The First Romantics and Nature

The First Romantics and Nature: Romantic Music at the Château de Malmaison

The festival The First Romantics and Nature was born from the encounter between an exceptional place — the Château de Malmaison, beloved residence of Empress Joséphine and Napoleon Bonaparte — and a unique artistic approach: to introduce the public to the emotions of the early French and German Romantics in the face of nature.

Organized annually around Pentecost, this humanist festival invites the public on a sonic and sensory journey into the dawn of musical romanticism. Where other festivals focus on the great names of the classical Romantic repertoire, this one ventures into the lesser-known works of the pioneers: Montgeroult, Méhul, Spontini, Hummel, alongside Haydn in his later years or the early melodies of Schubert and Weber.

An Ambitious Program Centered on Nature

The theme of nature is at the heart of each edition. Early 19th-century Romantics saw nature as a confidante, a source of wonder and awe, a mirror of the human soul. This deep relationship between humans and the natural world is explored through German Lieder evoking forests and rivers, French pieces singing of gardens and seasons, and even contemporary creations illustrating the sounds of pollinating insects or the murmurs of water.

The program includes seven concerts and a study day, presenting repertoires according to French and German aesthetics, with particular attention paid to period instruments — notably the historic Érard (1806) and Wilkinson (1817) pianos — which faithfully reproduce the sound colors of the Napoleonic era and the Restoration.

Artists Committed to Historically Informed Performance

The festival brings together performers specializing in ancient and classical music played on period instruments. Soprano Camille Chapron and her musician colleagues explore rare repertoires, forgotten romances, lesser-known opera arias, and virtuosic trios that reveal the creative effervescence of this pivotal period between the Enlightenment and Romanticism.

The Château de Malmaison, a Unique Napoleonic Gem

The Château de Malmaison, a listed historic monument and managed by the National Museums of Malmaison and Bois-Préau, offers an exceptional heritage and acoustic setting. Its salons, French gardens, and Napoleonic collections immerse listeners in the atmosphere of the era in which the music on the program was composed. The proximity of roses and peonies in the blooming garden adds a unique sensory dimension to the Pentecost concerts.

In 2026, the festival will be part of the cultural season *Printemps de Malmaison*, enriched by an exhibition on roses and peonies that echoes Empress Joséphine's passion for botany.