We Recommend
Octavio’s Journey by Miguel Bonnefoy
Wed 29 Mar - Mon 29 May
Gallic Books
A compact but kaleidoscopic fable of Venezuela from a stunning new voice in the magical realism tradition. Shortlisted for the Goncourt first novel award, this short but epic parable is both a hymn to Venezuela and the magical story of an extraordinary hero.
Books
agnès b. Styliste
Wed 29 Mar - Mon 29 May
La Martinière
"I want to make clothes that can be kept for a lifetime." agnès b. has since the beginning, been creating timeless pieces for every collection, defining her own vocabulary while mixing classic fashion codes with streetwear style. For the 40th anniversary of her brand, she samples in a book 40 years of creation, inspiration, art, music and encounters, all things that made the agnès b. universe.
Books
At the Existentialist Cafe
Thu 30 Mar - Fri 30 Jun
Vintage
Paris, near the turn of 1932-33. Three young friends meet over apricot cocktails at the Bec-de-Gaz bar on the rue Montparnasse. They are Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and their friend Raymond Aron, who opens their eyes to a radical new way of thinking…
Books
Noémie Goudal – Station II, 2015
Tue 4 Apr - Tue 6 Jun
Hayward Gallery Billboard
For the fourth Waterloo Billboard Commission, Hayward Gallery present a work by artist Noémie Goudal. Her intervention into a landscape view explores our enduring fascination with the sky.
Visual Arts
Compass by Mathias Enard
Wed 5 Apr - Mon 5 Jun
Fitzcarraldo Editions
As night falls over Vienna, Franz Ritter, a musicologist, takes to his sick bed with an unspecified illness and spends a restless night drifting between dreams and memories, revisiting the important chapters of his life in the Middle East. Goncourt Prize 2015.
Books
The Braille Legacy
Mon 10 Apr - Sat 24 Jun
Charing Cross Theatre
The Braille Legacy tells the thrilling, true, inspirational and epic story of Louis Braille, a young blind boy who wanted the same chance in life as those who see and ended up improving the lives of millions of blind people around the world.
Performing Arts
Based on a True Story by Delphine de Vigan
Wed 12 Apr - Mon 12 Jun
Bloomsbury
What would you do if your closest friend tried to steal your life? Based on a True Story is a chilling novel of suspense that will leave you questioning the truth and its significance long after you have turned the final page.
Books
Black Moses by Alain Mabanckou
Wed 19 Apr - Fri 16 Jun
Serpent's Tail
Alain Mabanckou’s Black Moses is a larger than life comic tale set in 1970s Congo and showing the struggle of a young man obsessed with helping the helpless in an unjust world. Black Moses has been longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize 2017.
Books
This Beautiful Future
Tue 25 Apr - Sat 27 May
The Yard Theatre
A play set in WW II about the moment when love confronts extremism. Elodie is 17. She’s French. Otto is 15. He’s a German soldier. Fusing youth with old age, the past with the present, pop tunes with Stalingrad, This Beautiful Future is mainly about love.
Performing Arts
The French Art of War by Alexis Jenni
Wed 26 Apr - Mon 26 Jun
Atlantic Books
Goncourt prize winner Alexis Jenni’s novel spans essential decades of recent French history, from the aftermath of the Second World War in the 1950s, to the decolonisation and Algerian war of the 1970s.
Books
Filipa César & Louis Henderson: Op-Film: An Archaeology of Optics
Thu 27 Apr - Sun 25 Jun
Gasworks
Gasworks presents a collaborative exhibition by artists and filmmakers Filipa César and Louis Henderson. The project highlights how optical technologies of military and colonial design both inform and are informed by Western models of knowledge.
Films & TV, Visual Arts
The Pulverised
Tue 2 - Sat 27 May
Arcola Theatre
When work has no borders, what’s the cost? Alexandra Badea‘s captivating drama is a powerful and disturbing portrait of globalisation and its far-reaching effects on our lives.
