LDV117

17 DAVID GRIMAL, ITAMAR GOLAN How did you choose these three works? David Grimal: We wanted to approach the last century through the artistic ferment that brought so many musicians together in Paris. That teeming activity, that melting-pot, those encounters and clashes between worlds strongly appealed to us. In the meantime, the war between Russia and Ukraine had begun, we felt all the accumulated tension, and we went for this Franco-Russian-Ukrainian programme (Prokofiev was actually born in Ukraine). In the humble hope of a reconciliation between our peoples who have nothing against each other. As usual, it’s what French musicians call a problème de chef d’orchestre – a problem created by the conductor, the chief, as it were; but the orchestra didn’t choose this. Itamar Golan: And we must remember the universality of this music, which transcends borders. We are living in very difficult times, not only because of this war, and music embodies hope, renewal and the resolve not to give up, but to keep moving forward. David Grimal: I think it’s senseless to stigmatise all Russian artists, even if I understand the sanctions on some who are incapable of distancing themselves from that regime. My teacher Philippe Hirschhorn was born in the Baltic States and came from the USSR (where he suffered a lot under the Soviet regime). Through him, I feel that I am in some sense an heir to the Russian school. I’m quite certain that our peoples will be reunited with each other once this disastrous page has been turned.