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Live music in Monaco: a guide to the Principality’s winter music scene

by: Elsa Carpenter
14/02/2023

There’s a vibrant music scene in the Principality, even in winter, from glamorous jazz lounges to acoustic performances, karaoke and DJ sets by the beach. Let Monaco Life be your guide. 

Let’s kick off with an event that’s making a welcome return to the Principality’s musical agenda, the Jazzy Evenings at the Hôtel Metropole. Jazz artist Jaffa will be performing twice this month in the Lobby Bar on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th February from 7.30pm. Tables can be reserved ahead of time to ensure the best spots at this high-end establishment.  

live music monaco
Jazz artist Jaffa is due to perform twice this month at the Hotel Metropole. Photo source: Hotel Metropole

Beachside in Larvotto, La Note Bleue describes its vibe as a “tribute to saxophonist Barney Wilen”. It regularly hosts themed music nights, but the mainstays on its events calendar are the Wednesday Live Sessions. They are the perfect antidote to the mid-week hump, with everything from funk to soul and Latin to Afrobeat to be expected.

Highlights this month include Grace Beauly with The Love Songs on Wednesday 15th and Nina Papa on Wednesday 22nd February. The Wednesday Live Sessions are typically preceded by a DJ set from 6.30pm to get patrons in the mood, before the star act takes to the stage at 8pm. Reservations are recommended.  

Also in Larvotto, head to Cova at Palais de la Plage every Friday to treat yourself with friends and chillout before the weekend starts. The ‘Aperitivo’ jazz bar features live jazz music, classic and signature cocktails, and hot and cold finger food. The cool Friday vibes kick off at 5pm every week.

Aperitivo at Cova Palais de la Plage, photo provided

Sass Café on Avenue Princesse Grace has been a destination for a goodtime since 1993. Its opulent décor transforms from restaurant to nightclub as the night draws in, and the musicians who entertain throughout the dinner setting are followed by a resident DJ into the early hours. It’s open Tuesday to Sunday, with the party winding down at 4am. (Note: the club is closed for a month until 28th February).

A similar party atmosphere is to be found at Buddha Bar on a Friday night, albeit with a distinctly Asian flavour if you’re here to enjoy the food as well as the music. Until 31st March, the ‘Winter Party Season’ will feature resident live singer Akram or DJs back-to-back. Note that the Buddha-Bar Monte-Carlo lounge will be closed for renovation from 13th February to 7th March 2023, so the entrance will be at the Private Entrance – Casino de Monte-Carlo.

Buda Bar Winter Season, photo source: SBM Monte-Carlo

Away from the swanky nightclubs, Monaco also has a roaring pub scene with live music throughout the week. Our favourites are Duke, with its karaoke nights on Wednesday and Saturdays as well as live music performances on the nights in-between, and Monaco’s Irish pub, McCarthy’s, which hosts bands and performers at the weekends. 

And finally, if you’re less of a night owl, we should also mention the musical brunches enjoyed by many in the Principality. Mozza and the Fairmont recently featured in our guide on the ‘Best Brunches in Monaco’ and both pair their gourmet offerings with great live music. 

New addition! Where to find the best brunch in Monaco

 

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Photo source: SBM Monte-Carlo

The Sea is Green: SBM launches cultural season with evening of art and gastronomy at the Hotel Hermitage

by: Elsa Carpenter
14/02/2023
the sea is green

A season of art de vivre begins on 11th March with a prestigious dinner recital, Musique de l’Eau, at the Hotel Hermitage.

The Winter Garden will host this exceptional night of culture – one that combines music with haute cuisine and an art exhibition – described by SBM as a “tribute to a more gentle way of life”.  

The event is entitled Musique de l’Eau and Monegasque pianist Stella Almondo is to perform while Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alléno will provide the gourmet accoutrements in the form of a four-course meal alongside a display of sea-themed creations by ceramist Jean Boghossian.  

Tickets to the event, which marks the beginning of SBM’s The Sea is Green programme, cost €410. Reservations are required and can be made here.  

 

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Photo by Société des Bains de Mer

The Guardians of the Planet premieres in Monaco

by: Elsa Carpenter
13/02/2023
Les Gardiennes de la Planète

The Grimaldi Forum was honoured with the premiere screening of Les Gardiennes de la Planète last week, a project supported the Prince Albert II Foundation and UNESCO, in an event well-attended by the Princely family.  

Prince Albert II led the blue carpet at the Grimaldi Forum on Thursday 9th February alongside members of the Grimaldi family as well as the film’s director, Jean-Albert Lièvre, narrator Jean Dujardin and CEO of the Prince Albert II Foundation, Olivier Wenden.  

The French-language production, which will hit cinemas on Wednesday 22nd February after a number of special previews, including screenings at schools throughout the Principality, walks a line between documentary and story-telling.  

Told from the point of view of the whale and tracing a dramatic beaching on a remote shore, Les Gardiennes de la Planète – or The Guardians of the Planet in English – confronts the complex challenges of climate change that threaten this great species and provides a strong warning of the consequences the world could face if these giants disappear from the oceans.  

It offers a marvel of underwater cinematography with incredible screens featuring family groups in a range of locations around the world.

