Published on May 1, 2026 9:30 PM by Sophie Quesnel
Renaud Capuçon and the Easter Festival of Deauville (Calvados), a lasting story. Still unknown for the first edition, he remains faithful to this musical spring event in Deauville. This year he will close the Festival, and the evening promises to be grand.
The Easter Festival of Deauville celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. When you view this adventure as a composition written over three decades, what is the most beautiful note for you?
The greatest of these past 30 years is the sustainability of the festival. It has remained intact. The young musicians sponsored from the first year have continued. Three generations of artists have succeeded there. It’s extraordinary.
What is your very first memory of this Festival, the first musical emotion that comes to mind, like a founding theme?
My first musical emotion is Schubert’s “The Trout.” We played it for the very first edition. In fact, a recording was made. It’s my very first record. It was the innocence and candor of young musicians playing chamber music for the first time, for pleasure, in an enchanting setting.
Why was Deauville, right from the start, the ideal setting to resonate with classical music?
Deauville was, right from the start, an ideal setting because there was a connection between the friendship of those who played there and with Yves Petit de Voize and Philippe Augier, as far as I’m concerned.
Not to mention the alignment with this amazing place, this hall where there are horses when there is no music, the seaside, the view, the climate. It’s quite an ideal place.
“The Festival has been a precursor.”
What personal connection do you have with Deauville? Is it a city that has accompanied your journey like a melodic thread?
I developed a personal connection with Deauville, thanks in particular to my friendly relationship with Philippe Augier. I came back there outside the Festival, for weekends, to walk around.
It’s an inspiring place and a recurring theme throughout these past years since I came for every edition in the early years and then every two years.
What does the music reveal about Deauville, and what does Deauville inspire in musicians?
This region has inspired many painters, and I think it can also inspire musicians, for similar reasons. The colors, the beauty of the site, nature… Playing in a hall not made for concerts is also inspiring.
How would you describe the Festival audience: more knowledgeable music lovers, curious, loyal, or a bit of all of it at once?
In the early years, the audience was curious. There were, of course, music lovers, but over the years, thanks to the sometimes inventive and sometimes adventurous programming proposed by Yves Petit de Voize, the Festival has been a precursor. It has allowed the discovery of musical ensembles, works, and different repertoires. Now, it’s a mix of all that. Part of the audience comes naively to see an artist or hear a composer they know. Curiosity has become important for many. And there is always a loyal audience following the Festival closely.
“The Elie-de-Brignac hall has become the heart of the Festival. What makes it special in terms of acoustics, atmosphere, and the relationship with artists?”
The Elie-de-Brignac hall is central to this Festival. Without this hall, it would be completely different. First of all, there’s this proximity with the audience. It gives both musicians and spectators the feeling of being surrounded thanks to its “cauldron” aspect and the fact that you enter from different places to surround the musicians. All of this contributes to creating this convivial relationship.
“An association of established musicians and young talents.”
Looking back, would you say that the Festival was an important milestone in your own musical journey?
Looking back, of course, this festival was a very important milestone in my musical journey because it was the first one. I created my own Festival in Chambéry, “Les rencontres de Bel-Air,” at the same time. For all of us, it was the beginning of our careers. We were 20 years old, on the threshold of what our musical lives would be. We had lots of dreams and ambitions. This stage was decisive because it allowed us to start dreaming while having a playground to do so. Yves Petit de Voize gave us the opportunity to program works we dreamed of playing. And since the concerts were recorded on the radio, it allowed us to validate ourselves.
“If the Easter Festival were to be compared to a musical work, which one would come to mind?”
The work that comes to mind spontaneously is Richard Strauss’ “Metamorphose,” which we performed several times at the Festival with infinite ramifications and a musical form that seems to never end or stop, with something both captivating and reassuring. I think this corresponds well to the Easter Festival.
“And for the years to come, what music would you like to continue to showcase in Deauville?”
I hope that the Festival can maintain this extraordinary DNA that Yves Petit de Voize has instilled throughout these past 30 years. An DNA that combines the discovery of young talents with different repertoires. An association of established musicians and young talents.
I hope all this can continue and that we continue to hear these works. And that the chamber music repertoire is truly advocated for, as it has always been for the past 30 years. View the program in Leisure pages.
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