A look back at "Trumpets in the Tuileries!"

On September 15 and 16, 2007, on the occasion of France's "Heritage Weekend," the Tuileries gardens provided the setting for the first edition of an event organized by the Louvre, and dedicated to brass and wind bands-a great popular tradition in the Nord-Pas de Calais region.
The "Trumpets in the Tuileries!"event is highly symbolic of the links being forged between the Louvre and the coalfield area by plans for the Louvre-Lens, and follows a tradition
dating back to the 19th century when gardens became associated with the democratization of music.

Some 25,000 spectators

During this festive, sunny weekend, almost 25,000 spectators came to hear and cheer the five grand parades featuring 300 amateur musicians from 5 coalfield bands (Harnes, Liévin, Calonne-Ricouart, Montigny-en-Gohelle, Violaines), with a mise-en-scène by Spanish-born artist and man of the theater Oskar Gómez Mata, under the musical direction of Hervé Brisse, orchestra conductor and soloist with the Lille National Orchestra.
The Lens wind band and instrumental ensemble Ars Nova performed musical events throughout the gardens.
A stage was set up for the occasion at the foot of the Jeu de Paume, where the Lille ensemble Opus 2 Brass Band and the New Yorkers of Nervous Cabaret played two concerts, each band performing its own inventive blend of brass band music and funk or rock.

A friendly, festive atmosphere

After individual rehearsals in each town, the wind bands all came together on September 8 and 9 at the Artois Expo complex in Arras to prepare the mise-en-scène, parades, and collective pieces-an industrious weekend, with conductors and musicians working together for the first time. In the words of Liévin wind band conductor Frédéric Lorthios, "the musicians are giving it their all. We started rehearsing again late August, twice a week. It's physically tiring, but enriching." (La Voix du Nord, September 11, 2007).

Stéphane Malfettes, programmer of "Trumpets in the Tuileries!," said of this musical weekend in Paris, "We really enjoyed it. The organizers had everything well planned, but the emotion took us by surprise. Our greatest motivation is the enthusiasm of the musicians. They really communicated their enjoyment to the audience. There was surprise, respect, and a lot of attention during the parades. It was more than a musical event; it was a human one too." The Parisians responded with smiles, and many photos were taken. According to one lady who came specially for the occasion: "It's fun, it makes a real change. It's good that provincial brass bands come to us in Paris. We don't have that here."
The final word is for Harnes wind band conductor Yorik Kubiak: "We've got away from the traditional concept of the single-file parade. It was disconcerting at first, but we're really into it now, it's great fun! It's a very convivial event, with positive audience reaction. We've had a great time" (Nord Eclair, September 18, 2007).

An event to be repeated!

The shared enthusiasm of the musicians, general public, and teams from the Louvre reflects the great success of this first edition—an encouragement to repeat the event between now and the inauguration of the Louvre-Lens museum.



"Trumpets in the Tuileries!" was supported by the Nord-Pas de Calais region and the Pas-de-Calais department.