Concert + walking...

Last Sunday afternoon I went to a concert. I listened to music by Mendelssohn, Grieg and a Gottschalk by a young very talented Japanese piano player, Kanae Endo. To listen to music by Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869), an American composer (and pianist), was for me a new – very nice – experience. If you are interested you may as an example listen to “Banjo”, inspired by his birth town, New Orleans, almost with some ragtime rhythm. (See the sidebar.) Unfortunately, I cannot offer Kanae Endo’s version, but I can assure you that it was at least as good! “Bravos” and “bis”!

The concert took place at “Fondation Dosne-Thiers” at Place Saint Georges. I already posted about this building, which used to be the private home of one of the French Presidents, Adolphe Thiers (in office 1871-75).* It’s now owned by “the Institute” (the home of the French academies) and serves as a library... and e.g. for concerts. Behind the building, what used to be the garden is now a nice little park.

To go there, I could have used the metro, but it’s fairly close to where I live, so of course I walked, back and forth. It was a bit chilly, but nice! As you can see from the map we are quite close to Montmartre, but Place Saint George is rather in what is called the “Nouvelle Athènes” area on which I have made a number of posts. Where I live is called “Batignolles” on which I have also written quite – too? – often. The major central place you pass on the way is Place de Clichy (see top picture). There is a lot to say about this Place, but I will revert on this another day. (So, now you know how to find the way to where I live.)

I took some photos on the way to show you the atmosphere of the area. Let’s say that it’s on the way back home. In the beginning, you find a mixture of what is more or less the Pigalle atmosphere (bars, cabarets, theatres...), mixed with more elegant housing and some nice squares, like Square Berlioz.
Reaching the Place de Clichy area, you will find what is one of the biggest cinemas in Paris, some nice eating places, a small theatre... From the place leads the Avenue de Clichy with, close to the Place, another cinema and just behind, what used to be a café where somehow the impressionist movement was born (now a shoe shop) (see previous post). On the way from Place Clichy, you find L’Européen, a music theatre where perhaps mostly a bit less known artists generally perform, but it’s also frequently used by well established artists for some kind of pre-shows. The walls are decorated by the famous graffiti artist Jef Aérosol. Further down the same street, there are some graffiti covering the entire walls (artist?). (See previous posts -1,2- about graffiti.)
All the way, you will find a number of restaurants, shops... often with a 19th century atmosphere, which actually the whole district inspires!
If I had walked the same way during the 19th century I could possibly have met a number of (still) famous artists, but I have already talked about this in my previous posts (George Sand, Chopin, Liszt, Rossini, A. Dumas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir, G.Moreau, A.Scheffer, Monet, Manet, Zola...and I forget). Maybe with only this additional remark: Delacroix lived and worked in this building (Rue Notre Dame de Lorette) between 1844 and 1857.

*/ The house was actually rebuilt in 1873, destroyed in 1871 by the communards, for good reasons upset about Thiers.
Time to wish you a nice weekend!