Performing Arts
Diary of a Vampire in Pyjamas by Mathias Malzieu
Wed 3 May - Mon 3 Jul
Quercus
This is a memoir by French bestselling and award-winning author and musician Mathias Malzieu. It focuses on a single year in which he explores his close encounter with death, after been diagnosed with a rare blood cell disease.
Books
Gilded Interiors: French Masterpieces of Gilt Bronze
Thu 4 May - Sun 30 Jul
The Wallace Collection
This exhibition brings together outstanding gilt-bronze objects from the time of Marie-Antoinette. Comprising of beautiful yet functional objects including clocks, candelabras and firedogs, it introduces a significant art form that is frequently overlooked.
Visual Arts
The 7th Function of Language by Laurent Binet
Wed 10 May - Mon 10 Jul
Harvill Secker
Roland Barthes is knocked down in a Paris street by a laundry van. It’s February 1980 and he has just come from lunch with François Mitterrand, a politician locked in a battle for the Presidency. Barthes dies soon afterwards. But was it really an accident?
Books
Lucy Dixon
Tue 16 May - Thu 24 Aug
Brasserie Zédel
Dixon has carved out an eclectic career in theatre, music, performance art and dance. Her latest project Lulu's Back In Town pays homage to the 30s and 40s, bringing her vocal and tap skills to the fore with the support of a Parisian Manouche trio.
Contemporary Music
Hell’s Gate, by Laurent Gaudé
Wed 17 May - Mon 17 Jul
Gallic Books
When his son is killed by gangsters’ crossfire on his way to school, Napolitan taxi driver Matteo is consumed by despair. But he then encounters a man who claims the living can find ways into the afterlife. What if death was not the end?
Books
Graphic Witness
Thu 18 May - Sun 9 Jul
Drawing Room
The exhibition demonstrates the power of drawing to challenge and question, its capacity to record and reflect protest, and to produce images that bear witness to social injustice and even the horrors of war.
Visual Arts
SR9 Trio 3 concerts in London: Bach on the Marimba
Mon 22 - Wed 24 May
St Martin in the Fields
After 5 years touring and a first album dedicated to Johann Sebastian Bach's music, the SR9 Trio continues to explore this wide repertoire. Concerts: St Martin in the Fields, Lycée français Charles de Gaulle and Ecole André Malraux
Classical Music
Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal
Thu 25 May
Cadogan Hall
The Franco-Malian kora-and-cello duo's second album, 2015's Musique de Nuit, draws on the well of West African troubadour songs and the heritage of baroque music but has a clearly modern sensibility. Support comes from contemporary pianist Koki Nakano.
Contemporary Music
Festival Imaginate
Sat 27 May - Sun 4 Jun
The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival
The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival showcases 2 wonderful performances by French companies. Bounce, a dance piece exploring how we react to the unexpected and Nosferatu, the story of Dracula, humorously told through light bulb puppets.
Performing Arts
Hyphens-s
Wed 31 May - Fri 9 Jun
12 Star Gallery
Through the Hyphens-s exhibition, eight young artists from Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Art de Paris Cergy express the spirit of open-mindedness, cross-disciplinarity and variety that animates their painting studio.
Visual Arts
Quatuor Voce at the Hay Festival
Thu 1 Jun
Hay Festival
For this concert recorded for Broadcast on BBC Radio 3, the Quatuor Voce is going to play Mozart’s String Quartet in D minor, K421; Beethoven’s String Quartet in C, Op59 No.3. Concert introduced by Clemency Burton-Hill.
Classical Music
Stradivaria Ensemble: Rebel-Rameau
Thu 1 Jun
St John's Smith Square
The music of two of the towering figures of French musical life in the first half of the eighteenth century is brought to life by the French Baroque Ensemble from Nantes led by their founder and director, violinist Daniel Cuiller.
Classical Music, Contemporary Music
Hay Festival – Alexis Jenni talks to Francine Stock
Fri 2 Jun
Hay Festival
The French novelist introduces his masterpiece The French Art of War, which won the Goncourt Prize in 2011 and is published now in English. This event is part of a European Writers’ Tour, an initiative of EUNIC London.
