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ENTERTAINMENT |
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Music and nightlife
The strength of the Paris music scene is its diversity, largely a result
of its absorption of immigrant and exile populations. The city has no
rivals in Europe for the variety of world music to be found: African,
Caribbean and Latin American sounds are represented in force both by
city-based groups and touring bands.
Jazz fans, too, are in for a treat. Paris has long been home to new jazz
styles and old-time musicians. Standards are high and the line-ups
varied, and the ancient cellars housing many of the clubs make for great
acoustics and atmosphere.
One of France's own popular musical traditions, the chanson , closely
associated with Édith Piaf and taken to its greatest heights by Georges
Brassens and the Belgian Jacques Brel, has been experiencing something
of a revival recently. Chanson evenings in restaurants and brasseries
can be great fun and a very "French" experience. Also alive and well is
ballroom dancing, held at the old music halls or surburban eating-and-drinking
venues known as guinguettes .
Although a lot of commercial French popular music is best avoided, the
French rock, pop and techno scene is taken much more seriously than it
used to be. Much French electronic music has gained international
success, while on a national level, some exciting new sounds are
emerging in the rock and pop scene, drawing on multicultural influences.
Classical music , as you might expect in this Neoclassical city, is
alive and well and takes up twice the space of "jazz-pop-folk-rock" in
the listings magazines. The Paris Opéra, with its two homes - the Palais
Garnier and Opéra Bastille - puts on a fine selection of ballet as well
as opera. The choice of concerts is enormous, ranging from free recitals
in the city's atmospheric churches to concerts by international names
and orchestras, staged in prestigious venues such as the Salle Pleyel
and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. The capital's two main orchestras are
the Orchestre de Paris and the Orchestre National. If you're interested
in the contemporary scene of Systems composition and the like, check out
the state-sponsored experiments of Laurent Bayle at the Pompidou Centre,
and L'Ensemble InterContemporain at La Villette's Cité de la Musique.
Film, theatre and dance
Movie-goers have a choice of around three hundred films showing in Paris
in any one week, covering every place and period. Moreover, new works,
with the exception of British movies, arrive here long before they reach
London and New York.
The city also has a vibrant theatre scene and several superstar
directors have chosen to base themselves here, including Peter Brook and
Ariane Mnouchkine, known for their highly visual and explosive
productions. In addition, there are numerous venues given over to the
exciting developments in dance and multi-genre stage performances, some
of it incorporating mime .
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Listings for all films and stage productions are detailed in Pariscope
and other weekly listing magazines.
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