Louis XIV at dusk
- 15:30
- Paris | Salle Cortot
- France
Presented in partnership with the prestigious École Normale de Musique de Paris / Salle Cortot.
Proudly supported by the Talens Lyriques Patrons’ Circle.
François Couperin (1668-1733)
Ariane consolée par Bacchus, cantate (1708)
La Superbe, sonate en trio (ca. 1695)
Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (1667-1737)
L’Enlèvement d’Orithie Cantate, deuxième Livre (1713)
CAST
Lysandre Châlon, bass-baritone
Gilone Gaubert & Benjamin Chénier, violins
Atsushi Sakaï, viola da gamba
Christophe Rousset, direction & harpsichord
« At the start of the 18th century, music begins to embrace new emotions. After the death of Louis XIV in 1715, the rigid austerity of the past gave way to a lighter breath, almost a return to courtly love. The arts, and music in particular, became infused with Italian influences while preserving that delicate French sensibility.
With Couperin and Montéclair, we move away from the grandeur and ceremonial splendour of Lully. Instead, we find ourselves in a more intimate world, where tenderness and sincerity take precedence. Their works celebrate a refined kind of love, deeply felt but never overwrought; virtuosity is always in the service of genuine emotion. This programme captures the spirit of that moment in time – a period when people were learning to love freely once again, in music as much as in life. »
– Christophe Rousset