In Paris, at the Louvre Museum: Three concerts – “Songs from Elsewhere”

Between this April and May, the musical programming of the Louvre Museum in Paris explores the theme of hybridization and the diverse influences that have shaped both European and non-Western composers.A journey full of surprises from Venice to Istanbul across the Mediterranean is offered by cellist and composer Giovanni Sollima, who conducts the ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro for the occasion (April 9, 2025).The Simply Quartet brings Mozart and Beethoven into dialogue with Tan Dun — arguably the most prominent Chinese composer — in a concert connected to the exhibition “Une passion chinoise” (A Chinese Passion) (May 14, 2025).

And as part of the exhibition “Mamluks, 1250–1517,” the young medieval music ensemble Apotropaïk (May 28, 2025) presents a unique concert titled “Troubadours in Andalusian Gardens.” It invites the audience on a journey to the heart of the 13th century, a time when troubadour art encountered Arab-Andalusian music.This concert links “trobar” — the Occitan word reminding us that a troubadour is first and foremost “the one who finds,” uniting music and poetry — with “tarab,” the Arabic term for the emotional communion between musicians and their audience.Thus, the concert revives the tradition of musical and poetic jousts, still alive today in Spain and the Maghreb, and offers a contemporary reimagining of some illuminations transmitted through the Cantigas de Santa María.