This year, Obeo is once again taking part in the Symphonic Afterwork organized by the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire (ONPL). Laurent Delaigue and I are very proud to be part of this adventure.
The Symphonic Afterwork is an initiative launched by the ONPL that brings together an orchestra of around one hundred musicians, made up of half amateur musicians and half professionals. The project is funded by companies, and Obeo has been involved since the very beginning. For Laurent, this will be his fourth concert as a cellist, following the performances held in 2019, 2022, and 2023.
Concert in 2019 (Nantes Congress Centre)
Concert in 2022 (Nantes Congress Centre)
As for me, this will be my first time taking part in the Symphonic Afterwork, and I will be playing the double bass, the lowest-pitched string instrument in the orchestra. I have always been interested in music. Both of my parents are professional musicians, so I was immersed in it from an early age. Although I chose computer science as my profession, I have never lost my passion for music, especially classical music.
In practical terms, preparing for the concert begins with studying the sheet music on your own. Some passages are particularly challenging and require a great deal of practice. After that, we took part in sectional rehearsals (that is, rehearsals by instrument group) with the ONPL tutors, who are professional musicians. These sessions allowed us to work on the most difficult double bass passages with guidance from experienced professionals.
We then began rehearsing with the other sections of the orchestra. This is when Dylan Corlay, the conductor, joined us along with all the amateur musicians and tutors. At this stage, the conductor works with us to ensure that we play together as a cohesive ensemble. He has certain sections rehearse together, asks others to play louder or softer, and guides us in shaping the music with a particular character, whether through more pronounced articulation or a more lyrical style.
Finally, during the last stage before the concert, we will be joined by all the professional musicians for the final rehearsals.
The concerts will take place in Angers on June 25 and in Nantes on June 26. I am looking forward to performing the music we have worked so hard to prepare throughout these rehearsals. Friends and colleagues will be in the audience to support us. The program will feature classical masterpieces by renowned composers, as well as film music.
The complete program:
- Carl Nielsen, Aladdin suite
- Edvard Grieg, Peer Gynt – suite n°1 « dans l’antre du roi de la montagne »
- Camille Saint Saëns, Danse macabre
- Manuel de Falla, L’amour sorcier – Danse rituelle du feu
- Piotr Ilitch Tchaïkovsky, Le lac des cygnes, extrait de l’acte 2
- Aram Khachaturian, Spartacus suite n°2 – Adagio
- John Williams, ET – Flying Theme
- Jean Sibélius, Finlandia
See you there!
