Camac Blog
From Camelot to Japan: Cécile Corbel at the Espace Camac
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September 26, 2024
Cécile Corbel is an artist recognised for her uniqueness, and her ability to follow her own path in deeply personal projects; at the same time, entering the collective consciousness with more widely known projects such as her music for the hit studio Ghibli film, Arrietty.
This week, she will play to a sold-out house at the Espace Camac. This will be part of a number of performances in which the artist will launch her latest album Graal (Bayard musique). This album is inspired by a crucial part of Anglo-Celtic culture. We asked Cécile how these legends influenced her latest creation:
The Arthurian legends have been with me for a long time, providing an inexhaustible source of mystery and poetry. Graal was born of a fascination for this spiritual and human quest.
The quest for the Grail symbolizes much more than an object: it’s an inner quest, a journey of initiation that speaks to the soul. In this album, I wanted to convey this atmosphere through my compositions, mixing harp and voice, and drawing inspiration from figures such as Merlin, Morgane and the Lady of the Lake. I also wanted to pay tribute to the landscapes of legend, whether Broceliande or imaginary forests, or faraway islands like Avallon, because for me, nature is omnipresent in these stories and in my music.
“Graal”- the latest album from Cécile Corbel (Bayard Musique)
When one hears Cécile talk about her creative path in this way, it is impossible not to connect her work with ancient, bardic practice that has ever been closely linked with the harp and its players. The harp and the art of story telling, in words or through music, are inextricably linked. Is this a fair assessment?
Of course it is! My work is often imbued with this idea of transmitting all these cultures of the Imaginary (with a capital “I”) and, ever since I was a child, I’ve always loved stories! Whether inspired by ancient tales or drawing on Celtic tradition, I seek to perpetuate these stories and give them new life through music.
The harp is an instrument that tells and transmits.I feel I’m both a singer and a storyteller.
Cécile’s concert is also emblematic of a shift in the way that Camac will present concerts and events in our Paris home. Whilst we still strongly emphasise that we will not showcase harpists for our own profit, the public will be asked to book their place in advance, at a small cost that will then be donated in its entirety to charitable causes.
Cécile Corbel at a recent performance Luçon and Bonneval , photo: © Eric Houdas
As a partner of the 1%HARP association, every ticket sold will contribute to raising funds to create a genuine network of solidarity between harpists around the world. The funds will help to finance the purchase of new or second-hand instruments, and redistribute unused instruments and equipment to establishments that need them, or organize repairs and servicing by certified technicians, all in places where these things are difficult to find and almost impossible to afford.
As stated, Cécile is an artist of huge versatility who draws upon a rich range of influences and resources: What else can listeners expect from her programme on Friday?
During my concert in Paris, I want to take the audience on a journey to different worlds. In addition to the Arthurian legends with Graal, I’ll be playing other pieces that have left their mark on me over the years. I like to build bridges between different cultures and eras, so there will be nods to my Breton origins, to the Japanese tales that inspired me when I composed the soundtrack for Studio Ghibli’s film Arrietty, and to other Celtic legends and universal myths. It will be a musical, dreamlike and poetic journey, where each note will invite the audience, I hope, to escape and daydream.
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