Antoine Riboud and Patrick Bouchain envisioned the Grange au Lac as a completely new kind of concert hall, dreamed up by the imagination of the great Mstislav Rostropovich, whose performances would later bring it to life as part of the Rencontres Musicales (Musical Encounters) concert series.
In 2014, the Quartet Modigliani ushered in a second incarnation of the Musical Encounters, and the Grange au Lac quickly regained its audience and attracted brilliant artists once again. Much more than just a concert venue, the hall has become a veritable musical institution.
The Grange au Lac was born of a strong friendship between Antoine Riboud, then CEO of BSN (later Dannon) and the legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. In Evian, the music-loving businessman created a classical music festival and offered its direction to his friend. Rostropovich transformed it into a major event in the musical life of France, and later of Europe. The Rencontres Musicales d’Évian thrived, becoming a not-to-be-missed meeting point for great artists.
25 years ago, Antoine Riboud decided to give the festival a new concert hall. Rostropovich had seen Menuhin’s tent concert hall at Gstaad, and dreamed of building one out of wood. It was this architectural and acoustical challenge that Riboud gave to the iconocalistic architect Patrick Bouchain…
With the help of acoustician Yaying Xu, Patrick Bouchain rose to the challenge of constructing this "wooden tent" of 1120 seats. He completed it in record time (8 months), in spite of considerable limitations (they were not allowed to dig into the rock protecting Evian’s spring, or to cut down any trees), difficult conditions (a slanted plot of ground, winter months), and a small budget (10 million francs).
Inaugurated on May 20, 1993 by Minister of Culture Jacques Toubon, the hall is constructed almost entirely from cedar and pine, with an immense aluminum shell as a ceiling to ensure perfect acoustics. La Grange resonates as beautifully as the inside of a cello, and behind the stage, birch panelling recalls the heritage of the cellist to whom the hall is dedicated. Mixing luxurious crystal chandeliers with wooden risers, this ostensibly simple grange ("barn") is without a doubt one of the world’s most beautiful concert halls!