Talks
Marie Nimier: Text and Context: Histoire, Politics, Erotics
Fri 2 Jun
Senate House
Senate House is pleased to welcome Marie Nimier for a day of conferences around her work, organised by Ana de Medeiros (King's College London) and David Gascoigne (St Andrews). The event will end with a discussion with Marie Nimier and a reading of La Plage.
Talks
Momo Kodama and the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
Sat 3 Jun
Holywell Music Room
During this concert, Momo Kodama is going to perform Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time" and Ravel's "Piano Trio in A minor, M. 67", both inspired by their experiences of the war.
Classical Music, Contemporary Music
Prévert, Piano & Poetry in Bristol
Sat 3 Jun
Trinity Henleaze United Reformed Church
A concert-show created and interpreted by the young pianist Alexandre Prévert, which combines major works for classical piano with poetry, and focuses on great composers such as Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Liszt, Ravel, Debussy, Kurtàg or Stravinsky.
Classical Music, Contemporary Music
Jérémie Rhorer & Jean-Sébastien Bou with the Philharmonia Orchestra
Sun 4 Jun
Royal Festival Hall
Jérémie Rhorer, Le Cercle de l'Harmonie's conductor, comes together with the Philharmonia Orchestra, two stellar soloists and full chorus for two monumental Requiems by Duruflé and Fauré.
Classical Music, Contemporary Music
Into the Unknown – A Journey Through Science Fiction
Tue 6 Jun - Fri 1 Sep
Barbican Centre
Into the Unknown is a festival-style exhibition bringing together artists, designers, filmmakers, SFX specialists, musicians and writers, all testing the boundaries of reality through some of the most experimental works of all time.
Films & TV, Talks, Visual Arts
Les Talens Lyriques at St John’s Smith Square
Wed 7 Jun
St John's Smith Square
The rich diversity of the works presented in this programme underlines Monteverdi’s decisive contribution to the history of music: a new aesthetic and rhetoric based on the imitation of passions in music emerged.
Classical Music
A Handful of Dust
Wed 7 Jun - Sun 3 Sep
Whitechapel Gallery
A Handful of Dust is a speculative history of the 20th century, tracing a visual journey through the imagery of dust from aerial reconnaissance, wartime destruction and natural disasters to urban decay, domestic dirt and forensics.
Visual Arts
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet: Stravinsky, Ravel, Prokofiev
Thu 8 Jun
St David's Hall, Cardiff
Pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet presents a program including Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring", exploring how the composer has taken musical conventions of the time and turned them on their head in this musical depiction of a controversial Pagan ritual.
Classical Music
Stadium by Mohamed El Khatib
Fri 9 - Sat 17 Jun
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Experience the adrenaline of a live football game in Stadium, a powerful new production in which the drama of theatre meets the thrill of football. Music, songs and rousing choreography unite in an invigorating battle like no other.
Performing Arts
A Date with History: Did You Say Europe?
Fri 9 Jun
Tempest Anderson Hall
Join us for the inaugural event of A Date with History, a new collaboration with York Festival of Ideas. Bringing together eminent historians from France and the UK, this first edition will address historical perspectives on Europe.
Talks
MHD @ M.I.A’s Meltdown
Sun 11 Jun
Royal Festival Hall
After selling out his Village Underground show earlier this year, there's more good news for Mohammed Sylla aka Afro-Trap star MHD as he's been chosen as one of the artists playing this year's Meltdown festival curated by global icon M.I.A.
Contemporary Music
The Man Booker International Prize 2017 – Shortlist Evening
Tue 13 Jun
St James' Church
The authors and translators on the Man Booker International Prize 2017 shortlist come together for a very special panel discussion chaired by Jim Naughtie, with selected readings. This event takes place on the eve of the winner announcement.
Talks
Jean Rondeau: Bach’s Goldberg Variations
Wed 14 Jun
The Cobbe Collection, Hatchlands
Presented by The Cobbe Collection Trust in collaboration with The Keyboard Charitable Trust, French harpsichordist Jean Rondeau breathes new life to Bach's Goldberg variations.
