Mikrokosmos choir magnifies Lydie Arickx
Lydie Arickx’s exhibition at the Château de Chambord is in itself a fusion of the arts: Lydie Arickx’s painting and sculpture inhabiting the Renaissance architecture of the château.
But it was possible to do even more!
This is what we discovered thanks to the Mikrokosmos Choir, which gave us an exceptional visit on Saturday 25 September 2021 !
Mikrokosmos Choir : beyond the ritual of a concert
The Mikrokosmos Choir was created in 1989 by Loïc Pierre, who still directs it today with a passion and communicative energy. Forty very talented choristers aged between twenty and thirty make up the choir. The repertoire is entirely focused on contemporary choral music, both French and foreign.
Loïc Pierre explains that he draws his influences from many artistic fields, particularly the theatre.
And theatre as a project ...
Loïc Pierre’s dream would be “to take the 40 singers of the Choir to Ariane Mnouchkine’s Cartoucherie”. And it is indeed a choral theatre troupe that takes us into Lydie Arickx’s exhibition while joyfully dynamiting the immutable rituals of the concert !
This troupe has superb costumes and in each room we are treated to a different ‘act’! The sets are made up of works by Lydie Arickx, a bit like Picasso did for the ballet Parade in 1917.
Movement, joyful energy, depth of expression in the image of Lydie Arickx
Between two acts, the continuity of the drama is ensured by small percussion or string instruments that everyone holds in their hand. The effect is striking and no one dares to applaud and thus break the thread of this magical performance.
At the beginning, the spectators surround the Choir in a ‘classical’ way, but suddenly the artists make an unexpected reversal and it is the Choir that now surrounds us! We are all intimidated to find ourselves in the centre of the show, in close proximity to the choristers and the works of Lydie Arickx.
La performance artistique de Lydie Arickx
After the first floor of the castle, the Mikrokosmos Choir leads us to the Chambord Chapel. This chapel is completely imbued with the works of Lydie Arickx, with great respect for the place.
Visual and vocal art merge in harmony
In the centre of the chapel is a cylindrical structure surrounded by transparent veils. As if inhabited by the tremendous energy of the choir, Lydie Arickx puts on her blouse and enters the cylinder. Using brushes with very long handles, as Matisse did, she begins to paint. In front of the amazed spectators, forms are born.
The songs, the costumes, the stage design, the acting and the painting of Lydie Arickx soon merge. And gradually, the whole chapel resounds with an incredible burst of creativity !
Each spectator knows that they are experiencing a unique moment.
Read more : Lydie Arickx in her workshop
Read more : Lydie Arickx exhibits at Chambord castle
The editorial team
Pleasure and emotion of artistic discoveries
