Exposé Océane Doucet : La folle journée de Nantes

Today I'll be talking to you about a classical music festival in Nantes, its name is : la folle journée.

This famous event was created by René Martin in 1995. Each year, the event dedicates to a group of music composers and lasts 5 days. For example : Beethoven and his friends, or The Titans ...

The name of the festival makes a reference to Beaumarchais's theater : Le mariage de figaro ou la folle journée. Actually, the first composer honored in 1995 by René Martin was Mozart who wrote the opera Les Noces de Figaro.

First, I'll speak about the festival today

Secondly, I'll speak about the place it takes place

And then, I'll present 2 ads.

I - Today

So, today, the concept is phenomenal. In fact, the director René Martin succeeded in developing the project La Folle Journée all over the region, in the major towns (Laval, Angers, Le Mans). And rapidly, abroad, such as Bilbao, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and soon Montréal... It is the most important festival of classical music in Europe.

II – The place it takes place

This event takes place in Le Palais des Congrès de Nantes. The site, completely reorganized according to the year theme, offers 8 theaters to listen to classical formations. But, the innovative idea comes from the huge hall where the public can sit like in a forum, can visit professional stands, can meet musicians, can buy CD and scores and can listen to non professional and professional musicians. With one concert ticket, the public can stay during the entire day in the hall.

The atmosphere is really festive.

The event organizes 250 (two hundred and fifty) concerts during 5 days. The day begins at 9 in the morning and ends at 11 in the night.

We can meet orchestras from all over the world. Many of them come from out of France because French ones are more expensive.

This event has an average of 17 000 people every day. It is about 110 000 or 120 000 people each year, increasing from one year to the other. 

III – 2 ads.

This event shows us how classical music is in good health finally.

It gives to public a positive, young and dynamics image, and contradicts the idea that classical music loses speed.

For example, I which to show you two ads :

On the he first, you can see the musician Schubert wearing blue Converse shoes, and some cultural references with a painting representing a trout fish.

On the second ad, you can see the musician Chopin with the writer George Sand. They seem very cool and together wear jeans and Lacoste polos. Both in the colors of the Poland banner.

Both ads want to tell us that classical music can perfectly integrate our modern way of life, and that the artists are people from our times too.

I wanted to show you these ads because, usually, as far as classical music is concerned, we are not used to see these contrasts. The ads want to shock us.

In conclusion, may I invite you to go to Nantes next January to assist to the festival. It starts on January the 30^th (thirty th) and finishes on February the 3rd. The theme is : French and Spanish Music from 1860 (eighteen sixty) to now.

If you want to assist, you must buy tickets as soon as the ticketing opens, and it is often difficult. Fortunately, you can also follow the concerts on TV and radio.