For almost 38 years now, the Festival International de Piano de La Roque d'Anthéron has been an exceptional fixture on the world piano and music scene.

While the Festival's venues have diversified over the last few years, the Parc du Château de Florans is still the place to be for these unclassifiable encounters that bring together all kinds of creations: classical, contemporary... all kinds of styles: jazz, electronic... and all kinds of artists: young talents as well as the greatest international performers.

The acoustic qualities of this stage, ideal for piano recitals as well as concertos and symphonies, only add to the charms of this mythical and magical garden, which bears the entire history of the Château de Florans.

The big story...

It was between 1598 and 1667 that the "petit Château" and then the "grand Château" were built under the impetus of the powerful de Forbin family, largely under Annibal de Forbin Janson. In 1653, the seigneury of La Roque became a Marquisate. The Château remained the property of the Forbins until 1818, when the buildings and land were sold to Louis Raphaël de Cordoue, whose daughter married the Marquis de Florans, from a family originally from the Comtat Venaissin. It was therefore during the 19th century that Château de Forbin became Château de Florans. The 20th century marked an important turning point in the Château's destiny.

In 1937, the Marquise Marie de Florans, the last of her name and sole survivor of an era, bequeathed the property to the Archdiocese of Aix-en-Provence. A decade later, in 1948, Paul Onoratini rented and renovated the Château, which he quickly transformed into a medical and dietary centre. He became the owner nine years later, thanks to his rigorous management and hard work. Over time, the Centre Médical Soleil et Repos became what is now the Clinique du Château de Florans.

A brief history...

Taking a keen interest in local life, Paul Onoratini was elected mayor of the commune of La Roque in 1959. In 1971, with the help of his son Bernard, an interior architect with a passion for the piano, he launched "Musique à Silvacane", a group of seven concerts a year. Soon the DRAC (Direction Régionale de l'Action Culturelle) put Paul Onoratini in touch with René Martin, whose ambition was to create a piano festival in Aix or the surrounding area. The latter's discovery of the Parc de Florans gave him a glimpse of extraordinary possibilities. Paul Onoratini was enthusiastic about the project. The first Festival was held in 1981.

Bernard Onoratini, Paul Onoratini and René Martin:

In the heart of the park, bordered by three hundred and sixty-five plane trees and hundred-year-old redwoods, the clearing has been transformed by the Festival into a land of refuge, where summer evenings are a must for all music lovers.

From the very first Festival in 1981, on the single stage in the Parc du Château de Florans, 9000 spectators came to attend the 12 concerts programmed with prestigious performers such as Youri Egorov, Vlado Perlemuter, Martha Argerich, Krystian Zimerman...

INA / NATIONAL AUDIOVISUAL INSTITUTE / INA.FR

In order to offer artists the best professional environment and audiences the best acoustics, the Festival has made major investments in its second year of operation:

• 1982: creation of an acoustic conch shell
• 1983: installation of rehearsal studios
• 1984: 1400 seats in bleachers
• 1987: construction of a 2nd acoustic shell to accommodate philharmonic orchestras
• 1990: Raising of the acoustic shell for wind instruments
• 1999: purchase of new bleachers (1850 seats)
• 2002: extension of the stands (2300 seats)
• 2007: construction of a new acoustic conch (28 m wide x 14 m high)
• 2010: investment in new, more spacious and comfortable stands (2020 seats)
• 2016: creation of new shop stands

Today

The Festival is the embodiment of an exceptional evolution, pursued with mutual trust between artistic director René Martin and the Onoratini family.

Paul Onoratini passed away in January 2010.

In 2007, his son Jean-Pierre Onoratini took over as President of the Festival.

In 2014, Michel Onoratini became Chairman in his turn. He was Deputy Vice-Chairman throughout his brother's presidency. As the Festival has grown, the two brothers have risen to the challenge together.

At the end of 2016, Jean-Pierre Onoratini took over as Chairman, this time with his sister Marie-Claude Alcaraz, who had already been involved in the association's Board of Directors for several years and who became Deputy Vice-Chairman.

The scope of René Martin's projects is well established. As well as being artistic director of the Festival de La Roque, the Festival de la Grange de Meslay and the Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud, he is also behind the Moments Musicaux de l'Hermitage-Barrière in La Baule, as well as La Folle Journée in Nantes, Tokyo, Bilbao, Rio, Warsaw...

Thanks to the fruitful collaboration between this Artistic Direction and this Presidency, the Festival International de Piano de La Roque d'Anthéron has been able to grow while preserving the same spirit: simplicity in welcoming artists and listeners, quality of concerts and facilities, dedication of the many loyal volunteers who make up the essence of the event. The 75,500 admissions for the 2018 edition bear witness to the exceptional ground we have covered, and give us reason to believe that this wonderful human and artistic adventure will continue to flourish.