There are few more beautiful summer festival locations than Menton. Here, the place is as magical as the music.
Perched above the sea, dominated by the facade and bell tower of a marvelous baroque church, protected by the age-old sword of the statue of Saint Michael, and covered by the starry sky, the event has welcomed the world’s greatest classical artists for over sixty years. Created by André Borocz and directed by Jean-Marie Tomasi, the Menton festival is one of the oldest and most prestigious in Europe.
This year, it will take place from July 21 to August 5 and will feature:
Rafal Blechacz, a prodigious Polish pianist who unanimously won the Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2005 (July 21, with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic),
Elena Bashkirova, an international magician of chamber music, who will perform with the Jerusalem Chamber Music (July 22),
Leo Nucci, one of the most renowned baritones in the world, a former Fiat worker turned one of the great international lyrical artists (July 23),
Vadim Repin, currently the most sought-after classical violinist in the world (July 24 and 27),
Renaud Capuçon, another star violinist (July 27),
the dean of the great international string quartets, the Borodin Quartet – sixty years of existence (July 28),
the great Hungarian pianist and conductor Zoltan Kocsis (July 31, with the Hungarian National Orchestra),
one of Europe’s best orchestras, Sinfonia Varsovia (August 3 and 4),
Maria-Joao Pires, queen of international piano and the Menton festival (August 4).
In addition, a series of concerts will be given daily at 6 PM at the Palais de l’Europe by soloists who are winners of major international competitions, a marathon of concerts scheduled at 11 AM, during which Beethoven’s complete thirty-two piano sonatas will be performed over two weeks, and masterclass days held in the scenic and historical setting of the Serre de la Madone garden.
