Composer

At the heart of this Wanderlust lies the powerful influence of Louis XIV’s France on German musical taste, from the theatrical brilliance of Lully to the refined keyboard and sacred traditions that flourished across the Holy Roman Empire at the turn of the 18th century.

Wanderlust

Smith Square Hall

In French Reflections, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellows present a sophisticated selection of chamber works spanning Baroque splendour to 20th‑century brilliance. Lully’s regal dances open a program enriched by Saint‑Saëns’ elegant Septet and Poulenc’s refined lyricism. Martinů’s La Revue de cuisine brings rhythmic vitality and modern flair, complemented by Bernovsky’s striking Trio for Brass. This concert showcases the Fellows’ artistry across a vivid palette of ensemble colours and historical styles.

French Reflections

Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church

It’s as if Joseph Haydn had written a symphony about the Marschallin’s words: Der Rosenkavalier, an opera where a bourgeois family marries into the nobility, continues to resonate in today’s concert program. Following music from the court of the Sun King, we will hear Mozart's last piano concerto. Composed shortly after the outbreak of the French Revolution, its expressive world is already Romantic – and will be presented to us by Kristian Bezuidenhout, a master of historical performance practice.

EPSG:4326

From Versailles to Vienna

Festspielhaus Baden-Baden

BRSO baroque · Rachel Podger

Munich Residence

April showers bring bouquets of Baroque delights blossoming with energy and grandeur! “Music that crackles with life and color” (The Boston Globe) will sweep you off your feet as the H+H Orchestra brings new life to the sparkling charm of Lully’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, the magnificence of Handel’s Water Music, and the genius of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 1. There is simply no substitute for the vivid authenticity, energy, and exhilaration that blooms when you hear this music played on the instruments it was made for.

Handel’s Water Music

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Music by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Marin Marais and Jean Philippe Rameau.

Alla corte dei re di Francia. Musiche per Versailles

Teatro dell'Opera di Roma

Orchestra Nazionale Barocca dei Conservatori

Teatro Massimo di Palermo

Spectacular chaconnes, singing icicles and mysterious characters of the night: Henry Purcell drew on some of Lully’s most famous opera scenes and turned them into iconic episodes of Restoration theatre that are much loved to this day.

French Scenes in Purcell Operas: 'Love's Triumph'

Royal Academy of Music

Music from the court of Versailles begins and ends this sparkling exploration of the baroque. Jonathan Cohen leads a slimmed-down BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and shows just how flexible this group of players can be, as they weave their way through a selection of dances, fugues and concertos.

Music of the Sun King

RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music)

Cadmus and Hermione

Philharmonie de Paris

Jordi Savall is a legend of early music, and in this concert he joins forces with the young musicians of the Karajan-Akademie. Together, they unleash elemental musical forces – with Water Music: Ebb and Flow by Georg Philipp Telemann and Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks, a work that uniquely combines unrestrained splendour with elegance. The concert opens with the orchestral suite from the opera Alceste, in which Jean-Baptiste Lully explores the full expressive range of the Baroque – from martial fanfares to graceful dances.

Unleashed elemental forces with Jordi Savall and the Karajan-Akademie

Berliner Philharmonie

The Collegium Musicum performs music from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, with repertoire ranging from solo cantatas to madrigals, oratorios, operas, concertos, and other orchestral works. Recent concerts have included performances of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, Handel’s Concerti Grossi, op. 3, Purcell’s King Arthur and The Fairy Queen, Lully’s Psyché and Thésée, Luigi Rossi’s Orfeo, Cavalli’s Ercole amante and La virtù de’ strali d’Amore, and Monteverdi’s Madrigali guerrieri, et amorosi.

Collegium Musicum

Eastman School of Music

For 70 years now, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt) has been a regular guest at the Kassel Music Days – this time with the Russian conductor and harpsichordist Maxim Emelyanichev and a multifaceted program centered around the French Baroque. Two suites by Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau will be performed, as well as a Baroque-inspired ballet suite by Igor Stravinsky. Audiences can also look forward to a harpsichord concerto that is not yet 100 years old. Maxim Emelyanichev is considered a rising star of early music, approaching his work with tremendous curiosity and musical passion. He will even be at the harpsichord himself for Francis Poulenc's sparkling and witty concerto.

