Catherine Lebrun
Join us for an EXTRAordinary evening!
We are delighted to invite you to a unique concert-lecture featuring the multifaceted artist Helios Azoulay. An accomplished novelist, poet, essayist, composer, and clarinetist, Helios Azoulay weaves a captivating tapestry of art that transcends traditional boundaries.
Prepare to be amazed—will he play the clarinet or his invented instrument, the “Suprême Clairon”? Will he take us on a journey into the concentration camps with irony as Roberto Begnini, or share the absurdity in music, the focal point of his latest book? Perhaps he’ll be inspired by the magnificent photographs of Christophe Jacrot, which he admires? You won’t want to miss the chance to discover this unique experience! To guide us through this beautiful orchestration, his friend Laurent Berliner will take the baton.
As a composer, Helios explores a rich variety of styles, from orchestral and chamber music to jazz and song, having composed over a hundred string quartets. He is also the inventor of a wind instrument, the “Suprême Clairon,” and performed the score for the acclaimed film *Chienne d’Histoire* by Serge Avédikian, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2010.
Event Details:
– Date: 1/2/2025
– Time: 7pm
– In the Gallery
– Price includes a drink (wine or soft)
– Language: French
About Helios Azoulay:
Hélios Azoulay has made his mark both in the literary and musical worlds. His concert performances have resonated across France and abroad, while his literary voice, characterized by its rare and touching singularity, has garnered significant acclaim.
Among his literary works, he explores profound themes in titles such as *L’enfer aussi a son orchestre*, which focuses on music composed in concentration camps; he serves as a leading interpreter with the **Ensemble de Musique Incidentale**. In *Pour Tommy* (Le Rocher), he presents a children’s book illustrated in the ghetto of Terezín by Bedřich Fritta. His novels, including *Moi aussi j’ai vécu* (Flammarion) and *Juste avant d’éteindre* (Le Rocher), have both been adapted for the stage. His latest novel, *Les reflets du hasard* (Le Rocher), was released in August 2024 and will be featured during the event.
Azoulay has taught History of Music and History of Art at the University of Evry-Val d’Essonne, and composition at the EICAR (International School of Audiovisual Creation and Production). He currently teaches at Sciences Po Paris and has served as the artistic director of the “Printemps de Rouen.” He is also the founder of the festivals “Tout est Musique” (Ardèche) and “Pom’Pom’Pom’Poooom” (Normandy).
In addition to his performances and teaching, Azoulay has penned several essays on art, music, and history including *Scandales! Scandales! Scandales!* (JC Lattès) and *Tout est Musique* (Vuibert), alongside his three novels. His poems, articles, and short stories have appeared in numerous literary journals.
On stage, he was notably featured in the theatrical adaptation of *Moi aussi j’ai vécu*, directed by Steve Suissa, which premiered at the Théâtre du Rond-Point in 2022.
A cultural commentator, Azoulay has made appearances on platforms like Radio-Canada and is frequently invited on France Musique, France Inter, France Culture, and various television networks, including TF1 and BFM.
About his latest Book “Les reflets du Hasard”
It’s the story of a lonely man. It’s brutally simple. He wins 88 million euros one Tuesday night at 8:50 PM because he picked the right numbers. But in the end, he doesn’t want it; he doesn’t go to claim his check. And for the rest of the world, it makes no sense. For the rest of the world, it’s unforgivable. The more he explains himself, the more guilty he becomes. And it becomes crazy; it ends up in madness. But there, he sees a woman. And it’s brutally beautiful.
Under the pen of Helios Azoulay, which is sometimes fierce, burlesque, or poetic, absurdity takes form, and the boundary between madness and reason explodes. Through incessant dances between the present and childhood, dreams and terrifying reality, this novel takes us into the inner labyrinth of a life that is tipping over. Let yourself be taken away!
A few words from the Press:
_”A fabulous concert”_ – OUEST FRANCE
_”The style of his music is indefinable”_ – LA SEMAINE DES SPECTACLES, Odile Thomas
_”The clarinet in a state of levitation, transformed into a wind deity”_ – LE PATRIOTE, Denis Chollet
_”There was Erik Satie, John Cage, Hoffnung. Today, Helios Azoulay does even better”_ – LE FIGARO, Thierry Clermont
_”Human brother of the child Yehudi Menuhin, who believed that if he played Bach’s Chaconne well, all that is vile and base would vanish from the face of the earth, Helios Azoulay is, in the edifice of today’s world, a cornerstone”_ – RESMUSICA, Jean-Luc Clairet
_”The most elusive composer of his generation”_ – TELERAMA, Thierry Voisin
_”Transcending music to seek the truth is Helios Azoulay’s quest”_ – FRANCE 3, François Pesque
_”The one they call the Musician-Archéologist”_ – I24News, Nathalie Nagar
_”A level of musical sobriety and expressiveness leads to the peak of emotion”_ – RTL, Clémentine Portier Kaltenbach
_”A completely unclassifiable musician”_
“We should probably stop saying that Helios Azoulay is unclassifiable: by his consistency in breaking down boundaries between styles and genres, he simply dismantles our mental and cultural barriers” – RESMUSICA, Jean-Christophe Le Toquin
About Laurent Berliner:
Childhood friend and soul brother of the artist and author Helios Azoulay.
Laurent Berliner, a partner at a major consulting firm in Luxembourg, is a businessman deeply passionate about literature, philosophy, painting, and music. Helios Azoulay dedicated one of his novels, Juste avant d’éteindre, to him.
Helios and I, who appreciate him for his values and sensitivity, are delighted that Laurent has kindly agreed to play the Q&A game to guide this memorable evening.
By assisting to our events, you understand that photos will be taken and that some might be published on some media.
Please note that no reimbursement will take place – you are free to propose to a friend to replace you. Thank you for your understanding
