Concert in Homage to Lily Laskine, September 30th 2018 · Paris

News

September 20, 2018

 

Chantal Mathieu, new president of the French harp association, is organising a concert in homage to Lily Laskine at the end of the month. It will take place on September 30th, 4PM, in the former premises of the Paris Conservatoire (and Laskine’s teaching base) at 14, rue de Madrid.  Chantal will be joined by Marielle Nordmann, Isabelle Moretti, Fabrice Pierre, Anaïs Gaudemard, Annie Challan, Ghislaine Petit-Volta, Sabine Chefson, Christine Icart, François Pernel, Cristobal Soto…and there will also be some special surprises. Nor will the programme be exclusively classical: “I want our celebration to be very open, in the spirit of Lily Laskine”, Chantal Mathieu explains. “She was a great artist, but above all she was a great human being, lover of people and ideas, and universally adored.”

As well as her recording of duets with her great teacher and mentor, Marielle Nordmann has published an affectionate and informative account of Laskine’s life and work, parallel text in English and French. From Laskine’s formidable parents – who saw the eight-year-old Lily begin studies with Hasselmans, although he never took beginners – to letters and tributes from the great composers and conductors of the day, this account provides a valuable and above all touching overview. The music industry tends to concentrate on the here and now, and loves young, good-looking Wunderkinder – but tributes to fine artists of the past are important. You only have to look at almost any train of political events to realise that human beings almost never listen to the lessons of history, and it’s often the same in music. But music, being an intense exploration of what it means to be human, is peopled by so many wonderful individuals, whose stories can comfort, inspire and show you the paths ahead. 

Particularly striking is how Marielle Nordmann depicts Laskine’s energy and positivity, something that can be found in many a great musician and pedagogue. She describes how “This radiant figure of our time had a quite exceptional store of energy and control over herself allied to a profound philosophy of life. As a result of having travelled a great deal with her, I can assure people that her vitality was almost demoralising but nevertheless most enriching. In fact, she never “really” needed anything. Nobody ever heard her complain. With all her strength, she cast aside all the trials and tribulations of everyday life. All her energy was devoted to music and to other people. This was her own form of politeness and its secret lay in her radiant spirit and in a remarkable virtue, that of her generosity. She loved other people and took a genuine interest in them.”

Photos of Lily Laskine kindly supplied by Chantal Mathieu and the Association des Amis de Lily Laskine