Claude Debussy - Alliance Francaise Wellington

CELEBRATING
DEBUSSY
150th birthday celebration of French composer
Claude Debussy
17-25 AUGUST
OFFICIAL
PROGRAMME
Promotional material courtesy of...

Music is the
expression of
the movement of
the waters, the
play of curves
described by
changing
breezes. - Claude Debussy

INTRODUCTION
This year in France the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie celebrated Claude Debussy’s
150th birthday with an exhibition called Debussy, Music and the Arts, which was a remarkable success.
The English-speaking world is one of the most receptive audiences to French music and to Debussy’s
in particular, who continues to inspire modern day composers. An example demonstrating this being
the recent opera, Written on Skin by George Benjamin presented at the Festival d’art lyrique in Aix-en-
Provence 2012, which draws inspiration from the 1902 Pelléas et Mélisande.
Through a series of events which will take place at the Alliance Française Wellington, the New
Zealand School of Music, Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand and Te Manawa Art Gallery
in Palmerston North, we will focus on the musical legacy of Debussy in contemporary music and his
influence on composers such as Messiaen and Boulez.
The value of having the participation of a specialist in comparative studies will help us understand this
great artist. With his global approach to aestheticism and interest in how art can be transferable from
one form to another, our guest speaker Éric Lecler will demonstrate the revolutionary aspect of
Debussy’s creations. Paintings will be shown during the conference, not only to remind the audience of
Debussy's acquaintances with painters, but to answer these fascinating questions: What do music,
painting and poetry have in common? What is an image in music? In search of a response using the
very music of Debussy, extracts will be broadcast and discussed. We will close the conference with a
concert entirely dedicated to Debussy.
We would like to thank all our partners including the Embassy of France in New Zealand, the New
Zealand School of Music, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and the Te Manawa Art
Gallery for their support. We would like to particularly acknowledge the New Zealand France
Friendship Fund, without whom this project would not have been possible.
Nathalie Buckrell
Director, Alliance Française Wellington

GUEST SPEAKER:
ERIC LECLER
Éric Lecler is currently working at Aix-Marseille University as a Senior Lecturer (Maître de
conférences) in French Literature; comparative literature specialised in literature and music. He has been
teaching at the Aix-Marseille University for seven years, where he started a course called ‘Initiation to
Opera’ in partnership with the Festival d’Art Lyrique d’Aix-en-Provence and its director, Bernard
Foccroulle, that gives French students the rare opportunity to attend final rehearsals in addition to an
academic course on the history of opera. Éric also organises symposiums and summer universities on
literature and music gathering together students and professors for one week in Aix during the opera
festival. He has given many public conferences and organised a recital and lecture for the Festival d’Art
Lyrique d’Aix-en-Provence and the French company La Poste.
Éric Lecler has published many articles about literature and music, in particular about Debussy, Wagner
and Schönberg. The core of his first book, L’Opéra Symboliste (2007) is an analysis of Debussy and the
symbolist writers and artists of his time. In the more recent L’Opéra Expressioniste (2010), he focussed
on the influence of Debussy on Expressionist composers such as Berg. He also wrote fourteen articles in
the recently published French encyclopaedia dedicated to Wagner, Dictionnaire Encyclopédique
Wagner (2010).
Debussy
Wagner

INTERPRETING
DEBUSSY
MASTERCLASS
Friday 17 August 2012, 3:00pm
Masterclass by Eric Lecler
New Zealand School of Music, Room 209
How should Debussy be played and sung? His music has often been labelled ‘impressionist’ which
meant imprecise and sentimental. First of all, the musician should read the composer’s writings
(Monsieur Croche) and deepen their knowledge of Debussy’s aesthetics.
Students will consequently try to resolve two types of difficulties in this interactive workshop:
� the rhythm of Debussy’s piano music, comparing different recordings and reading the scores
� the difficult problem of singing a French mélodie or opera which is not merely phonetic but also
rhythmic and requires analysis of French prosody.