Kassel Music Days

Kassel State Theater

A harpsichord concerto that's not even 100 years old? Yes, Francis Poulenc's "Concert champêtre" spices up the Baroque sound with modern harmonies, and the liaison is a resounding success. The suite theme is also explored in a unique way in this concert: two old pieces, one new – where freshness isn't a matter of era. 20th-century France looks back to the old masters of the Baroque: The conductor who brings this special perspective to the hr-Sinfonieorchester's "Baroque+" series is Maxim Emelyanychev. The Russian is considered a rising star of early music because he approaches his work without any affectation, but with tremendous curiosity and a true musical pulse. He conducts historically informed performance ensembles as well as large symphony orchestras and says: "I want to approach the music with a fresh perspective, but with the aim of performing it as it was possible back then." In Francis Poulenc's sparkling and witty "Concert champêtre," Emelyanychev himself will be at the harpsichord; he loves leading an ensemble from the keyboard: "It's a completely different connection with the orchestra than when you're just conducting. You feel like part of the whole."

Concert champêtre

Hessischer Rundfunk

Lamento

Cortot Room

Soprano Elisabeth St-Gelais and cellist Cameron Crozman, rising stars already receiving significant acclaim, join Jonathan Cohen for the first time in a magnificent concert showcasing the French overture, a genre pioneered by Lully and taken to new heights by Bach.

Grand concert D'ouverture

Place des Arts

Palais Montcalm – Maison de la musique

Bring a friend and join the Boise Baroque Orchestra for an outdoor evening of music and laughter. Guests are invited to bring their own picnic or pre-purchase food from Roghani's Restaurant and enjoy eating, drinking and socializing while listening to a concert on the lawn, conducted by Artistic Director Robert Franz.

Boise Baroque Summer Music Festival at the Château des Fleurs

Château des Fleurs

For ten years now, the five musicians and friends have formed the ensemble Karidion Brass. With wit and passion, they introduce their listeners to the full diversity of brass music and inspire with their joy in making music together at the highest level. Under the open sky of the courtyard of Dobbertin Monastery, Karidion Brass presents a colorful and diverse program of virtuoso baroque pieces, sophisticated original compositions, and modern, jazzy melodies.

YOUNG ELITE Karidion Brass

Klosterkirche Dobbertin

“ Here we find two forms of love: the unconditional love of a mother for her daughter, and the passionate and transgressive love of Pluto, ready to do anything to abduct Proserpine, even defy Jupiter. But Proserpine has no say in the matter: her fate is sealed without her consent, torn between her mother and her husband, six months on Earth, six months in the Underworld.
After its premiere in Vienna and Versailles, returning to Beaune is a bit like Proserpine's return to Earth: a familiar place, a long history with the festival, and a natural affinity with Lully, whose works we have often performed here. Proserpine fits perfectly into this complete cycle of Lully's music that we have been pursuing for years. The work possesses a striking dramatic intensity: the abduction, the sublime lamentations, Jupiter's descent, and a unique moment when a character suddenly loses the ability to speak under the influence of a spell.” A pure marvel of simplicity and emotion, typical of Lully. And then, it's also an opportunity to reunite with the Namur Chamber Choir and perform on their home turf… A beautiful musical and human adventure awaits .

Proserpine

Theater an der Wien, Vienna

Beaune Festival

Grand Manège

During Bach’s composing years, French style and culture were highly influential in Germany, considered to add a refined touch to fashion, music, and more. So it is that French grace notes, like the rhythms of court dances, found their way into the music of a composer who never visited the country. Yet, as always, in his habit of exploring other genres and composers—he was known as a particular admirer of Couperin—Bach emerged as a distinctive voice. “What I call the French foam in Sebastian Bach’s music cannot—I must admit—be so readily lifted off that you can lay your hands on it. It is like ether: it permeates all, yet it is intangible,” German composer Karl Freidrich Zelter wrote in 1827, adding “his style is typically Bach, as is everything about him.”

J.S. Bach and the French Baroque

Carnegie Hall

Bernard Labadie offers a brilliant programme of Italian, French and English music featuring his own arrangements of two Baroque masterpieces especially made for Les Violons du Roy: Bach's monumental Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor and Pachelbel's poignant Chaconne in E minor.

