Virtuosity and fusion: Violons Tziganes captivates Kolkata

A significant initiative within the Western Classical Music Concert Series, the concert by Violons Tziganes Ensemble from Cannes at the Victoria Memorial on January 17, was a joint presentation by Alliance Française du Bengale and Victoria Memorial Hall, with the collaborative backing of the Consulate General of France in Kolkata, the Embassy of Romania in India, and the Honorary Consulate of Romania in India. Violons Tziganes transformed music into a captivating storytelling medium, akin to cinematic expression. The ensemble's virtuosic improvisations, drawing from diverse global influences, treated Kolkata with an evening of exhilarating energy and a rich tapestry of cultural fusion.


The Tzigane Violin Ensemble of Cannes was created in 1989 by Jean-Jacques CALVI, a professor at the Cannes Departmental Conservatory (C.R.D), with the approval of Philippe BENDER, who was then the Director of this institution and permanent conductor of the P.A.C.A Orchestra. Among other things, it allows young musicians to practice a different kind of music, one of oral tradition, spontaneous creation, and improvisation. Throughout their travels, the Tziganes have borrowed music from the countries they've crossed. The violinists, prodigious virtuosos, interpret these themes with the wild soul of freedom.