In the darkness of the red room of the Lucernaire, a few double bass notes then a voice: “Come Bach Society, hello. Don’t leave, we will take your call. You are in contact with Come Bach international (…) For several years, the Parisian group has specialized in structural work, we work in many areas such as theaters, cultural places… and commercial spaces. Please wait a few moments, we are looking for your correspondent. (…) Would you like to spend the evening with one of our musicians… with all of them? (…) Sorry (…), all our advisors are currently online. Your waiting time is estimated at 60 minutes. » We are going to spend not 60 minutes but 85 with Bach. It doesn’t matter, as this show is full of energy, rhythm, virtuosity and intelligence.
On the stage, four supercharged girls, pumped up in the art of fugue and counterpoint: soprano Anne Baquet on vocals, Claude Collet on piano, Amandine Dehant on double bass and Anne Regnier (alternating with Ariane Bacquet) on oboe and English horn. All dressed in black, in front of music stands without scores, they play Bach standards arranged in their own spicy sauce.
Anne Baquet is priceless. The soprano, whose eyes roll like marbles, sometimes seems to have come out of a cartoon. With lyrics by François Morel, Isabelle Mayereau, Bernard Joyet, etc., she enchants with her humor. The song 1 2 3 4 5 – about smala Bach (he had around twenty children from two marriages) – will remain one of the best sequences of the show directed by Gérard Rauber. On the program, Bach, of course, but other things as well. Thus this toccatina by the Russian composer Nicolaï Kaspoutine performed on the piano by the virtuoso Claude Collet. This black half-grand piano on which Anne Régnier or Amandine Dehant will climb to perform a few tunes from the lord of counterpoint.
Often the four girls sing together and it sounds great. Their choreography sometimes seems influenced by the Frères Jacques. Same gestures, same hilarious footwork. Since Bach lends itself to it, the quartet sometimes veers into jazz. We remain speechless in front of a well-inspired version (piano/oboe) of a famous waltz by Nino Rota, Fellini’s regular composer – and, sometimes, Coppola (see The Godfather). Then there is this priceless version of If I Had a Hammer. Along with Mozart and Vivaldi, Bach, choirmaster and therapist of civilization, is undoubtedly the most famous stranger of telephone waiting messages, hotel lobbies and elevators. Come on, Bach!
Come Bach, at Lucernaire (Paris 6th), until May 26. Such. : 01 45 44 57 34 and www.lucernaire.fr