Bach Festival at Bacchus 2024

The volunteers who run this festival are looking forward to welcoming you this summer with a particularly rich and varied programme, aimed at all audiences. The Festival programme is made up of a host of musical and oenological offerings, each adapted to the venue: baroque, classical, world music, jazz, orchestras, choirs... as well as guided tastings, vineyard tours, workshops, dinners with the artists...

Above all, it's a feast for the senses, bringing the worlds of music and wine closer together, and above all bringing the public and those involved in wine and music closer together. We invite you to discover this beautiful village, and to meet the people who live here and bring it to life with their shared passion.

The festival, founded in 1986 by pianist Yves Henry, features top-quality concerts by both established and up-and-coming artists at Meursault's most emblematic sites: the church of Saint-Nicolas, the Leprosarium, the Château de Cîteaux, etc. The Friends of Music in Meursault association is offering a varied programme for this 2024 edition of the "Bach to Bacchus" festival, which will take place from Thursday 4 to Thursday 11 July.

Thursday 4 July at 8.30pm, Église Saint-Nicolas, Meursault. "Le carnaval ds oiseaux".
Birds have been a subject of inspiration for mankind since the dawn of time, whether in music or poetry... Moving from the free bird to the caged bird, the musicians of Ensemble Artifices - Alice Julien-Laferrière, violin, Matthieu Bertaud, flutes, calls and oisocarinas, Julie Dessaint, viola da gamba and Thibaut Roussel, theorbo - offer a light-hearted concert evoking these little winged creatures through music adapted for their size, accompanied by the astonishing Chanteurs d'Oiseaux, Jean Boucault and Johnny Rasse!

Come and enjoy a Saturday of music from morning till night in Meursault on Saturday 6 July:
- 9am, Château de la Velle. A musical breakfast with the Bilongo duo, guitar, double bass and vocals, will gently wake you up.

- at 11am, Domaine du Cerberon, an aperitif-concert with the quartet "Born to be a swing".
Influenced by jazz, flamenco, New Orleans, French chanson and American standards, it's gypsy swing and the music of Django Reinhardt that brings together Samuel Vaivrand, washboard, Thierry Blang, double bass, Tony el Flaco, guitar, and Serge Chamoy, accordion, with the desire to bring you energy, joy and emotion by approaching this style with simplicity and good humour.

- at 1pm, Place de l'Hôtel de ville, a concert of hunting horns with Les Échos du Chalonnais

- at 3pm, Château de Cîteaux. Sophie Jammet, actress, Robin Verheyen, saxophone.
This duo was born in Meursault, during the last edition of Bach à Bacchus. It's the meeting of two solos... and two wine lovers. Robin Verheyen, saxophonist and composer, has written "Playing the Room", combining jazz, folk, Bach and improvisation. And Sophie Jammet, a sommelier from a family of winegrowers in Savigny- lès-Beaune, has created her one-woman show "Goûtons voir!", with wine-tasting tips, poetry, humour and songs... all about wine.
Directed by Marc Fraize.
This duo is an invitation to taste four wines, conceived as a combination of wine, poetry and saxophone in the magnificent cellars of Château de Cîteaux in Meursault.
A show to savour, without moderation.

- from 5.30pm to 8.30pm. Discover four places in Meursault, glass in hand. A winemaker will offer you a tasting of his wines, and musicians will play in an informal setting and in all styles of music: Julien Blanc and Yves Henry on the piano, with the Marthe Henry house; Claire Moncharmont will introduce you to the sounds of the harp with the Manoir des Parcellaires de Saulx. Marcia Hadjimarkos, keyboards, and Michael Copley, flutes, will be presenting a quirky and humorous programme entitled "Toy Toy", with Domaine Pierre Morey. At Clos Saint-Jacques, the MMC trio will take you on a tour of Bill Evans and Keith Jarret, while you sample the wines of Domaine Berthelemot.

Sunday 7th July
- 9.30am. Departure from in front of the Town Hall. Françoise Vannier, geologist, and Karoline Knoth, historian, propose an original tour of Meursault, from the village to the vineyards. As you stroll through the village, you'll set off in search of a grape variety that has mysteriously disappeared from the vineyards of Meursault. Together, you'll discover the keys to reading the scores of the terroir, between man and landscape. Keep your eyes and ears wide open for a colourful and unexpected approach, where you'll get your hands dirty and discover the vineyards from an unusual angle... Surprises await you along the way.

- 6.00pm, Saint-Nicolas church, Meursault. La Petite Suite / L'Ensemble Vocal will perform Mozart's Requiem in Carl Czerny's transcription for choir, soloists, 4-hand piano and timpani. Marie-José Matar, soprano, Jagna Oltarzewska, alto, Akihiro Nakamura, tenor, and Sandro de Gasparo, bass, will be the soloists, accompanied by Forence Chalamet and Romain Coharde on piano and Lucas Joseph on timpani. The ensemble will be conducted by Olivier Plaisant.

Monday 8th July
- at 6.30pm, Visit the cellars of Château de Meursault, with wine tasting. Special offer from Château de Meursault for Festival spectators.

- at 8.30pm, Saint-Nicolas church in Meursault. "Chopin and his contemporaries
Yves Henry, piano, and Camille Thomas, cello, offer a programme based on works by Chopin and his contemporaries.

Tuesday 9th July
- at 10.00 am, Les petits Charrons. A unique encounter between the world of wine and the world of perfume: in an olfactory garden overlooking the Meursault vineyards, discover the history of the Climat "Les Petits Charrons" and the creation of its perfume. Marie-France Bravard takes you on an unexpected sensory experience, combining an understanding of the terroir, a play on aromas, wine tasting and the olfaction of its fragrance. An unforgettable moment in the heart of the vineyard!

- 7.30pm, Église Saint-Nicolas, Meursault. The String Quintet of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra will join Yves Henry, piano, for a "Schubertiade". You won't want to leave without enjoying "La Truite" with these six performers.

- 9.30pm, Léproserie de Meursault. Let yourself be tempted by the Festival dinner, in a beautiful harmony of food and wine. A moment of pure conviviality in the company of the musicians.

Thursday 11th July
- at 6.00pm, Caves du Château de Cîteaux. Let yourself be tempted by a "History and Wines" tasting session, where you'll be told the story of Meursault's archives and discover the history of the plots from which the wines you'll be tasting come.

- 8.30pm, Église Saint-Nicolas de Meursault. The Kaléid Brass brass and percussion ensemble will close the Festival, conducted by Jean-Charles Dunand. On the programme: works by 20th-century composers Henri Tomasi, John Williams, Jordan Gudefin, Giancarlo Castro.