The François Mitterrand Conservatory will live a historical moment on Friday March 24. 45 years later, the scores of the operetta Surcouf will be returned to the conservatory.
Composed by the Mauritian Lucien Maugendre in 1978 – the operetta ‘Surcouf’ is one of the rare lyrical works written by a son of the soil.
After a few performances in Mauritius, the tenor José Todaro brought the scores with him to perform it once or twice in Europe. Then, these scores fell into oblivion until 2022: “The singer Robert Duvergé was always in contact with José Todaro. As friends they regularly visited each other. It was during a visit by Robert Duvergé last year that the tenor gave him the scores, wishing that the work would return to Mauritian territory after so many years. We are planning a ceremony on Friday, March 24 at the Conservatory’s headquarters at 6:15 pm,” explains Claudie Ricaud, the director.
If for the time being no performance of the operetta is planned, it could happen in the not too distant future: “You have to know that the scores contain erasures, which is normal, since it must have been modified in the past. For the moment, it’s a bit difficult to play it. We are currently using software to make them a little more readable. Only after this work is done will we try to play it again,” Claudie points out.
On March 24, the conservatory will also inaugurate a studio that will allow its students to send their works abroad for examination purposes.