See the trailer below for a taster of this magical experience. 


 

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Monaco Ocean Week 2023: A focus on action plans and research findings

by: Stephanie Horsman
13/02/2023
monaco ocean week

Monaco Ocean Week returns in March with a packed schedule of events featuring innovators, economists, scientists and its figurehead of Prince Albert all banding together for one cause: ocean preservation.  

Ocean conservation and awareness have long been embedded in the collective psyche of the Principality, starting in the late 19th century with the Explorer Prince, Prince Albert I. Today, the legacy is being carried out by his namesake, Prince Albert II, who has dedicated much of his life to the cause and has, over the years, been instrumental in influencing change and bringing awareness of the plights of the seas.   

Via the Prince Albert II Foundation, there have been several landmark actions, such as the appeal to stop the consumption of the endangered Mediterranean bluefin tuna in 2008, inciting the 2009 Monaco Declaration on Ocean Acidification and the Monaco Blue Initiative (MBI) marine conservation thinktank in 2010. In 2013, the foundation created an environmental fund to manage Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean, followed by the BeMed project, which was launched in 2015 to combat plastic pollution. 

During the Paris COP21 in 2015, the Prince Albert II Foundation played a key role with the Because the Ocean climate regulation declaration, which highlighted the importance of the ocean in climate regulation and has now been signed by 33 countries. In 2016, the Principality initiated the IPCC Special Report on oceans and the cryosphere, which was officially revealed in Monaco in September 2019.  

With so much focus going into ocean conservation, the logical next step was to create a forum for the leading marine sector stakeholders to gather together and speak about and inform others in the field of their specialities, tying the loose threads into one. This is how Monaco Ocean Week was born.   

From 20th to 26th March, Monaco Ocean Week, now in its sixth edition, will see local and international experts, scientists, business leaders, public authorities, activists and NGOs uniting for a week of discussions, recaps of last year’s successes and debates.  

Event highlights include a presentation of the recent Monaco Explorations Indian Ocean Mission, a review of the ongoing Pelagos Initiative project, a MedFund conference, and the Ocean Innovators Platform.  

A full listing of the scheduled events can be found here.  

 

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Photo credit: G. Luci / Monaco Ocean Week

Jimmy Gressier reclaims European record in Monaco Run

by: Luke Entwistle
13/02/2023

French runner Jimmy Gressier has made history for the second time at the Monaco Run, retaking his European 5km record from Yemaneberhan Crippa in Sunday’s race. 

Gressier returned to the track where his initial European record of 13:18 was set. Crippa had since beaten that record, although Gressier’s time still remained a French record.

The Frenchman’s chances of achieving his objective and taking his record back seemed to be hampered, with train strikes meaning he only arrived in the Principality at 11pm the night before the race. However, if preparations were sub-optimal, it certainly didn’t show on Sunday. The Boulogne-sur-Mer native ran a 13:12, beating his initial record, set at the Monaco Run in 2020, and in doing so reclaiming the European record.

In the Women’s 5km, Mirriam Chebet (15:40) came out on top, finishing comfortably ahead of the competition. Meanwhile, in the 10km races, Yohan Le Berre (29:52) won the Men’s race, whilst Zuzana Gejdosova’s 36:50 earned her the top step of the podium in the Women’s race.

Over the course of the two days, almost 2,000 runners participated in the event, which this year obtained the World Athletics Label – a validation of the increasing popularity and professionalism of the event.

 

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Photo by Monaco Run

Andrea Chénier coming to Opéra de Monte-Carlo

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/02/2023
andrea chenier

Love and hate in the French Revolution set the scene for the four sold-out Andrea Chénier performances this month at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. 

Leave it to the Italians to create the seminal opera about the French Revolution. First seen at La Scala in Milan in March 1896, with music written by Umberto Giordano and the libretto by Luigi Illica, Andrea Chénier tells the sad tale of the daughter of a countess, Maddalena de Coigny, who falls in love with Andrea Chénier, a poet and French patriot during the Revolution.  

Andrea offers her protection, only to find a rival in former servant Carlo, who now holds a position of power and threatens to not only derail their romance, but to eliminate the competition by having Andrea condemned.  

Renowned tenor Jonas Kaufmann is taking on the title role alongside Maria Agresta as Maddalena. This piece is one he is well-suited for as a seasoned performer who has taken on other challenging parts such as Don José in Carmen and Cavaradossi in Tosca.  

“I think playing a historical character is fantastic, because you have access to a lot of background information that you can incorporate into your interpretation,” said Kaufmann of the role. “In addition, the role of Andrea Chénier is very rewarding musically and vocally, it is in my eyes an absolute masterpiece. And it is an opera through which many great tenors of the past have become immortal, notably Franco Corelli. In this regard, it is always a special honour for me to be able to sing this ‘tenor opera’.” 

Andrea Chénier, a co-production with the Teatro Comunale Bologna and directed by Pier Francesco Maestrini, is playing sold-out shows on 19th, 21st, 23rd and 25th February, with a Gala performance being held on 21st.  

For more information, please click here.

 

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Photo credit: Bill Cooper