Rameau chez la Pompadour

Le Retour d’Astrée, Jean-Philippe Rameau worldwide recreation

L’Amour et la Folie, Bernard de Bury worldwide recreation

Les Sybarites, Jean-Philippe Rameau           all-new version

During the reign of Louis XV, music in court was a women business ! Two powerful ladies defended the arts in Versailles and in all the royal places : Queen Marie Leszczynska and the famous Marquessa of Pompadour. The two favourites competed and challenged their imagination to attract the Court to their concerts, where they presentd their latest musical creations.

From 1747, The Marquessa of Pompadour created the « Small Apartments Theater », for which was built an ephemeral theater down the Ambassadors stairs. The Marquessa herself played lead parts, surrounded by great opera singers, orchestra, choir and dancers.The King’s Music Surintendant did everything in his power to help the trendy composers (Rameau, Mondonville, Mouret…) create new works but also to bring back to light great past successes by Lully, Destouches…

The third season of « Small Apartments Theater » opened in 1748 with a new opera by Rameau « Les Surprises de l’Amour » : « Le Retour d’Astrée » prologue presented the fight between the goddess Astrée, who brought peace, and cyclops. This ballet act hasn’t been played since so it will be a première worldwide recreation.

Bernard de Bury was one of the great harpsichordists and composers of the XVIIIth century (even if he is not well-known nowadays ). And he was choir master at the « Small Apartments Theater ».   He composed a lot pieces of work for the Royal Academy of Music, and for some shows in Court. His work « L’Amour et la Folie » is the prologue for the opera « Les Caractères de la Folie », staging fights between Vénus, L’Amour and la Folie.

Has never played since then, this is also a première worldwide recreation.

Coproduction Centre de musique baroque de Versailles / Festival Sinfonia en Périgord / Ensemble Les Surprises

Coproduction Radio France