Chaconnes and passacaglias with Bernard Labadie

The composer York Bowen grew up in the London suburb of Crouch Hill, where his father ran the renowned whiskey distillery "Bowen & McKechnie". After graduating from the Royal Academy of Music, he conquered the concert halls as a piano virtuoso. But Bowen also played the viola and horn. In 1956 he composed a horn concerto whose beguiling beauty evokes a longing for bygone eras.

Poetry & Dance

Zeughaus Neuss

A little Italian boy is brought to France, enchants the king and has a stronger and more lasting influence on French musical life than any other: Jean-Baptiste Lully 's miraculous rise from an underage serf to "Conseiller secrétaire du roi" is not due to his musical talent. It is his dance numbers and parodies that enchant the future Sun King. He composes his own ballets and remains the Sun King's undisputed favorite composer for 25 years. He is the founder of the French national opera and writes the music for more than 50 stage works, as well as songs, motets and dances. His death is as dramatic as his life: during a rehearsal, the 55-year-old composer rams the heavy conductor's baton into his foot. The wound becomes infected and Lully, the dancer, dies because he refuses to have his foot amputated.

Vive la France!

Anneliese Brost Musikforum Ruhr

Join us for an exquisite afternoon of Baroque music as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, featuring the radiant soprano Julia Bullock, graces the stage of Zellerbach Hall on January 19, 2025, at 3:00 pm. This performance marks Bullock's second appearance of the season and the much-anticipated return of the period-instrument ensemble to Berkeley.

Under the theme of "Illuminations: Fractured History," the ensemble, celebrated for its fresh approach to Baroque music, will perform alongside Bullock, showcasing her gleaming soprano voice through a selection of arias from operas by Handel, Lully, Rameau, and Purcell. The program will be sung in Italian, French, and English, offering a rich tapestry of Baroque vocal music complemented by instrumental showpieces by Vivaldi, Bach, Pachelbel, and Handel.

Highlights of the program include Handel's "Overture from Music for the Royal Fireworks," Vivaldi's "Concerto in E major, Op. 8, No. 1, Spring from The Four Seasons," and Bach's "Schafe können sicher weiden from BWV 208," among others. This performance not only promises to be a celebration of Baroque music's enduring beauty but also a testament to the timeless appeal of historic instruments and the repertoire composed for them.

Tickets for this enchanting afternoon start at $56, with season subscriptions available now and single tickets going on sale on August 6 at noon. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the sublime artistry of Julia Bullock and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in a program that bridges the past and present through the universal language of music.

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with Julia Bullock

Cal Performances

Explore the life and influences of 17th-century Italian musician Antonia Bembo, whose incredible journey takes us from Venice to the court of Louis XIV in Paris. With text and narration by Symphony violinist and author Isabelle Fournier, and a spectacular performance by virtuoso lutenist Lucas Harris, we examine the rivalry and the union between French and Italian baroque music, art, and culture.

Corelli, Lully, & Bembo

St. Andrew's United Church

What could be more splendid, more magnificent, more powerful than the music composed for the wedding of the Sun King Louis XIV? Vincent Dumestre and his baroque ensemble Le Poème Harmonique convey an impression of the unique splendor of this wedding music.

The Harmonic Poem | Vincent Dumestre

Museum Ludwig

Julia Bullock brings the vocal fireworks to a night with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment celebrating the greatest hits of the 18th century.

Baroquebusters

Southbank Centre

Travel back in time to Dublin’s Smock Alley Theatre. It’s May 1742 and the eccentric musician Mr Charles is hosting a vibrant showcase of the latest musical fashions from across Europe.

Irish Baroque Orchestra

The Queen's Hall

Ilumina, the São Paulo-based artist collective, was founded by the American violist Jennifer Stumm. It has quickly become a model for 21st century creativity and the advancement of diverse talent. Uniting leading soloists with gifted young musicians from Latin America, it nurtures rising artists and gives them a chance to shine.

Ilumina Residency: In The Light Of The Shadow

Usher Hall

Immerse yourself in the delights of high French Baroque music—from the passion of Rameau to the poise of Lully—with this keyboard-centered program performed by New York Philharmonic harpsichordist Paolo Boridignon, violinist Yura Lee, flutist Tara Helen O’Connor, and cellist Peter Stumpf. 

