With its Mediterranean clime and laidback vibe, Toulouse in south-western France is both bustling metropolis (the fourth-largest in France, in fact) and heritage hotspot. Homegrown string ensemble T’ang Quartet performed two concerts there in April at the Made in Asia Festival, the eighth annual event that seeks to build bridges between the East and West and foster better understanding of contemporary Asia among the locals. The quartet has performed several times in France in previous years, but it was the first visit to Toulouse for all four. They share their thoughts and photographic souvenirs of this special experience with Singapore Tatler. 

A beautiful spring day in Toulouse

Ang Chek Meng; Violinist
Toulouse in France is a new destination for us, although we have been to several other cities in this major European country and made many friends from among the warm audiences. 

The journey to Toulouse took a gruelling 27 hours (Singapore–Abu Dhabi–Paris, with extra time due to a strike), but our spirits were not dampened, as we were excited to be in this capital city of Haute-Garonne. Right after our hotel check-in, I wasted no time and set out to discover what this city had to offer. 

Strolling down the main boulevard, there were the usual major retail stores, the majestic capitol square and lots of beautiful young people gathered together. It was a surprise to stumble upon a Louis Vuitton boutique nestled in quiet Rue Croix Baragnon, refreshingly tranquil without long queues and crowds like in Paris! I bought a beautiful wallet for my wife’s upcoming birthday and that made a very nice introduction to this city.

We had a great time enjoying the wonderful food of the region, the many watering holes, like the rooftop bar above J’Go—it serves over 50 gin mixers and has a rum bar serving the best mojito from a true-blue Cuban mixologist—and the beautifully restored churches.

Our first performance was at one such chapel, and what a pleasure it was for us to perform at Chapelle des Carmélites! The stone floor posed a challenge acoustically, but it was well balanced by the beautifully painted wooden ceilings.

The interior of Abbaye de Belleperche 

The highlight for me has to be the venue of our second concert on this short trip: Abbaye de Belleperche, Musée des arts de la table. The restored Cistercian abbey, situated in the Gascony region, is about an hour’s drive from Toulouse. In its long history, it has been a monastery, where some parts of the grounds were used to bury fallen knights. It was also an army garrison during the First World War. The special touch with the restoration of this ground into a modern museum is that all the carvings on the walls by individuals who have passed through have remained untouched. 

The magical spirit of the grounds definitely rubbed off on the quartet as we played a wonderful concert with a standing ovation from the appreciative audience!

Alas, as with all our concert tours, the time to depart always comes too soon! Certainly hope to be able to return to perform in Toulouse again! 

Ng Yu-Ying; Violinist

Yu-Ying and the quartet warming up before their concert in Chapelle des Carmélites 

Home to (aircraft maker) Airbus, Toulouse was, on first impression, a little modern and less charming than I’d hoped. Heading into the city from the airport, the buildings we spotted along the highway looked pretty “refurbished”, complete with swimming pools (which we later learned, is a popular feature in many homes). I was slightly disappointed as I had been hoping for old European buildings and charming architecture, like those we had seen in Dijon, Creancey and Auxerre, where we had performed in the past two years.

Thankfully, our five days in Toulouse allowed me to discover the more charming side of the city, from its small alleys with beautiful brick walls and old houses, to the old city of Toulouse. 

Besides wandering through Gothic churches such as the Basilica of St. Sernin, I particularly loved the very rustic restaurants where I indulged myself in way too much foie gras (double the portions in Paris and for half the price!). I also liked The Flower’s Café, which serves the best desserts.

We performed concerts in two very different venues, the first being Chapelle des Carmélites. The first stone of this small chapel was laid in 1622, and the originality of this monument lies in its vault panelled with thick planks of oak that assure a brilliant acoustic. The oil paintings by artist Jean-Pierre Rivals covering the vault made a picture-perfect backdrop, which is held as a masterpiece of 18th-century paintings of Toulouse.

As with all our performing venues, we always have to tweak our sounds and how we play together, to work with the acoustics of the venue. We chose to “under-play” in this chapel to create a cleaner and more articulated sound rather than a reverberating effect, to bring out the best of the programme we had prepared for the audience. The effect worked and we were cheered for an encore.

The picturesque surrounds of Abbaye de Belleperche 

Our second concert venue was even more interesting: Abbaye de Belleperche, a Cistercian abbey turned museum of table art. We were very honoured to be the first to stage a concert here. The natural acoustics of the prison walls on all sides of the performance venue made this a perfect place to play and we received many curtain calls and a standing ovation. Among the warm and appreciative audience was a French lady who spoke to us in perfect Beijing-accented Mandarin and an Englishman who told us he was a soldier in Singapore in 1972. It is always rewarding when concertgoers tell us how a certain piece of music has touched them, when in fact, we are the ones who are thankful for their presence at our shows.

France has always been very special to us, not just for the food or the sightseeing but for the very appreciative audience and the warm reception we always receive. It is a country we are always eager to return to and we are looking forward to our next trip soon.