Nick Hammond
Proust, le Concert Retrouvé
A Musical Evening with Marcel Proust
The writer Marcel Proust put on a private concert at the Paris Ritz on July 1, 1907 for a select group of friends and leading lights of Parisian high society. The evening appears to have been not only a musical … Read More
Ferdinand Brunot
Is That a South Parisian Drawl I Hear?
Listening to early recordings of voices or sounds from the past is always intriguing, as it gives us an auditory glimpse into moments of history. However, sometimes the sounds captured on the earliest recording devices can feel strangely alienating or … Read More
Orchestre National de France
Pre-Atonal Music from Webern & Berg
Many regular concert-goers will have been suffering from the lack of live music-making in Paris and throughout the world during the pandemic. On the classical music scene, while opera lovers have been able to enjoy various streamed events, new orchestral … Read More
Hilary Hahn: Paris
Paris Revisited in Music
The moment music label Deutsche Grammophon announced a new album by violinist Hilary Hahn entitled Paris, I leapt at the chance to bring it to the attention of Paris Update’s readers. Don’t expect to hear a medley of string arrangements … Read More
Paris Regained
Rediscovering the Art of the Flâneur
At a time when so many of the usual pleasures Paris offers – cafés, bars, restaurants, theaters, cinemas, museums – have been denied us, I have rediscovered a quintessentially Parisian pastime: flâner. Meaning to stroll or to wander without any … Read More
Jean-Pierre Bacri
An Appreciation
The very sad news that Jean-Pierre Bacri died earlier this week at the age of 69 has resulted in a flood of tributes in France for this much-loved actor and screenwriter. Some have looked at the wide range of movies … Read More
Le Dernier Enfant
Lurching Toward Melodrama
Philippe Besson’s new novel, Le Dernier Enfant, his 20th, bears many of the hallmarks of his most successful previous works. A few examples: His prose is concise and focuses on the inner thoughts of a few central characters. He chooses … Read More
Les Fleurs du Mal
The Depths of the Unknown
To mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Baudelaire on April 9, we are rerunning Nick Hammond’s piece on him from last December. You may choose to read this analysis of Les Fleurs du Mal here or listen to … Read More
Saint-Saëns: Sonates & Trio
Quintessentially French Chamber Music
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) is a quintessentially Parisian composer. Born in the city, he went on to study at the Paris Conservatory before eventually becoming the organist at the glorious La Madeleine Church. Despite being a keen traveler, he lived in … Read More
Marcel Proust
Proustmania
Note to readers: You may choose to read this commentary on the work of Proust here or listen to it on the audio file at the end of the article. Ever since I started these lockdown literary excursions last March, … Read More