DEBUSSY:
MUSIC & THE ARTS
Sunday 19 August 2012, 3:00pm
The Marae, Te Papa (Level 4)
Free Admission
The Alliance Française Wellington invites you to an afternoon of music and arts to celebrate the 150 th
anniversary of Claude Debussy’s birth.
Debussy was one of the most prominent composers working within the field of impressionist music,
who was inspired by the fields of contemporary poetry and visual arts. Very early in his career he took
an interest in the most innovative artists; those who were most on the fringe of the academicism of the
time.
The afternoon will start with a conference by Éric Lecler which will explain the relationships formed by
Debussy with the musicians, artists and poets of his time, in particular through the works of writers and
artists he admired such as Maurice Denis, Degas, Renoir, and Gauguin. Mr Lecler will also unveil some
musical extracts of Debussy’s most secret compositions.
A 30 minute concert will follow this conference with pianist Kris Zuelicke and flutist Ingrid Culliford,
playing some of Debussy’s works including Clair de Lune from Suite Bergamasque, No. 3.
Please note that this will be a repeat of the event held at the Te Manawa Art Gallery in Palmerston
North on Saturday 18 August at 6:30pm.
Ingrid Culliford: Flute
Ingrid Culliford spent many years living and working
in London as a free-lance flautist and teacher. During
her time there she performed with many orchestras
such as the London Sinfonietta, Royal Philharmonic
and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. She
also recorded frequently for BBC Radio 3 and was
professor of flute at Trinity College.
Since returning to NZ in 1994, Ms Culliford has
given many solo and concerto performances and is a
recording artist for Concert FM. She was tutor in
flute at Waikato University and taught at the New
Zealand School of Music.
Kris Zuelicke: Piano
Since moving to New Zealand in 2003, Kris Zuelicke
has been a private teacher of piano, cello, theory and
voice in Palmerston North and, since 2011, also in
Wellington.
In addition to teaching private students, she tutors
piano at Queen Margaret College.
A native of the US, she holds undergraduate degrees
in music and linguistics from Miami University and a
Master’s Degree in Music Theory from Indiana
University where she was an Associate Instructor and
member of the Contemporary Vocal Ensemble.

[Music] is a free
art gushing forth,
an open-air art
boundless as the
elements, the
wind, the sky, the
sea. It must never
be shut in and
become an
- Claude Debussy

NEW ZEALAND
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
DEBUSSY CONCERT
Wednesday 22 August, 7:30pm
Wellington Town Hall
Tickets from Ticketek
Come and celebrate Debussy’s 150th birthday with the New Zealand School of Music Orchestra!
‘La Belle Epoque’ and the birth of 20th century composition and symphonic form are celebrated in this
concert on 22 August – Debussy’s 150th birthday.
Through our good friends at Te Kōkī, New Zealand School of Music, the Alliance Française Wellington
is able to offer a very special deal for a very special concert. The NZSM Orchestra concert on Debussy’s
150th birthday, 22 August, features two of the great composer’s works: the ever popular Prélude à
l’après-midi d’un faune and his Fantaisie for Piano and Orchestra with NZSM Piano Lecturer Jian Liu
as soloist. The second half will be a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. Adult ticket prices are
priced at $39 and $29, available from Ticketek. Alliance Française members and friends can receive a
special discounted price of $20 or $15. Simply purchase your tickets from the Ticketek box office at the
Michael Fowler Centre or St James Theatre stating that you are “friends of the Alliance Française” to
receive the reduced rate. This promises to be a magical evening of beautiful music – not to be missed!

INTERPRETING
A PAINTING
WORKSHOP
How do you describe a painting and learn how to interpret its meaning? There are often hidden
meanings and symbols behind each work of art. Learn how paintings “speak” whilst using the ancient
Greek technique of ekphrasis (the graphic description of a visual work of art).
During this workshop students will be require to work individually or in groups to confront their views
in order to understand the story behind each enigmatic artwork.
The workshop will focus on 19th and 20th century artists such as Manet and Picasso.
To book your places for this special interactive workshop, please email alliance@french.co.nz or phone
(04) 472 12 72.
Numbers are limited.
Saturday 25 August, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Alliance Française Wellington
Level 3, 78 Victoria Street

For more information see:
www.french.co.nz