On Saturday, November 18, 2023, at 5 p.m., the early music ensemble the Sebastians and the Yale Voxtet will unite for a special performance at the Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church in New York City. The ensembles will present “Voices of Versailles,” spotlighting French baroque vocal music with a particular focus on composers Jacquet de La Guerre and Charpentier. Jacquet de {…}
Photo credit: Tove Falk Olsson In the summer of 2024 the Court Theatre of Drottningholms will present Jean-Baptiste Lully’s grand French opera “Armide.” Musical director and conductor Francesco Corti leads the French creative team in the first staging of a Lully opera at Drottningholm. Florent Siaud directs, Natalie Van Parys serves as choreographer, and the set and costume designer is {…}
I’m always struck by the story of “Armide.” The drama of the ancient sorceress is simultaneously transcendent and humane. The opera, after Torquato Tasso’s “Jerusalem Delivered,” ponders the prickly relationship between affect and politics, leading to the one-million-dollar question: Is his love enough? Or, even better: Is love enough? Philippe Quinault’s libretto contraposes the idea of freedom with lovelessness. Renaud’s {…}
Photo: Michele Monasta Born in Florence in 1632, Gianbattista Lulli left his native city at the age of 14 in the service of Roger de Lorraine for a life in France. He went on to become a master composer of French baroque music, and along with his librettist Philippe Quinault went on to establish a distinctly French form of opera, {…}
(Credits: RibaltaLuce Studio / © Christine Schneider / Michal Novak) The Festival of baroque and sacred music in Froville, France has announced its 2021 edition. The festival will take place from May 28 until July 6, 2021. For the purposes of this article, we will focus only on vocal performances. Here is the look. Mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux will perform works {…}
(Credits: Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe / Olivier Allard) The Musée du Louvre has announced an upcoming series of concerts to be broadcast from its auditorium. The first such concert, entitled “Exoticism in French and European music in the seventeen century,” will showcase soprano Claire Lefilliâtre, tenors David Tricou and Serge Goubioud, and bass Geoffroy Buffière. Vincent Dumestre will conduct his Poème {…}