The victorious percussions of Aurélien Gignoux at the Halle aux grains in Toulouse
After his Victoire de la Musique, Toulouse percussionist Aurélien Gignoux is soloist this Saturday with the Orchester du Capitole, as part of the Happy hour concerts.
Aurélien Gignoux knows the Halle aux Grains well, where he is playing this evening for the first time as a soloist, as part of the Happy hour concerts of the Orchester du Capitole. This 24-year-old percussionist from Toulouse, crowned in February 2021 with a Victoire de la Musique, performs a concerto by Philippe Hurel, also a composer from Toulouse.
Aurélien Gignoux’s vocation was born at the Halle aux Grains. “The choice of percussion was made instinctively, when I was 4 years old”, confides the musician. “My father and mother, flautist and oboist, worked as additional musicians at the Orchester du Capitole. This environment in which I have always been immersed and the kindness of my parents have helped me a lot ”.
Soloist at the Philharmonie de Paris
After studying at the conservatories of Toulouse, Bordeaux and Paris, Aurélien Gignoux was crowned Revelation instrumental soloist at the Victoires de la Musique. “This award gave my career a boost. I have just been hired as a soloist at the Ensemble Intercontemporain, founded by Pierre Boulez in the 1980s. It is an incredible opportunity to be able to work at the Philharmonie de Paris with composers ”.
A very groovy concerto
Under the direction of Kerem Hasan, Aurélien Gignoux is playing tonight with a whole range of instruments: the vibraphone, crystal-clear keyboard, Thai gongs, cymbals… “This Hurel percussion concerto is very accessible, There are many beautiful colors, a very groovy side ”says this classical musician who feels an affinity with jazz, improvised music…. After the original Quatre Variations the Orchestra of the Capitol sent with “Scheherazade” by Rimsky-Korsakov, a symphonic inspired by the tales of Thousand and One Nights.