Le Figaro Nantes
A fright in apotheosis.
The closing concert of the 2024 edition of La Folle Journee de Nantes ended with an accident on stage, Sunday February 4, when the conductor Joseph Swensen felt unwell and collapsed while he was performing. conducted the finale of the evening, with his musicians from the Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra.
No longer able to direct the ensemble, the maestro was taken out of sight of the spectators, while the large auditorium of the Cité des Congrès in Nantes was evacuated.
The organizers of the demonstration gave news of Joseph Swensen on Monday morning, ensuring that the conductor was doing better.
Emergency doctors from SOS Médecin were able to take care of the maestro after his premature exit from the stage.
“It was only a passing illness;
the accident only shortened the “encore” of the concert by ten minutes
,” a source close to the organizers told Le
Figaro
.
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Joseph Swensen's uneasiness unfolded after the end of Arte's live broadcast of the evening, closed with an explosive performance of the symphonic poem
Finlandia
, by Jean Sibelius.
According to images from the concert, the conductor appeared exhausted at the end of the piece and needed to lean one hand on the railing behind his podium.
Which didn't stop him from running backstage to look for the other musicians of the evening for the usual ovations.
“He was already ready to go back on stage”
Joseph Swensen did not need to be treated in a hospital, and
“was able to return home on his own”
.
Chagrined at having rushed the conclusion of the concert, Joseph Swensen sent a text message to the organizers to apologize for the accident and claimed that he was already feeling better,
Le Figaro
learned .
“He was already ready to go back on stage for the end of the evening if necessary!”,
someone tells us in confidence.
“We hope to see him again very soon at La Folle Cadeau, because his overwhelming presence is essential
,” completed the press release released Monday morning.
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Aged 63, the American conductor - and violinist - was appointed musical director of the Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra in May 2023. He succeeded the British Paul Daniel in this position and a brief interlude provided by the maestro Spanish Josep Pons.
Despite this small final accident, this 30th edition of La Folle Journee brought together more than 132,000 people this year, or 15,000 more than in the previous edition, according to the first report of the festival.
Some 1,500 artists from five continents also attended this event, which has become an essential part of the Nantes cultural agenda.
“We really had a superb season,”
commented the creator of the event, René Martin, in a press release.