Starting Sunday 19 January, a series of three consecutive episodes of L'Esprit Baroque (15.00 – 17.00) will relive the music from the court of Versailles.
Music played an important role at Versailles in the 17th and 18th centuries. Music accompanied all the major events in the life at the court; services in the chapel, performances at the opera, the banquets, the hunts and, of course, the famous parties in the gardens.
In 2013, the French label Alpha issued a series of CDs titled 'Collection Versailles' with Baroque music from the court at Versailles.
Dardanus
In 3 episodes of L'Esprit Baroque, we will be playing a selection of music from these CDs, including the opera Dardanus from Jean-Philippe Rameau, which also forms part of our celebrations of the Rameau year 2014. This opera was again performed in 2012 in the restored opera house at Versailles.
Performers
The performance of Dardanus is by the Ensemble Pygmalion conducted by Raphaël Pichon. The soprano singing the role of Venus is the rising star Sabine Devieilhe.
The organ in the Royal Chapel at Versailles is played by the organists Jean-Baptiste Robin, François Espinasse, Michel Bouvard and Frédéric Desenclos.
The other performers that can be heard during the series include Le Poème Harmonique, Café Zimmermann, La Fenice, Ricercar Consort and Café Zimmermann.
- Part 1: Sunday 19 January, 15.00 – 17.00 with court music, theatre music and religious music
- Part 2: Sunday 26 January, 15.00 – 17.00 and
- Part 3: Sunday 2 February, 15.00 – 17.00 the opera Dardanus by Jean-Philippe Rameau, and French baroque music played on the organ of the Royal Chapel at Versailles
Click here for more information about music events at Versailles.
