Part of the “Sure Mesure” series available on ARTE Concert, this stunning 33 minute performance features pianist Alexandre Tharaud and dancer Chun-Wing Lam. “Bach in the Ruins” was recorded at the Fonderie Saint-Lubin, located about 30 kilometres from Paris, a location that saw the creation of several of Auguste Rodin’s bronze masterpieces.
In this striking and semi-abandoned industrial space, Tharaud and Lam collaborate in a celebration of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Tharaud’s lyrical playing provides the foundation for Lam’s fluid and narrative-driven dance. This fusion of sound and motion creates a shared multidisciplinary experience, a modern and reverent interpretation of Bach’s timeless music.
Alexandre Tharaud and Chun Wing Lam “Sur Mesure”
Location
Auguste Rodin
The Fonderie Saint-Lubin was once a working foundry, a place where molten metal was cast to create sculptures and other objects. Its primary claim to fame is its association with Auguste Rodin (1840–1917), the legendary French sculptor. Several of Rodin’s bronze masterpieces were crafted here, and Saint-Lubin was one of the locations he used to realise his monumental visions.
Auguste Rodin: The Thinker
By 2024, the Fonderie Saint-Lubin was described as semi-abandoned, evoking an “urban exploration” aesthetic. Active operations had ceased many decades ago, leaving behind a weathered and cavernous space that retains the echoes of its industrial past. The current stage of the site, including “ghostly sculptures” and an “abandoned pool,” has been repurposed enough to serve as a venue for cultural events.
The Pianist
Alexandre Tharaud
For pianist Alexandre Tharaud, the piano is “an extension of his voice, body, and heart.” Widely celebrated for his interpretations of the Baroque and Classical repertoire, particularly the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, Tharaud sports an exceptional type of individuality, a youthful searching for new ways of interpreting the old repertoire. For Tharaud, playing the piano becomes a unique search for personal authenticity.
As he once explained, “what interests me is what I don’t know about myself.” His playing is known for its clarity, sensitivity, and intellectual rigour, qualities that come to the fore in his Bach performances. And since he has a reputation for innovative projects, often blending music with other art forms, his collaboration with Chun Wing Lam is a natural extension of his artistic pursuit. Since his performances are often described as poetic yet precise, Tharaud is also a natural fit for the introspective and architectural nature of Bach’s music in this industrial setting.
The Dancer
Chun-Wing Lam
Hong Kong-born Chun-Wing Lam is the first and only Chinese to join the Paris Opera Ballet, the oldest and one of the most prestigious ballet institutions in the world. He started classical ballet training at 7 and soon realised that dancing would become an important part of his life. Accepted to the Paris Opera Ballet School in 2011, Lam left Hong Kong and his family to pursue his dream in Paris at the age of 14. By 2015 he entered the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet.
Lam describes ballet “as a language that uses the whole body. When we dance, we’re totally in a different world, my vision becomes blurred and I hear the dynamism rather than the music itself.” In his performances and collaborations with Alexandre Tharaud, Lam combines the structural movements and formalities of classical ballet with a more relaxed and grounded quality typical of contemporary dance. This allows him to convey a wider range of emotions and narratives, drawing both on the discipline of classical ballet and the freedom found in modern movement.
The Collaboration
For this “Sur Mesure” ARTE production, the Fonderie Saint-Lubin provides the raw industrial space for blending Bach’s music with contemporary and classical dance elements. Tharaud’s performance feels spontaneous and deeply intentional, and Lam’s movements echo the emotional and rhythmic layers of Bach’s compositions.
The setting contrasts sharply with traditional concert halls, amplifying the emotional weight of Bach’s music. The stark and rugged environment mirrors the structured yet expressive nature of his compositions, while the interplay of Tharaud’s precise piano and Lam’s fluid movements finds a fitting stage among the relics of a bygone era.
Tharaud’s piano performance intertwines with Lam’s expressive dance, creating a fascinating dialogue that amplifies the music’s emotional depth in an unconventional venue. This unique performance, set against the backdrop of Rodin’s ghostly bronze legacy, redefines the boundaries of classical music and contemporary art in a space where history and creativity collide.
Alexandre Tharaud and Chun Wing Lam “Sur Mesure”
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