Since 2013, Le Balcon and the Athénée Théâtre Louis-Jouvet have been united by the shared momentum of a loving partnership. More than just a venue, the Athénée is the place where Le Balcon has grown, both artistically and personally. Enjoying complete freedom thanks to the trust placed in us by Patrice Martinet, we have been able, through increasingly ambitious projects, to sharpen our vision, experiment with sound, and surprise – or even occasionally terrify – our audience.Following these fruitful collaborations, the festival format emerged naturally. We began with the idea of screening recordings of concerts previously performed at the Athénée. Pierre Henry’s 'Dracula ou la musique troue le ciel' and Levinas’s 'La Métamorphose' were filmed by David Daurier and Nieto respectively. We then put together a programme centred on composers who are particularly dear to us, such as Gérard Grisey, Jonathan Harvey, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Marco Suarez-Cifuentes, the latter currently in residence at Le Balcon. We have added a few school concerts to the programme, to allow children to discover the diabolical, humorous and partly improvised music of 'Samstag aus Licht', Stockhausen’s opera dedicated to Lucifer. Finally, the festival will conclude with a gala, prepared with students from the 18th arrondissement conservatoire and musicians who have previously performed at Le Balcon, in a grand celebration marking the company’s tenth anniversary.The highlight of this festival is Wolfgang Rihm’s opera 'Jakob Lenz', featuring Vincent Vantyghem in the title role and Damien Pass and Michael Smallwood as Oberlin and Kaufmann. Based on a short story by Büchner, Jakob Lenz has fascinated us for many years, both for its portrayal of schizophrenia and for the intensity it demands of the performers. The production is directed by Nieto, who employs a video installation that spans the entire theatre space. Fifteen days and no fewer than twelve events; that’s the packed programme for this first edition of the festival.
