<<  -- 9 --  Roderic Dunnett    IN FESTIVE MOOD

Looking to future festivals, Koering is equally passionate an advocate of music of the 19th century. 'If one read only the novels of Balzac, Chateaubriand, de Vigny or Zola,' he says, 'one would miss a great deal. Equally there's no excuse for ignoring the "other" composers of this period. Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838), for example, a composer who lies between Beethoven and Schubert, outlived them both, and who composed a considerable number of splendid symphonic and chamber works. One could mention other, lesser-known works by Weber; or Louis Spohr, whose opera Jessonda, which I certainly plan to perform, is an incredibly beautiful work, and very popular in its day.

'Then again there's Friedrich Gernsheim (1839-1916), a friend of Brahms and a prolific and strikingly talented composer, albeit writing in a Brahmsian vein. As with Bach and Handel, Haydn and Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, Brahms and Bruckner, Schoenberg, Berg and Webern, often we tend to remember an era solely by the most important composer or pair or trio of composers in that country at the time: lesser figures get completely overlooked, just as, says, Bach pushed Telemann, Fasch, Hasse and Zelenka into the shadows, Brahms has eclipsed Bruch and Britten has overshadowed other significant British composers of the mid-Twentieth century.' Partly with this in mind, Koering has also programmed nations whose music tends to get overlooked, 'for instance Sweden, and even Iceland!'

'From an earlier period, take Delius's The Mass of Life: people just don't know it here in France, they simply haven't been given a chance to hear it. The Dream of Gerontius has been done just twice in Paris; Walton's Belshazzar's Feast, just once. People really don't know English music in France. Among many Tippett pieces that are outstanding is his late work, The Rose Lake. I must admit I have an absolute passion for one English work in particular, and that's Havergal Brian's Gothic Symphony. It's vast, and truly magnificent!

'The entire budget for the two and half week Festival is quite small for a festival of this size, with 100 concerts,' adds Koering. 'It's roughly 15 million francs -- that's about 2.3 million euros (or 1.6 million pounds). I think you could say we were cheap at the price!' Tickets aren't that pricy, either; so while for recreation you may want to pop down to beaches of La Grande Motte and Palavas-les-Flots, historic royal Aigues-Mortes or the important medieval Romanesque Cathedral of Maguelone, once the seat of bishops, haunt of the Avignon popes and centre of Occitan intrigue, for a cultural uplift don't miss the chance to look in at La Boîte à Musique, at 10 Rue du Palais des Guilhem, 34000 Montpellier, phone +33 (0) 4 67 60 69 92 or 4 67 66 02 85, in Montpellier's cité historique, one of the most welcoming and best-stocked record shops in France, where a host of other rarities M Koering hasn't even dreamed of yet can be found on the well stocked shelves.

Meanwhile Montpellier in festive mood awaits the arrival of M Depardieu, Ms Varady, Sgr Ciccolini (who will be giving the festival master classes) and many celebrated names in French and European culture. The jazz fanatics will be gearing up for a jamboree; the beaches can look forward to an influx, champagne corks will be popping at the Mairie and radio devotees will be tuning in. The 2006 Festival de Radio France et Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon is under way.