Festival Corsica Cantabile

About this concert

To open its 5th edition, Corsica Cantabile chooses Cargèse and its Théâtre de Verdure Martha Angelici for an exceptional evening, dedicated to memory and dialogue between cultures. A musical celebration of two intimately linked anniversaries: the 250th anniversary of the village of Cargèse and the 350th anniversary of the arrival of the Greek colony on the coasts of Corsica.

In 1676, Greeks from the Peloponnese fleeing Ottoman domination landed on the western coast of the island. It was finally in 1773, under the aegis of the Comte de Marbeuf, that the colony settled on the plateau of Cargèse, bordering the sea. Born from this exile and rebirth, the village has become over the centuries a unique place in the Mediterranean. On its promontory, the Latin church and the Greek church face each other, a silent dialogue between two cultures that have observed each other for centuries.

It is this history that music comes to celebrate tonight. The evening opens with Melina Vlachos and Dogan Poyraz, who present a carte blanche of traditional Greek music, rooted in the vibrant origins of Hellenic culture. Next come Maurice Ravel's Five Popular Greek Melodies, jewels of the French repertoire where the Basque composer sublimates the songs of the Greek people, and Mel Bonis's Sonata, whose third movement draws directly from Hellenic folklore. Yannis Konstantinidis's Greek Dances and an evocative air by Melina Mercouri and Manos Hadjidakis complete this journey, blending popular tradition, classical repertoire, and a tribute to modern Greek culture.

A program conceived as a narrative, that of a people who crossed the Mediterranean to take root in Corsica and make a unique culture flourish there. Corsica Cantabile thus opens its festival with a vibrant celebration of the history of Cargèse: that of a village with two churches, which has become over the centuries a living bridge between two great Mediterranean cultures!