For four days between March 7 and March 10, the Philharmonie de Paris staged a series of events to celebrate the work of women poets. I was delighted to attend the opening evening, entitled Un Chant de la Terre (A Song of the Earth), centered on a writer completely unknown to me, the Limousin poet Marcelle Delpastre (1925-1988), who wrote in both French and in Occitan (an ancient, endangered language still spoken today in six major dialects in the south of France and the north of Spain and Italy).
Any thoughts that the event would comprise only solemn readings of Delpastre’s poetry were blown out of the water by a joyous and movingly diverse evening of music, poetry and dance devoted to a central theme in the writing of Delpastre, a lifelong farmer whose agricultural roots remained an essential part of her identity: Nature.
Comprising an extraordinary amalgamation of classical music, regional songs, modern reworkings of older music and recorded extracts of Delpastre discussing her writing and love of the land, the evening was devised by mezzo-soprano Romie Estèves, who directs the group of musicians La Marginaire, alongside Les Chaudrons (devoted to regional music) and its founder, the singer and percussionist André Minvielle. The musicians, many of whom are clearly classically trained instrumentalists, sang as well as played their chosen instruments. A group of some 30 amateur singers (directed by Mathieu Ben Hassen) from the Paris region, who populated the lower parts of the stage and the auditorium from the beginning of the evening, played a vital part in the celebrations, not only singing but also dancing.
As the title of the event indicates, Mahler’s “Song of the Earth” (“Das Lied von der Erde”), a huge orchestral work for alto (or mezzo-soprano) and tenor solo voices inspired by Chinese poetry, played an important role in the evening’s music. Substantial excerpts from the work, especially the heartbreaking final movement for alto, “Der Abschied” (“The Farewell”), were performed in wonderfully effective and sensitive arrangements for the much smaller instrumental forces, conducted by the dynamic Léo Margue, with arrangements by Florent Hubert and Christophe Monniot. Estèves sang the solo part, proving herself more than capable of tackling the huge technical vocal demands placed upon the singer, especially in the exquisite final bars (“Ewig … ewig” – forever, forever).
The way Delpastre’s poetry was interspersed with the Mahler (which included a beautifully sung extract by the chorus from his 2nd Symphony, and music sung by Estèves from his orchestral song cycle “Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen”) proved to be strangely affecting.
André Minvielle’s exuberant performance of his music (along with his daughter, Juliette Minvielle, who also recited much of the poetry, and sang and played the keyboard) should not be forgotten either. Not only did he play the cowbells in some of Mahler’s music but he even gave a glorious scat-singing rendition of Ravel’s Bolero!
https://studio.youtube.com/video/PGs2cC9FKtw/edit
The evening ended with the audience being invited to join in with the dancing, an invitation that was joyfully accepted by a large proportion of those present. I understand that different versions of this event will be restaged in other regions of France over the coming months. Do not hesitate to go if it comes near you (and don’t forget to bring your dancing shoes).
Note: Un Chant de la Terre will be staged at the Scène Nationale du Sud-Aquitain on March 15, 2026; Clermont Auvergne Opéra in June 2026; Festival Haut Limousin, Villefavard, in July 2027; and Hestajada de las Arts, Uzeste, in August 2026. Click here for more information.
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