Louis XIV had dreamed it that way.
May his palace shine in the firmament of the arts.
And that the music is there queen, in each room, and at each hour of the day and the night, according to a ritual underlined by the etiquette of the court of France.
"Music is consubstantial with Versailles and we can say that today we are on the way to reconnecting with this principle
," says Catherine Pgard.
Eleven years ago, when I arrived at the presidency of the castle, the musical activity consisted of about thirty shows given at the Royal Opera.
There will be 106 this season which follow the diversity of the places, the extent of the history of the castle and the progress of the restoration of the building.
Thus, at the beginning of October, a Proust concert will be given in the attics where the portraits of Winterhalter are hung.
.
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Same idea for Louis XV.
The "Beloved", whose tercentenary of coronation is being celebrated this year, will be honored in a major exhibition this fall.
At the same time, the apartments of the one who loved him very much - Madame du Barry - will reopen restored.
All to music, of course.
A program of concerts features the airs of Louis XV: among others,
Les Génies,
opera-ballet by a certain Miss Duval, a composer to be rediscovered, and
Les Festins royaux du Mariage du Comte d'Artois,
which includes the scores played during the event celebrated on November 16, 1773 with the blessing of Louis XV.
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Opera: at Versailles, a European version
of Handel's
Alcina
Dispelled the suffocating silence that had plagued the castle during the pandemic.
Dissipated with all the more vigor that the Versailles Opera has given itself the means to play the music it wants, when and where it wants, according to a principle dear to monarchs.
From Monteverdi to Lully
“Three or four years ago, two orchestras disappeared while I was waiting for them to play
The Ghosts of Versailles.
I therefore decided to create our orchestra, whose musicians are recruited specifically for each project, with a lute or a clarinet depending on whether we play Cavalli or Berlioz
,” says Laurent Brunner, director of Château de Versailles Spectacles.
This does not exclude the invitation of reference groups and charismatic conductors (Niquet, Christie, Gardiner, etc.) to perform a repertoire that follows the birth of opera in Italy and its adoption in France, from Monteverdi or Cavalli to Lully, Charpentier or Grétry.
From the first, Alarcon will conduct
Le Couronnement de Poppée
, Stéphanie d'Oustrac will sing
Armide
by Lully, while the long-awaited
David and Jonathas
by Charpentier will be given in the Royal Chapel by the Marguerite Louise ensemble conducted by Gaétan Jarry, who is familiar with the place.
The season will also give pride of place to great voices with, among others, Bryn Terfel, Jakub Josef Orlinski, Sonya Yoncheva and Samuel Mariño.