Sablé (France): 2025, Bach and the Spirit of Resilience

For the past four years, Laure Baert has been the artistic director of the Sablé-sur-Sarthe Early Music Festival (France), after leading the Froville Festival in Lorraine from 2017 to 2022. She has chosen to place the 2025 edition under the banner of Bach — and not just because it marks the 340th anniversary of the great German composer. Interview.

Why did you choose Johann Sebastian Bach as the central theme for the 2025 Sablé Festival?

Laure Baert: In a time when social tensions and obstacles to culture are on the rise, Bach gradually appeared to me as a clear answer. Especially here in the Pays de la Loire region, where barriers to access to culture became particularly brutal in late 2024 — more so than elsewhere in France or in the world. In this context, I felt that Bach was a beacon for musicians. And perhaps a beacon for our society as well. To me, he represents light. His music continues to inspire, to bring people together, to elevate. All of this led me to give him a central place in this edition — far beyond the nod to his 340th birthday…

So opening the Festival with a piece titled “Let my joy remain” [Que ma joie demeure] is no coincidence… 

L. B.: It had been quite a while since Béatrice Massin last came to Sablé. I wanted to honour her exceptional career, built with patience and passion, and to highlight the way dance — in a dialogue with Bach’s music — remains a living, ever-evolving art form. Her choreographed piece is both profound and light: it’s a breath of fresh air, a glimmer of hope. And yes, beginning the programme this way is no accident: let’s hold on to hope.

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