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The Percussions de Strasbourg: a new lease of life for the pioneers
Minh Tam Nguyen, a soloist with the Percussions de Strasbourg since 2013, took over, just two years ago, the leadership of the ensemble founded by Jean Batigne in 1962. Meeting.
What is your attachment to Strasbourg?
Essential. We are based in the Hautepierre district of Strasbourg. It's a great neighbourhood, very popular with 35 different nationalities. We have initiated percussion workshops, the "Percustra", which are free. Each year, 15 workshops are held for secondary and primary school classes and two others are open to everyone. For the past three years, our students have been performing at Musica in September. It's amazing to see how these workshops have made our audience younger. We continue, more than ever, to bring today's music to life.
We must not be satisfied with just creating new works, we must make these works part of the repertoire by performing them again. With a catalogue of 350 pieces, a good part of the music we've been defending for 60 years is now well established in the repertoire, and that's an immense satisfaction. I also want to continue to put the emphasis on transmission, especially now that I am no longer teaching at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon. We are in the process of signing an agreement with the Haute école des arts du Rhin. We often welcome percussion and composition students. This allows us to meet young composers, to see how they work. I present the project in Daniel d'Adamo's class. We propose to these students to come and participate in our "Percustra" workshops. These are collective composition sessions: it is often a new way of composing for them, they have to adapt to people who are amateurs, who do not know how to play.
How are the Percussions de Strasbourg doing?
The Covid-19 crisis has put a brutal stop to our projects, as it has for all ensembles, but Les Percussions are doing well. We put on one big production a year and we have several recording projects. Last season, we recorded Ghostland by Pierre Jodlowski.
A record - and a vinyl - have made it possible to engrave this beautiful production. This effervescence is salutary, especially when I think back to my arrival at the Percussions seven years ago: at that time, we only had ten dates a year and people were asking us when we were going to close. Today, excluding the health crisis, we give between 45 and 55 concerts a year.
What is the secret of this rebirth?
Historically, the ensemble is composed of six percussionists. But in order to be able to sell more concerts, we decided to tour with two, three, five... We modified our commissioning policy accordingly... Another reason for this surge is also the rejuvenation of the ensemble. We've had a lot of very motivated young recruits. We've also caught up with the electronic music scene and we've worked on our stage presence. The musician should no longer be hidden behind his instrument. Working with actors and dancers is starting to become part of conservatories' habits: it was about time! And then, to exist, an ensemble must take risks. But in order to show artistic daring, it must be financially supported.
What are your links with the Strasbourg ensembles specialising in contemporary music?
We see each other. The spirit is more one of emulation than competition, even if public money is scarce. We always try to see how we can work together to imagine a collective season, to work together without stepping on each other.
For example, in the concerts we give in Hautepierre, we invited the ensemble " Voix de Stras '" directed by Catherine Bolzinger; in March, we were to do a concert with the ensemble Hanatsu Miroir for their tenth anniversary. It's a matter of meetings. There are ensembles that I don't know very well, that I come across, with whom we have never worked. But I'd like to open up more aesthetic fields: we've played with Les chapeaux noirs, a jazz ensemble from the region. I would like to work with a rapper, a DJ, and not necessarily contemporary creation...
Listen to Timelessness - Thierry de Mey on Arte Concert : https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/101276-002-A/les-percussions-de-strasbourg-timelessness/
Interview by Suzanne Gervais.