Classical Music, Contemporary Music
Cortex
Thu 15 Jun
Jazz Café
The pioneering jazz-funk group formed in France in the 1970s and their Troupeau Bleu LP went on to become the holy grail of French groove, sampled by the likes MF Doom, Lupe Fiasco and Rick Ross. This rare show features the original 1970s lineup.
Contemporary Music
The Van Kuijk String Quartet at St Giles House
Thu 15 Jun
St Giles House
BBC New Generation Artists, the Van Kuijk String Quartet are going to perform Mozart, Webern and Schubert. Their recording of the Mozart String Quartet has received rave reviews in the press.
Classical Music, Contemporary Music
6th East London Comics & Art Festival (ELCAF)
Fri 16 - Sun 18 Jun
Round Chapel
Each year, ELCAF invites a selection of artists from across the world for talks, workshops, books, screenings, signings and music. This year's edition features a lof of French artists: Anouck Boisrobert, Louis Rigaud, Antoine Cossé, Icinori... Take your pick!
Talks, Visual Arts
Ensemble Intercontemporain at the Wigmore Hall
Tue 20 Jun
Wigmore Hall
Ensemble intercontemporain’s stellar line-up of contemporary music specialists returns to Wigmore Hall with a programme of great virtuosity and variety, highlighting contrasts and correspondences between the musical cultures of France and Italy.
Classical Music, Contemporary Music
Jain
Tue 20 Jun
Village Underground
The UK has been steadily catching on to the phenomenon that is Jain, thanks to the ultra-catchy, exotic pop of tracks like 'Come' and 'Makeba'. Following an appearance on Later... with Jools Holland, the next stop is her biggest UK headline show to date.
Contemporary Music
Translate at City
Mon 26 - Fri 30 Jun
City University
The EU Commission Representation in the UK is pleased once again to be supporting City University's literary translation summer school, Translate at City. The course's aim is to train translators to make literature in other languages accessible to the UK.
Talks
Christophe Rousset: Mitridate, re di Ponto
Mon 26 Jun - Fri 7 Jul
Royal Opera House
Christophe Rousset conducts an excellent cast including Albina Shagimuratova, Bejun Mehta, Lucy Crowe and Michael Spyres in Graham Vick’s acclaimed production of Mozart’s early opera.
Classical Music
Aquaserge & Laetitia Sadier
Tue 27 Jun
Corsica Studios
A night of unexpected time signatures and skewed melodies as Aquaserge - France's leading purveyors of psychedelic, progressive and subtly subversive pop - join forces with former Stereolab member Laetitia Sadier and rising UK exoticists Vanishing Twin.
Contemporary Music
Pop Up Lab 2017
Thu 29 - Fri 30 Jun
Chauffeurs Cottage
A practice-sharing conference for teachers, educators & literature professionals. This year’s Lab focuses on ‘visual storytelling’: the reading, teaching, making & publishing of illustrations. Guests include Marjolaine Leray and her translator Sarah Ardizzone.
Talks, Visual Arts
Jean Rondeau & Maurice Steger in London
Mon 3 Jul
Wigmore Hall
Award-winning young harpsichordist Jean Rondeau will play jewels of the keyboard repertoire with Maurice Steger who leads a whistle-stop tour to landmarks of the recorder repertoire, including Hasse’s joyful Cantata and the Sonata in G by Giuseppe Sammartini.
Classical Music
The Age of Enlightenment & William Christie
Tue 4 Jul
St John's Smith Square
Hear a concert of works by Bach and his contemporaries Rameau, JCF Fischer and Campra, performed by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and conducted by William Christie: "Bach goes to Paris".
Classical Music
Sacré Printemps! – Cie Chatha
Wed 5 - Sun 9 Jul
Various venues
Inspired by the hopes and pressures of building a new civil society, choreographers Aïcha M’Barek and Hafiz Dhaou create a visceral streetscape of today’s Tunisia. Part of Shubbak 2017.
Performing Arts