Paris News
| 2007-09-11 | Although his "Red Piano Tour 2007" has been cancelled, Sir Elton John will perform as scheduled at the Zénith de Paris. A living legend, Elton John will perform all the evergreen hits that he has released in the course of a career spanning nearly 40 years. Here is a wonderful opportunity to revisit the world of the eccentric Englishman, who has built up a fan following worldwide with a string of pop hits and romantic ballads. |
| Red Piano Tour 2007 | |
| 2007-08-29 | The month of August sees the summer take off with magical cultural happenings and relaxation: the opening of the museum of French monuments in place du Trocadéro, new attractions at Disneyland® Resort Paris, the reopening of the inimitable Keller swimming pool and the Maison des Métallos, and the inauguration of the luxurious apartment hotel La Réserve. |
| Inaugurations | |
| 2007-08-27 | From 24 March to 11 November 2007. Did you know that the Château de Vaux le Vicomte to the east of Paris was a source of inspiration for the Château de Versailles? This superb 17th century property was built for Nicolas Fouquet. Louis XIV’s finance minister, who commissioned three brilliant artists to create it: the architect Louis Le Vau, the painter and interior decorator Charles Le Brun and the landscape gardener André Le Nôtre. The chateau hosted all the great artists and thinkers of the time, from Molière and Corneille to Jean de la Fontaine and Madame de Sévigné. However, all this pomp and splendour incurred the wrath of the King, who had Fouquet clapped into jail and then engaged the creators of this masterpiece to turn the Château de Versailles into the magnificent property it is today. Vaux le Vicomte is opened to the general public every year: you can visit the chateau’s sumptuously furnished rooms, its Musée des Equipages and the first French-style garden designed by André Le Nôtre with its enchanting fountains. This exceptional site also hosts a number of programmes to give visitors an opportunity to relive the splendour of the 17th century. These include “Soirées aux chandelles”, evocative candelit evening tours, a “Journée Grande Siècle à Vaux le Vicomte” for an insight into life in the 17th century, plays and open-air opera performances, not forgetting events for children. These events will make you feel as if you’re a member of the royal court! This year’s programme includes a major new event, the “Grand Fête du 17 août”, which will recreate the magical atmosphere of the banquet Nicolas Fouquet gave in honour of the Sun King on 17 August 1661. |
| CHATEAU DE VAUX LE VICOMTE | |
| 2007-08-24 | This year, as usual, the Ile de France region will be hosting its famous multi-cultural, multi-ethnic music festival. The 2007 edition of the Festival d’Ile de France is expected to be a colourful one, focusing on Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream” speech and exploring great themes such as the hope of peace and brotherhood, lamentation and prophecies, revolt and reconciliation. African-American culture (Negro spirituals, blues and gospel) and its African roots in Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Burkina Faso and the Congo will make up the programme, together with classic American genres such as musicals and minimal music. From Big Jack Johnson’s ‘Mississippi blue’ to the African beats of Youssou N’Dour and Rokia Traoré, there will be plenty of interesting sounds to be heard in about thirty different locations in Ile de France: chateaux, abbeys, old theatres, churches and 19th century factories. The music will be just as varied, ranging from classical to world, not to mention cutting-edge musical trends and jazz, for aficionados and first-time listeners alike. In Paris, don’t miss the Factory evenings, a series of open stages for current musical composition, on at the Cigale from 10 to 13 October. The full programme of events is available on the festival website: www.festival-ile-de-france.com |
| Festival d’Ile de France / From 7 September to 14 October 2007 | |
| 2007-08-23 | A beautiful theatre, with bas-reliefs by Bourdelle, hosted the scandalous première of Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps in 1913. Star classical performers and orchestras play here, and there’s also a full programme of symphonic and chamber music. |
| Theatre des Champs-Elysees |