“On March 1, French President Emmanuel Macron’s musical enthusiasm will be on full display, when he takes the stage as the narrator for a production of Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf,” known in France as Pierre et le loup, writes James Bennett II on Tuesday (2/27) at New York classical radio station WQXR. “The concert for children will be held at the President’s official residence, Paris’s Élysée Palace. Macron studied piano for 10 years at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional d’Amiens Métropole, and his participation is in keeping with his professed belief in the importance access to the arts. He has expressed a wish to create a dual cultural initiative, inspired by a similar program in Italy. The first part would offer access to fine arts participation among school-aged children; the second is a ‘culture pass’ that grants young adults credit to go to things like concerts and museums or to spend money on books and music. The government is still working towards this goal—in a speech early February, Prime Minister Édouard Philippe voiced his support of such a program.”
Posted March 1, 2018
