MONDAY 24 AND TUESDAY 25 JULY 2023
In a poem dated 2018, Alice Mendelson wrote: "To age well, it is good to have the vice of joy". She was 93 years old.
Two years later, we find under her pen: "To love better is my great concern, my application, My research and if possible, my invention. If I fail, I accept and seek again. It's my greatest work, my last I think."
At 97, she continues to write. "Breathing is a blessing, and reminds me of my essential address: the dwelling warmed by your skin against mine."
One of her lines could be her motto: "Never botch living!"
It was Pascal Quéré - a distinguished storyteller who trained Alice in storytelling - who introduced Catherine Ringer to Alice Mendelson's poetry. She invites us to listen to her poems, some spoken and accompanied on the piano by the music of Grégoire Hetzel, others as songs composed with Mauro Gioia, who also directs.
In a language of love and playfulness, she celebrates eroticism in the feminine, in texts that would undoubtedly have remained hidden had it not been for the collective vision and impetus of a trio of artists featuring the singular voice of Catherine Ringer. Touched by the power and generosity of this writing, the three imagined together this poetic performance as a dance full of humor and mystery.
Poems by Alice Mendelson
Read and sung by Catherine Ringer
Accompanied on piano by Grégoire Hetzel
Compositions by Grégoire Hetzel
Songs Alice Mendelson / Mauro Gioia - Grégoire Hetzel
Directed by Mauro Gioia
