Concert : Chant de Bretagne d'hier et d'aujourd'hui

The Breton gwerz: a song unique in the world
This program introduces you to the gwerz (Breton lament), a dramatic song form imbued with the sacred and the fantastical, truly unique in the world, which some compare to the blues or fado. In these ancestral or new songs, fish possess wondrous powers, seals witness miracles, and birds carry news to the front lines.

* You will hear stories of prodigious events on the island of Ouessant, of Breton sailors who make lace, of the legend of a sunken city.
* But also hymns and sacred songs about the communion of saints, the redemption of a criminal, or Celtic monks hunting dragons.
* And finally, old folk songs from peasant culture that evoke filial love or the promise of marriage.

Some texts are taken from the Barzhaz Breizh – the bible of Breton song published 200 years ago – others from oral tradition, and a few were written recently in the spirit of this age-old tradition. All the songs in the concert are performed to traditional Breton and Celtic melodies.

To the song
Axel Perret: singer born into a family of musicians and great-grandson of a woman from Royan, he trained at the Quimper (Finistère) music conservatory and with traditional singers from Brittany.
Karen Tréguier: granddaughter of a traditional singer from Haute-Cornouaille (Finistère), she has been practicing Breton singing to listen to and dance to for more than 20 years.
The new songs for the concert were written by the Breton poet Jonas Dagorn (1968-2024).