Nora Dargazanli

It was a close call! In her musical awareness class, she is 8 years old: after moderately successful attempts at the bassoon and oboe, Nora Dargazanli is more than charmed by the trumpet. She could very well have settled on this instrument, but decided—and rightly so!—to explore all the possibilities offered by her first year at the Cachan Conservatory. Next came the harpsichord: from the very first note, it was love at first sight and... wonder at the sound that spoke to a child's imagination... Her choice was made and, even though she would later be momentarily tempted by the violin, the harpsichord remained the instrument of her heart.

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After a year with the late Isabelle Sauveur, Anne-Laure Lelièvre took over in Cachan and guided the student to the CSNMDP, always striving to “stimulate and nurture his passion.” Pierre Hantaï's dazzling Scarlatti recital at the Cité de la Musique, to which her teacher took her when she was around 10 or 11 years old, also contributed greatly to this. She admires Hantaï as a harpsichordist, along with Blandine Rannou and Scott Ross—particularly in Scarlatti, a composer beloved by the student. 2015: Four “wonderful years” begin for Nora Dargazanli with her entry into the CNSMDP under Olivier Beaumont. “He helped me grow and opened my eyes to many things; he taught me to contextualize music,” she notes. Her happiness is no less intense in Blandine Rannou's continuo class: “wonderful lessons where she often asked us to come up with an idea and work on it thoroughly.” Nora Dargazanli has not finished learning: in 2019, she entered the CRR in Paris in Stéphane Fuget's vocal coaching class. A class? More than that: a veritable “research laboratory.” She is learning a great deal there; her playing is evolving and enriching itself through contact with the singers.

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Since completing her studies, the harpsichordist has shown a marked preference for ensemble work: accompanying the Maîtrise du CMBV, collaborating with groups such as Opera Fuoco, Matheus, Les Épopées and Le Consort. She also plays in the bass ensemble Cet étrange éclat, alongside gambist Agnès Boissonnot-Guilbault. The two young women recently released an original album of transcriptions of three French Suites by Bach (Bathos Records). This was a remarkable first step in the studio for a duo that is now considering a new recording, this time of French pieces. In the meantime, Nora Dargazanli's love of opera will find many opportunities to express itself. “Opera is the last field where people take their time,” says the woman who places Handel, Monteverdi, and Lully at the top of her pantheon, and who will be appearing in major productions in the coming months.

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