The gala event will take place on Monday, September 16th at the Maison des Polytechniciens, Hôtel de Poulpry, 12 Rue de Poitiers, 75007 Paris. It will be followed by a concert.
When his son was born in 1796, Lazare Carnot named him Sadi, in homage to the Persian poet Saadi, of whom he was a great admirer. A poet in his spare time, Lazare also published, helped by his friend Prieur de la Côte-d'Or, who composed for him.
Both key figures of the French Revolution, they worked closely together within the Comité de salut public. Carnot, nicknamed "l'Organisateur de la Victoire", made a significant contribution to military strategy, while Prieur de la Côte-d'Or, also a member of the Committee, focused on industrial issues and resource mobilization. The two men remained close throughout their lives, even during the exile imposed on them by the return of the monarchy.
Prieur de la Côte d'Or initially composed for a piano-chant ensemble. But the Prieur de la Côte d'Or collection, housed in the archives of the Ecole Polytechnique, has recently revealed the existence of a quartet version of this work. It is this version that will be performed for the first time at the Gala dinner. These compositions, along with works by Anna Maria Gottlieb and Johann Heinrich Carl Bornhardt, complete the tribute.
Contemporary with Sadi Carnot's memoir, Franz Schubert's String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, "The Maiden and Death", was composed a few years before the composer's death, in March 1824.
Taken from the theme and variations of the second movement, the theme itself is borrowed from Schubert's 1817 lied of the same title. Alternately symphonic in scope and intimate in lyricism, this monument to chamber music is divided into four movements: Allegro, Andante con moto, Scherzo (allegro molto), Presto and Presto.
The musicians:
Amélie Alu, vocals
Beata Halska-Lemonnier and Millie Floutier: violins
Noémie Airiau-Gauguier: viola
Marina Nguyen The: cello