In a faraway kingdom, night reigns, because day has disappeared without anyone being able to explain why. Ever since he was a child, Sacha has had only one dream: to find the sun again. Armed only with the violin entrusted to him by his grandfather, the young boy finally sets off. Will he be able to bring back the light in his quest?

The Magic Violin is a musical tale about the power of dreams and music, written and narrated by Élodie Fondacci, the iconic storyteller from Radio Classique. Sacha was born in a world where the sun has disappeared. He lives in complete darkness. Despite his grandfather telling him about the world before, how can he imagine it? On his 15th birthday, Sacha sets out to find the sun, with only the magic violin given to him by his grandfather. A violin that will lead him to a fearsome dragon, but also to invaluable musical and friendly encounters.

For the writing of this tale, Élodie Fondacci drew inspiration from the original work of the Sirba Octet, featuring klezmer and gypsy tunes from Eastern European repertoires. In the story of young Sacha’s quest for light, the voice and music share the same evocative power. Words are adorned with notes to transport the audience into extraordinarily whirling poetry. The

Sirba Octet and Élodie Fondacci shared the stage at the Olympia in 2011 for performances of The Carnival of the Animals and wished to collaborate again. The time for a reunion between Élodie Fondacci’s dreamlike universe and the uniqueness of the Sirba Octet materialized with the custom creation for a family audience of the program The Magic Violin.

The world premiere of The Magic Violin program took place in December 2022 during a series of concerts with the Victor Hugo Franche-Comté Orchestra, conducted by Jean-François Verdier, who initiated this commission for the recording of the book-CD to be released on October 4, 2024, by Éditions Auzou. Furthermore, the Sirba Octet and Élodie Fondacci were invited for a tour with this program in its version for octet and narrator during the 2023 edition of La Folle Journée de Nantes and in the region. The Magic Violin program, offered in an octet version with Élodie Fondacci as the narrator or in an expanded version with a symphony orchestra, has been enchanting both young and old since its creation. The release concert of the book-CD by Éditions Auzou is scheduled for December 2024 at the Cité de la Musique-Philharmonie de Paris.

(for families aged 6 and over)