Menton Music Festival

A wonder of a festival

“The sense of peaceful and serene joy, that’s the miracle of the Saint-Michel forecourt and Festival. It’s one of the seven wonders of the world,” the quote by the festival founder André Böröcz comes from Sviatoslav Richter, one of the 20th century’s greatest pianists. It beautifully captures the essence of the Menton Music Festival that has hosted the most talented musicians since 1949 and rekindled its original emotion year on year.

The miracle

of the Saint-Michel forecourt.

André Böröcz, a Hungarian artist who settled in Paris after the war, stopped in Menton in August 1949. Whilst wandering around the old town, he was dumbstruck by the Saint-Michel Basilica forecourt and the unobstructed views of the Mediterranean. The notes from the second violin partita by Bach performed by Jasha Heifetz on the radio floated to him as emotion welled up in him. Time stood still. André Böröcz made a wish: to relive this magical moment and share it with others. And lo, the Menton Music Festival was born.

But who was

André Böröcz?

After studying classical literature before studying at the Budapest conservatory, André Böröcz resisted the Nazis in the Second World War: this meant he was sentenced to death. He was spared when the war ended. He became a radio correspondent for Hungary in 1946. His refusal to join communist Hungary made him stateless two years later. So he worked for French radio and recorded great Hungarian musicians such as the cellist Janos Starker and pianist Solchany.

He joined the head of Pacific records on a trip to the Côte d’Azur in August 1949. This is when he first visited Menton and he would never leave it.

He spent fifty years putting his tireless passion into managing the festival and befriending the biggest musicians in the world with whom he shared his love for the sea, boats and music.

Backstage secrets

André Böröcz came up with the idea for a Ray Charles concert with the piano on the Franco-Italian border in 1979. Unfortunately the Italians didn’t authorise it. Never mind! André Böröcz moved the border a hundred metres: the concert was held in France!

Cocteau and the Festival,

a love affair

Jean Cocteau fell head over heels for Menton on August 4th 1955 at a Music Festival concert. He wrote of the evening in his diary: “You couldn’t imagine anything stranger. You arrive on softly sloping stairs into a huge well of light, shadow, elaborate walls and sparse walls, Italian in style. The cathedral, its spire seen from below, its steep steps to other religious buildings and a giant archway bridging houses with pale green shutters home to working class families whose windows become theatre stalls.” That night, Cocteau met his future friend, Menton mayor Francis Palermo. He commissioned Cocteau to design the Menton Music Festival poster in 1956.

The magic

of the Saint-Michel forecourt.

Close your eyes and picture an outdoor concert in a setting with naturally perfect acoustics; picture the stage at the bottom of the torchlit baroque Saint-Michel basilica, picture the sea glittering with gold in the distance beneath the stars; picture the world’s most talented classical artists swept up in the magical setting.
Now open your eyes, this is the Menton Music Festival…

Paul Emmanuel Thomas

Festival Artistic Director

Paul-Emmanuel Thomas is a French conductor with many strings to his bow. He was made the Menton Music Festival’s artistic director in 2012, the Turin Orchestra Classica Italiana musical director in 2010 and the 1st guest conductor for the Orchestra Filarmonica del Piemonte. His encounter with Georges Prêtre marked a turning point in his artistic journey and his love for French symphony music and Italian opera.

A top

event

The biggest names on the music scene have been setting the stage alight on the Saint-Michel basilica forecourt in “Les grands interprètes” concerts for just over 70 years.

Orchestra performances, chamber music concerts, recitals, the schedule puts the spotlight on classical music but with supporting roles for jazz and opera. Let’s applaud the festival’s incredible creativity which really pushed the boundaries in 2020. Live streamed concerts, Wi-Fi headsets and online performances: lockdown unlocked innovation.

Festival

side shows

There are concerts on Saint-Michel’s forecourt and performances in new venues. They set the scene for up-and-coming talents. The free concerts bring the festival magic to Menton’s legendary landmarks: Esplanade Francis Palermo, Square des Etats-Unis, Palais de l’Europe and Esplanade des Sablettes.