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Paris
concert
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Hôtel de Soubise
- a must do
One September, Saturday afternoon after a walking
tour ended at the Hôtel de Soubise, we stepped into this museum which is part of
the national archives (Centre historique des Archives nationales)
in the third arrondissement.
Although the museum had closed, we were invited to attend
a chamber music concert.
Music at 6 p.m. in opulent surroundings is a perfect
pause before dinner after a long day of sightseeing.
In the Chambre du Prince, we sat surrounded by
walls framed in relief sculptures in rooms lit by chandeliers reflected
in ornate gold-framed mirrors above the marble chimneys; with twisted
gold candelabras on the wall that spoke of a story all their own¹.
Having been impressed by the concert's opening season
(soprano and piano), we enthusiastically returned the following Saturday
for more.
The Hôtel de Soubise, acquired by the French government
in 1808 houses the
National Archives and is the venue for the current
young talent
concerts scheduled between now and mid-December (Beethoven cycle in
November and December).
The first two concerts featured the works of Wolf,
Poulenc, Caplet (Shigeko Hata, soprano, and Karolos Zouganelis, piano)
and the "romantic and modern" works of Scarlatti, Beethoven, Chopin,
Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Liszt (Eric Artz, piano).
The future chamber music concerts' instruments are soprano voices,
harpsichord, violin, cello and piano.
The concerts last about one and a half hours and it is
best to follow the lead of the French for applause; they know the
signals.
For the second concert, we sat in the overflow chamber
which is great for sound and scenery (and less crowded). You can choose
to sit in this side room and pay 5 euros. The tariff for the main room
is 10 euros. They take reservations or you can pay at the door.
Jeunes Talents is an association, created in 1998, whose goal is to
organize concerts for young professional musicians. Keeping classical
music alive performed by fresh young talent is another objective of the
association.
Hôtel de Soubise
60, rue des Francs-Bourgeois, 75003 Paris
M° Rambuteau (Line 11), Hôtel de Ville or St Paul (Line 1)
Closed: Tuesday
Open Monday, Wednesday to Friday: 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
and 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Open Saturday and Sunday: 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
For exhibition information visit the
Hôtel de Soubise website for the schedule.
Concert schedule: Every Saturday at 6 p.m. September to
June.
Admission: 10 euros in main room; 5 euros in adjoining
chamber (still great sound)
Tidbits of information
¹During some renovations, the original candelabras
disappeared. The sketch of the originals in the
Hôtel de Soubise had been
drawn in pencil on the walls and were able to replicated to match.
²The front entrance off the rue des Francs-Bourgeois was
curved so that carriages might pull up in the circular drive to avoid
causing a traffic jam on the street.
³The garden between the circular drive and the
front door of the hôtel functioned as a public park.
History
The original "hôtel" was built in 1371 by Olivier de Clisson
on the outside of the ramparts of the Philippe-Auguste wall (visible
across from the present entrance). The turrets from the original entrance remain
as an example of 14th century Paris military architecture.
The Hôtel de Clisson, was bought by the politically
powerful Guise family in 1553. It is believed that the "Saint-Bartholomy"
massacre was planned in in the then Hôtel de Guise.
In 1700, the Rohan-Soubise family bought the property.
It was demolished in 1705, and its entrance was reoriented to rue des
Francs-Bourgeois and is considered a masterpiece of architecture.
The concert cycle is not a new event within these walls.
Amateur concerts were already being held in the Hôtel de Soubise in 1762.
At the time, 70 - 80 young musicians would perform, which was considered
quite exceptional for this period.
This training ground for symphony music drew crowds
within France and Europe who wanted to listen to students directed by
the then famous Joseph de Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George, an
exceptional violinist.
More Paris concert
information
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May 2008
