French Spring 2007! Other events of note

No less than Ambassador Gerard Chesnel presided over Thursday’s press conference announcing "French Spring 2007", the longest yet of the FS presentations. With him at Philippine Plaza’s Sofitel were Cultural Counselor Georges Gaston-Feydeau, Alliance Francaise director Olivier Ditinger, his deputy Louis Thevenin, press attache Carolle Lucas, Martin Macalintal of the audio-visual department and AF’s Marie Weckerle.

Ambassador Chesnel stressed that French Spring will offer diverse, creative and innovative French culture which will interact and interplay with Philippine culture.

For instance, French Spring opens on March 29 at the AF Total Gallery with the recent works of National Artist Ben Cab. Other FS events of particular appeal to me follow. The intensive, poetic performance of Company XY "Laissez Porter" at the CCP main theater on March 30, 8 p.m. Co. XY is the newest, most talented French circus. The "Trio Wanderer" on May 10 at the Philamlife Theater, 8 p.m. will play from Mozart and Haydn masterpieces to current ones. The Trio has performed at Carnegie Hall, Berlin’s Philharmonic, Paris’ Champs Elysees Theatre, Milan’s La Scala, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall, etc.

From May 15 to June 27, photographs by eminent Henri-Cartier Bresson et al will be on view at the Ayala Museum to celebrate the history of photography in Paris. Pictures will come from renowned collections.

The film festival from June 7 to 17 will show, among others, "OSS 117", a parody of Hollywood’s "Agent 007". Venue: Shangri-la Plaza. On June 8 at the CCP Little Theater, 8 p.m., Company 9.81 will show Eric Lecomte’s poetic choreography — acrobatics, flying and climbing dances which defy gravity.

On June 15 at the Sofitel Sunset Pavilion from 6 p.m. onwards, the French Thomas Enhco and Jazz Angels will interact with the big UST and UP bands, the Jazz Volunteers headed by Michael Guevara and Wowee Posadas, the Jewelmer Jazz Band and saxophone sensation Alvin Cornista.

The official announcement of French Spring follows: Introduced in 1999 to rekindle French-Phil relations through cultural promotion, French Spring has indeed ignited the Filipino’s keen interest in French culture through cutting-edge productions in the visual arts, dance, music, circus, theater and cinema.

Alliance Francaise and the French Embassy bring to the Filipino audience some creative forms of art expression that provide a venue for interaction between artists of different cultures. On its ninth year, French Spring celebrates not only the very best in French creations, but also builds, develops, implements a lasting cooperation in each artistic world, through exchanges of savoir faire, practices, values mutually beneficial to the visiting and host artists.

The French Spring offers a varied showcase of French culture to a broad and growing Filipino public every year.

Under the theme "Five Senses", there will be the perfume exhibit "Essences Insensées", a fashion show with top-notch Filipino designers interpreting the universe of the five senses, the newest on French Modern Circus, the much awaited 12th French Film Festival, a stunning photo exhibit "Objectif Paris" as well as concerts of French electropop lolita Emilie Simon, classical music by Trio Wanderer, house music by DJ Missill and the 5th Manila Jazz Festival, not to mention hiphop and breakdance performances by Pockemon Crew, and the French Gastronomy festival.

With regard to gastronomy, a short film "France Today" evinces French humor when it asks: "With 400 varieties of French cheese, will France progress in the 21st century?"

Other events of note

March 27, launching of the book Adornments by the country’s only floral architect Rachy Cuna at the InterCon, 6:30 p.m./March 28, launching of "Being Truly Filipino" by Conchitina Sevilla Bernardo, wife of Philippine Ambassador to Spain Joseph Bernardo, Manila Golf Club, 4 to 7 p.m./March 29, exhibit opening of "New Work on Philippine Society" by international photographer Rupert Jacinto, at 32 Jupiter St., Bel Air Village, 6 p.m./March 29, all-Liszt concert of outstanding pianist Rudolf Golez, F. Santiago Hall, 7:30 p.m./Through April, site-specific installation of newly expanded work by celebrated poet-critic-painter-musician Cesare Syjuco, curated by Jean Marie Syjuco, Ricco-Renzo Gallery, Bel Air 2.