If It's Got a Good Beat . . .

. . . And I can dance to it pretty much sums up my “appreciation” of music.

This weekend, though, kicked off the Sixth Edition of the C'est pas Classique Festival in Nice. Commencing with the opening event Friday, 12 November 2010 which was held at the Apollon Auditorium at the Acropolis, and concluding Sunday evening, 14 November 2010, the festival is a musical feast which offers something for everyone – young, old, and even those who love “da beat.” Best of all, the events are gratis!

I took the decision to head over to the Acropolis Friday evening to “weigh in” on the concert featuring the Quatuor Ébène, an award winning classical string quartet, whose selections, according to the program, were to be melodies from their newly released recording, Fiction.

Upon arriving at the Acropolis, I assumed my place in line, which moved rather quickly given we had to go through security and given the size of the crowd. My program informed me the concert was to be held in the Auditorium Athena and, following the clearly posted markers along the way, I easily located the venue. I found the Auditorium Athena to be cozy and comfortable, given it has a seating capacity of around 750.

Moments after settling in, the lights dimmed and the show began. The members of the quartet include: Pierre Colombet, violon; Gabriel Le Magadure, violon; Mathieu Herzog, alto; and Raphael Merlin, vioncelle. They were accompanied by percussionist Richard Hery.

After opening remarks, the ensemble launched into “Les Temps Modernes,” which was followed by the melody “Nature Boy.” I thoroughly enjoyed their interpretation of “Come Together” and I was enchanted by the haunting drum solo by Mr. Hery, during which he used what appeared to be Indonesian gongs as a prelude. It was when the ensemble played Astor Piazzolla's Libertango that I become totally captivated.

The program described the quartet as “A classical string quartet that can be easily transformed into a jazz band.” I would only add: What an excellent transformation, indeed!!!

Would you like to know more? Stay tuned, Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel!!

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