians. “Weber died 200 years ago this year.”
“Full of music and a little improvisation”
The next concert, on August 3rd, will honor the music of Vivaldi, an Italian artist. Far from limiting itself to the famous “Four Seasons,” the musical ensemble Gli Incogniti will offer “a quite varied concert, with lots of different musical inspirations, and even a bit of improvisation… It’s going to be exciting.”
The journey will continue on August 4th, going to Poland with the winner of the 2025 Kowalski competition. This piano competition in Dinan rewarded Georgy Krizhnenko. He will perform works by Frédéric Chopin, Karol Szymanowski, and of course, Henri Kowalski.
Further north on August 5th, the music will be Scandinavian. The female duo of pianist and cellist Duo Neria will perform works by the Finnish Jean Sibelius, the Norwegian Edvard Grieg, and also by Laura Netzel, a lesser-known Swedish composer contemporary to the other two artists.
Youth Talents
On Thursday, August 6th, the spotlight will be on youth and Spain. The ISAR Quartet will take over the stage reserved for young talents with music straight from the Iberian Peninsula, sometimes modern, without neglecting classics such as Bizet’s “Carmen.”
The Slavic soul will be honored at the last European concert. Artists like the Czech Dvořák will share the stage with composers inspired by Bohemian music, such as Mozart and Beethoven.
The last concert will not be European but will make you travel just as much: the Voce quartet will offer an evening in honor of Argentina. “The musicians have been in residence in Argentina and have worked with local artists. They draw inspiration from their popular and folkloric music.”
A New Venue
A program that will certainly take you on a journey! But the festival also innovates by occupying, for the first time, the chapel of the Roger-Vercel college for its “Young Talents” concert on August 6th “a very beautiful place in Dinan.”
Excited to announce this new edition full of discoveries, the organizers note that they still “need a few volunteers.” So, the proposal is launched: those who would like to get involved, temporarily or not, with the festival can contact the organizers!
From August 1st to August 8th. Full price for gala concert: €25. Other concerts: €20. Reduced rates: €10. Minors: free. Concerts take place at 8:00 PM at the Jacobins theater, except for the Young Talents concert on Thursday, August 6th at 5:00 PM at the chapel of the Roger-Vercel college. Ticket office opens in June.
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