Montreuil Hosts Cinematic and Musical Exploration at ModComFest 2025
At the heart of the evening was a 52-minute documentary by acclaimed French editor and director Bernard Sasia, who for more than four decades has been crafting the marriage of sound and image in film. The documentary, centred on Petrossian’s collaborations with filmmaker Robert Guédiguian, delved into the fascinating question of what makes music fit a film. Through interviews, rehearsal footage, and Sasia’s editing expertise, the film brought audiences closer to the delicate balance between composition and cinema, with contributions from artists including Frank Braley, Nour Ayadi, Léo Margue, Mariia Esaulova, Erwan Boulay, Jean-Marc Schick, the Orchestre National d'Île de France, and the Ensemble Intercontemporain.
The evening also featured a live performance by celebrated violist Karine Lethiec, who presented Petrossian’s Vénus de Lespugue. Commissioned by the Ensemble Callioppée for the Musée de l’Homme, the work draws inspiration from a prehistoric statuette dating back 29,000 years, weaving together history, archaeology, and sound in a deeply evocative musical narrative.
Lethiec, the dedicatee of the piece, spoke about her collaboration with the composer and offered her insights into the genesis of the work before its performance, with the evening being further marked by the presentation of the score’s first publication by Jean-Paul Sécher of Éditions musicales de l'Artchipel, underscoring the piece’s enduring value within Petrossian’s repertoire.
Reflecting on the event, Konstantin Ishkhanov, President of ModComFest, said that “this concert in Montreuil encapsulated what ModComFest is truly about, exploring the richness of contemporary composition through multiple lenses, be it music, cinema, or visual art. By bringing together Bernard Sasia’s documentary, Karine Lethiec’s performance, and Michel Petrossian’s visionary work, we created a dialogue between past and present, between tradition and innovation. These are the kinds of encounters that ensure contemporary music remains alive, relevant, and deeply connected to audiences today.”
With Dans l’intimité d’une partition, ModComFest once again highlighted the depth and versatility of Michel Petrossian’s artistry, while also broadening the scope of the festival to include new perspectives on how music interacts with other art forms. As the festival now looks ahead to its forthcoming Paris concerts, anticipation continues to grow for what promises to be one of its most innovative and thought-provoking editions yet.
For more information on ModComFest 2025, please visit modcomfest.com.
