Pauline Viardot

Through concerts, educational projects, and musical interventions, we share the conviction that music is a precious bond, especially for patients, bringing listening, comfort, and moments of beauty to the heart of the care journey.

A musical show centered on the personality of Pauline Viardot, a major singer and composer of the nineteenth century, through her roles, her compositions, and her correspondence.

Born in 1821 into an illustrious family of musicians, Pauline Viardot established herself as one of the great figures of European musical and artistic life in the nineteenth century. An internationally renowned mezzo-soprano, pianist, and composer, she led an exceptional career on the greatest stages of Europe.

Close to Frédéric Chopin, Hector Berlioz, Charles Gounod, Camille Saint-Saëns, and George Sand, she made her Parisian salon a favored venue for meetings, creation, and transmission, where musicians, writers, and artists of her time crossed paths.

Yet Pauline Viardot was not merely an interpreter: she also composed numerous works, notably art songs, piano pieces, and operatic works, testifying to remarkable talent and sensitivity.

Her relationship with literature, visible in her correspondence and artistic choices, reveals a free and committed personality, at the crossroads of music, poetry, and thought. Through her roles, compositions, and writings, this show invites you to rediscover an exceptional artist whose work continues to inspire and resonate today.

Musical direction: Yves Coudray

Piano accompaniment: Léonid Karev