CHATEAU VERSAILLES

In 1670, Moli?re and Lully presented to the King Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, a sumptuous Com?die-Ballet performed by Moli?re's Troupe, with musicians conducted by Lully, ballets by Pierre Beauchamp,...

Venus, irritated by the young mortal Psych? whose beauty radiates all across the world, dispatches Cupid to impose a thousand trials upon her, which the young victim triumphs over to the point of...

In 1723, Marais published his final masterpiece: La Gamme (The Scale). At 67, he was covered in glory and had nothing left to prove, but took utter delight in giving himself over to the composition...

At the height of his career as a viola da gamba player, Marais published this Suite d'un go?t ?tranger (Suite with a Foreign Flavour) in 1717, a veritable voyage of initiation into the most...

Two viola da gamba players, two inspired soloists, two major composers of the century of Louis XIV: Marais and Sainte Colombe. What could be more sensually French? When Sainte Colombe published his...

We all remember the "Austrian woman" by her nickname "Madam deficit," but on the other hand, if you put aside the parties, the balls, and the extravagant garments, Marie-Antoinette's pronounced...

Her exceptional stage presence, her remarkable virtuosity and musicianship have established her reputation beyond the border of her native Canada, where she tours and performs frequently as a soloist...

Michael Praetorius was the most prolific German composer of his generation, making use of a beauty of sound and an abundance of instruments worthy of his contemporary Monteverdi. Here we have a...

Mondonville achieved the apotheosis of the Grand Motet ? la Fran?aise: the fruit of Lalande's rhetorical heritage and Rameau's operatic style, in which he developed a sacred work symbolic of the...

Ulysses and Monteverdi: passion and action at the heart of musical drama. Penelope sings of her endless wait, her hope to see the king of her heart again, while her suitors besiege her to take her...

In 1791, in a suburb of Vienna, Mozart created his Singspiel Die Zauberfl?te. The libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, who also directed it in his theatre, wanted to reach out to the popular audience in...

Two illustrious composers at odds with their Requiem? When, in 1791, a 36-year-old Mozart composed the one that would remain unfinished due to his death, he did so in response to a commission from...