Women’s Pavilion and Cartier Women Initiatives opening week, Mother Earth concert

In May 2025, Cartier celebrated the universal exhibition in Osaka, Japan, with three non-commercial initiatives : the opening of the Women's Pavilion, the 2025 Cartier Women’s Initiative Impact Awards, and the Mother Earth concert at the Osaka Symphony Hall. Simone Menezes conducted the Osaka Philharmonic orchestra, who performed La Mer by Debussy, Floresta do Amazonas by Villa-Lobos, and Mother Earth , a piano concerto by Fazil Say, commissioned by Cartier. MOTHER EARTH is a music project commissioned by Cartier upon an idea and the artistic direction of Simone Menezes. The famous phrase by Villa-Lobos served as the inspiration for creating this concert. For Villa-Lobos, nature was the ultimate composer. Inspired by this profound connection between music and nature, this concert celebrates the beauty and essence of the natural world through art. The program begins with a newly-composed piano concerto by Fazil Say, Mother Earth, inspired by the four elements - earth, water, fire and air - present in both Western and Eastern traditions. Fazil Say creates a work that transcends cultural boundaries. Then, a move to the sea with Claude Debussy’s La Mer. The composer was deeply inspired by Japanese art, particularly Hokusai’s iconic print the great wave off Kanagawa. Finally, a journey to the Amazon forest with the Floresta do Amazonas, tribute to the world’s largest rainforest, celebrating its grandeur, mystery and vibrant life. 1,200 people attended the concert’s worl