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Olor de colònia

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On November 17, 2012, Oscar-winning French actress Marion Cotillard joined the Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra for a performance of Arthur Honegger’s oratorio Joan of Arc at the Stake (Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher) at the L'Auditori de Barcelona in Spain, broadcast live on Medici.tv. By Swiss composer Arthur Honegger, Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher (1938) is an imposing oratorio. The libretto is a highly original creation by French poet and playwright Paul Claudel, who dramatises the last moments of the martyr's life. Originally written for actress Ida Rubinstein, the oratorio is written as a flashback in which Joan recalls her life, just before she dies. Honegger creates visually evocative ambiances and fills the orchestra with new sounds (saxophones, ondes Martenot). The initial prologue to the piece was added in 1944 as a symbol of the resistance during the Nazi occupation of France: again, Joan goes beyond her own story.

Víctor is in his last year of his Violin Studies and is about to perform his last recital. During his years as a student, he has put his family and friends aside to focus entirely on his true passion. Now that the first defining moment of his future professional career is approaching, he feels emotionally blocked, unable to play his piece well. Víctor will have to make amends with his close ones, those who have supported him and have been by his side, in order to feel at peace with himself. He will have to remember who he really is to find the right emotional balance that will allow him understand music and life in a much healthier and human way, and carry on with the concert.