Un Américain à Paris

Clemens Schuldt invites us to come in jeans to this concert without musical borders, where classical music opens itself to other styles and speaks to everyone! As a prelude, Brahms rises above the academic purpose of his Overture, Op. 80, written for the anniversary of the University of Heidelberg, drawing us into a Romantic world where exuberance and lyricism intertwine. German virtuoso cellist Julian Steckel then shifts the mood entirely with the electrifying Concerto by Friedrich Gulda — a true “rock concerto,” composed in the 1970s at the request of Rostropovich.

Popular and jazz influences come together in the timeless An American in Paris by Gershwin, whose film adaptation earned Gene Kelly an Oscar. The concert continues with two gems of contemporary Mexican music: Kauyumari by Gabriela Ortiz — named after a Huichol ritual evoking the legendary blue deer — where Mexican trumpets and obsessive Indigenous rhythms converge in a powerful evocation of spiritual energies. It is answered by the irresistible Danzón No. 2 by Márquez, a romantic and elegant ballroom dance suddenly interrupted by a surge of rhythmic intensity, an alternation that perfectly captures the spirit of this atypical concert and its intoxicating program.