"Le Vol du Boli" at the Châtelet, the Gabrielle Chanel exhibition at the Palais Galliera Our 5 cultural must-sees
"The Flight of Boli", fetish opera
For this protean show, between ceremonial and meditation, this African-scented opera that combines different Mandinka or European aesthetics, two men have joined forces: Abderrahmane Sissako, the Mauritanian director of films like Bamako and Timbuktu, and Damon Albarn, pop star, leader of the groups Blur and Gorillaz…. Le Vol du Boli, an extraordinary project bringing together around fifty musicians, singers and choirs of African women is a fresco extending from the 12th century to the present day. As for the object of the theft, the Boli, fetish of the Bambaras, committed by Michel Leiris during the Dakar-Djibouti mission (1931-1933), it is among the African collections at the Musée du Quai Branly. An opera about spoliation, colonization, migrations and… harmonization.
Le Vol du Boli, from October 7 to 9, at the Théâtre du Châtelet.
Gabrielle Chanel, the pioneer
For its reopening, the Palais Galliera strikes a big blow: the first retrospective in France of Gabrielle Chanel. The course of this Fashion Manifesto is written in ten chapters through the 1500 square meters of the museum, including the new galleries on the ground floor. Chanel, the avant-garde, the visionary revolutionized fashion. What didn't she invent? The marinière, the masculine-feminine of a men's suit, the little black crepe de chine dress nicknamed "Chanel's Ford" by Vogue, the tweed suit inspired by his trips to Scotland with the Duke of Westminster. Everything here is reviewed, from its beginnings in 1912 in Deauville until its return to couture in 1954. Without forgetting the codes of the house: two-tone slingback pump, 255 quilted bag, black and beige colors but also red white and gold, costume jewelery and N°5 perfume… Like nine proofs of Mademoiselle's maxim: “fashion goes out of style, style never”.
Gabrielle Chanel, Fashion Manifesto, Palais Galliera, until March 14, 2021.
Read also »Gabrielle Chanel, "outstanding seamstress", in the spotlight of a unique retrospective at Galliera
"Iphigenia", time suspended
"I had not planned to stage Iphigénie", warns Stéphane Braunschweig, the director of the Odéon in his note of intent. Only here: the world at a standstill, the streets of Paris deserted during confinement made him think of the tragedy of Racine, of the Greek army blocked in the port of Aulis because the winds died down. Its staging is essential: a bifrontal device along a bare stage, for all decor two giant screens broadcasting images of the sea from dawn to dusk, slack then quivering at the approach of the sacrifice of Iphigenia, sober actors in the clothes of power (including the marvelous Claude Duparfait as Agamemnon). The text, like any masterpiece, resonates today: desire for power and the price of life. The ancient myth is a metaphor for our world. A success.
Iphigénie, directed by Stéphane Braunschweig, at Ateliers Berthier, until November 14.
The Beatles forever
The news is rich in this return to school: fiftieth anniversary of the separation of the Beatles and fortieth anniversary of the death of John Lennon. Not to mention that this group remains the one that has sold the greatest number of records in the world. In the rain of tributes to come, the Gründ editions have taken the side of exegesis. They called in Brian Southall, a former press officer for the Emi label who knows the four musicians. In turn, he gathered experts, witnesses, critics to dissect the work album after album. On the menu: the recording and release of songs, the importance and the heritage of each album, from Please Please Me to Let It Be via Abbey Road. Essential.
The Beatles, Album by Album, Brian Southall, Julien Bitoun, Gründ editions, released on October 15.
BnF Festival: words and words...
After the silence of confinement, the BnF site regains speech and offers reading aloud with La Petite Bibliothèque parlee. Through a journey through the Ruins of Josef Koudelka exhibition, whose photos celebrate the beauty of the archaeological sites of the Mediterranean, the texts chosen question these reminiscences of our history…. This literary journey in the form of a wandering is told by Wajdi Mouawad, Maylis de Kerangal, Anna Mouglalis, Emmanuel Noblet, Micha Lescot. From Gravida, a Pompeian fantasy by Williem Jensen, to Noces à Tipasa by Albert Camus, here is a program rich in daydreams...
The Little Talking Library, BnF Festival, October 10 and 11, 2020.
