Duel opus mômes

Just like Tom and Jerry. The cartoon cat and mouse engaged in a relentless battle. In Duel Opus Môme, pianist Nathalie Miravette and cellist Laurent Cirade engage in a musical confrontation.  This is a condensed version of Duel's three shows for children and young people: Opus 1, from 2001, featuring a male duo; Opus 2, from 2009, comprising a male duo; and Opus 3, the most recent, featuring Miravette and Cirade. The initial impression of a conventional piano and cello recital rapidly reveals its fundamental characteristics.

We are presented with a musical confrontation between two distinct characters, each acting and interpreting in their own unique manner. This results in moments of musical excellence, such as Rimsky-Korsakov's renowned Flight of the Bumblebee. Cirade plays the cello while Miravette, positioned adjacent to him, observes the aerial movements of the insect until it alights on his colleague's forehead. He then proceeds to execute a series of steps, culminating in a stomp, which effectively neutralises the insect.

In a subsequent instance, Cirade's foot makes contact with Miravette's skirt, resulting in its tearing. In a third instance, Cirade, once more, now using a chainsaw in lieu of his bow, prepares to offer his own interpretation of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. To put it another way, this duel is, above all, an example of the light-hearted banter between two highly skilled performers, whose background points to the eternal battle of the sexes, to which they add a soundtrack that draws on the classical world but immediately jumps to jazz, rock...

The genesis of the Duel saga can be traced back to a quartet, Le Quatuor, of which Cirade was a member from the age of 24 in 1988 for 12 years. However, the cellist expressed a desire to explore the duo format and delve deeper into the musical composition. He elucidates this further, stating that such actions constitute a desecration of the cello and the piano.

Their musical work, which employs satire to critique the formal conventions of classical music concerts, has been performed in over forty countries. It revisits the stereotypes associated with various musical styles, from the classical to the popular, and incorporates a diverse range of musical references such as cheesy supermarket jingles. Respectfully, of course.

"My style of play is somewhat akin to that of an irate partner," states Cirade, who responds with equal fervour. It is therefore crucial to foster a positive relationship between him and Miravette. Their work is not simply that of virtuoso musicians. They dance. They sing. They mimic. They enchant.

As one of the play's critics wrote, “this duo, so funny and innovative thanks to the talent of these artistic geniuses, performs a blend of theatre and music never before achieved”.