NMCH and the classical saxophone project invite you to a new artistic experience on Fluctuart.
Sunday, June 15 at 4 p.m.
Book now here
"Maestro Schmitt happened to be walking past Espace Ochoa, my studio as a composer. He heard the sound of the piano and, curious, came to meet me. It says a lot about a man who, despite having an impressive career in New York, takes the risk of mounting an ambitious project with an emerging and somewhat out-of-the-box pianist-composer." NMCH
World premiere of NMCH's piano saxophone duo and inauguration of "Feyruz
With this rare concert of piano and saxophone, NMCH and Javier Oviedo invite us to discover this instrumental duo in musical styles where it is rarely heard: classical and contemporary music.
This concert is the inauguration of NMCH's Feyruz, the composer asserts her personality and boldness in this complex, sensitive and committed piece. The piece is inspired by Naguib Hankeshy's composition أعطني -فيروز وغني النايي) Aatini al naya wa ghanni, give me the flute and sing) a piece sung by Feyruz and taken from a poem by Gibran Khalil Gibran.
Program
Overture by Javier Oviedo (solo saxophone)
Bizet's Carmen piano and saxophone arrangement by François Borne
Vocalise by Hélène Rasquier
Ergo Tantum by NMCH
Feyruz by NMCH (first public performance)
Biography
NMCH (stage name of Noémie Ochoa) decided to become a pianist at the age of ten when she heard Ludwig Van Beethoven's L'Appassionata. Totally dedicated to music, she studied with immense musicians and researchers. In the course of her life, she received unprecedented instruction from Harold Meuli, Cyprien Katsaris, Ivan Ilić, Irakly Avaliani, one of the last remaining repositories of the Marie Jaëll teaching. She studies harmony with Jean-Louis Fabre and the anthropology of music with Denis Laborde.
Marie Jaëll Le toucher pianistique, published by Éditions Gabriel Foucou (2023).
In 2023, she opened Espace Ochoa, her composer's studio, which she transformed into a micro-concert hall and artists' hangout. Every Thursday, she plays her performance Classic is not dead. After editing several sonatas by Beethoven, to whom she thought she'd dedicate her career, a commission to compose for a documentary film led her to discover this vocation. Since then, she has devoted much of her time to composition. Main works: La voix (documentary); infarctus (for a dancer-choreographer); La Traque and Ergo Tantum. "Feyruz" is her latest piece, composed for piano and saxophone following a commission from the Classical saxophone project.
Classical Saxophone Project
The Classical Saxophone Project was founded in 2007 by classical saxophonist Javier Oviedo and conductor Jean-Pierre Schmitt. Their aim is to raise awareness of the classical saxophone repertoire, which is often perceived as a jazz instrument. In reality, a rich and varied repertoire has been written for the saxophone since the mid-nineteenth century, but is largely unknown to the general public. Although the saxophone originated in France (patented in Paris in 1846), it was the American Elise Hall who commissioned many of the first major works composed for the instrument.
As a non-profit organization, the CSP works tirelessly to bring "classic" saxophone styles to new audiences. It has even expanded the repertoire by commissioning new pieces. In 2008, the artists released The Classical Saxophone: A French Love Story with the Orchestre Pasdeloup in Paris on the MSR Classics label, provoking a veritable craze among music lovers and winning international acclaim. The educational dimension of the project is essential for both artists.
To promote this superb collection of musical gems, Oviedo and Schmitt have traveled the world, including France, Spain and Moldavia, as well as Central Russia, where they have performed to great acclaim. Javier Oviedo's interpretation of this original music enchants and amazes the audience. The press hailed the warmth and richness of Javier's captivating sound as a "revelation"!
https://classicalsaxproject.org/
Javier Oviedo
Classical Saxophonist
"Javier Oviedo gave Oryol, without exaggeration, a triumphant concert. Many of us heard for the first time in our lives, not in jazz but in symphonic form, just how limitless the possibilities of the saxophone are in the hands of a great master." - Oryol Press
Javier Oviedo is a renowned classical saxophonist, known for his brilliant tone, passionate musicianship and formidable technique. A native of Texas, he has been performing and recording for over 30 years. He has become one of the leading advocates of the saxophone as a classical instrument, performing worldwide with orchestras such as Orchestre Pasdeloup, Orchestre Lamoureux, Prague Philharmonic and Beirut Chamber Orchestra.
His acclaimed debut album, The Classical Saxophone: A French Love Story, features original works for saxophone and orchestra. He has also released And So It Begins... and Lazy Afternoon, featuring compositions written especially for him. Between 2019 and 2022, he recorded numerous albums with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.