French Baroque Masters: Rameau & Lully

New Mexico Museum of Art

The Baroque Performance Institute Orchestra, now in its 52nd season, will present an enchanting orchestral performance at Oberlin's Finney Chapel. This year's program, titled "Music of Paris and Versailles, 1660-1760," promises a captivating journey through the rich musical heritage of the Baroque era. The concert will feature a selection of works by renowned composers such as Jean-Baptiste Lully, Marin Marais, Jean-Marie Leclair, and Jean-Philippe Rameau. Highlights include Lully's Suite from "Le Bourgeois gentilhomme," Marais' Suite from "Alcione," and Leclair's Concerto in A Minor, Op. 7, No. 5, with violin soloist Edwin Huizinga. Additionally, the orchestra will perform Rameau's "Deuxième concert," transcribed for six parts, and the Suite from "Les Indes galantes." This performance will showcase the exceptional talents of both faculty and students of the Baroque Performance Institute, offering a rare opportunity to experience the elegance and grandeur of Baroque music in a historically informed setting.

Concert: Baroque Performance Institute Orchestra

Oberlin College

Join us for a mesmerizing evening of classical music as "The 24 Violins Cross the Alps" takes the stage on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 5pm. This extraordinary concert will be held at the prestigious Sanctuary of Brick Presbyterian Church, located at 1144 Park Avenue, nestled between 91st and 92nd Street. 

Last season, our largest ensemble of string musicians recreated the official string band of France’s court at Versailles. This year, for our 2023/24 finale, we are thrilled to reunite this incredible orchestra in a new program that celebrates the profound influence of Lully’s 24 Violons du Roy on German and Italian music. The evening will feature works by Muffat and Corelli, transporting the audience through a musical journey that bridges countries and centuries.

The program includes selections from Jean-Baptiste Lully’s masterpieces such as "Atys," "Le bourgeois gentilhomme," and "Les plaisirs de l’île enchantée," among others. Arcangelo Corelli’s "Concerto grosso in D major" and "Trio Sonata in E major" will showcase the Italian genius's contribution to the baroque era. Georg Muffat’s "Armonico tributo" will further enrich the evening with its harmonious blend of French, Italian, and German styles.

Our ensemble for the evening comprises a talented group of musicians playing Dessus de Violons, Hautes-contres, Tailles, Quintes, Violoncelles, Violes de gambe, Basses de violon, and Basse continue, along with Percussions, Théorbe, and Clavecin. This diverse array of instruments promises an authentic and immersive baroque experience.

Tickets are available for purchase now. We also offer free student tickets and community comp tickets to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to experience this magnificent performance. Please email music@sebastians.org with your proof of student status to reserve a ticket or to inquire about community comp tickets.

For your safety and comfort, we are currently mask-optional for audiences and will not be checking vaccine cards. However, we reserve the right to adjust our health and safety policies as needed and will communicate any changes in advance.

Don’t miss this unforgettable evening where history, music, and talent converge. Buy your tickets today and let "The 24 Violins Cross the Alps" transport you to another era.

The 24 Violins Cross the Alps

The Brick Presbyterian Church

To celebrate PBO’s abundance of talent, each season will now feature a program curated by an orchestra member. First up is our esteemed leader, Carla Moore, in a concert that delves into Georg Philipp Telemann’s vast musical cupboard. We explore a kaleidoscope of textures and styles, from the musings of solo lute to a declamatory overture for the full cohort of strings. Further contrast abounds with French and Italian works by two of Telemann’s likely influencers, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier and Francesco Durante.

Telemann's Sublime Strings: Carla's Podium

First Baptist Church Portland

Reed College

Join us for an exquisite musical journey with "Concert Two: Soloist Marta Szlubowska, Violin," presented by the MCO. This captivating event is scheduled for Sunday, March 3, 2024, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, at the stunning St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral, located at 305 East Capitol Street, Jackson, MS, 39201.

Experience the virtuosity of Marta Szlubowska as she leads us through a selection of classical masterpieces, including the Ballet Suite's last movement by Jean-Baptiste Lully, Pavane by Gabriel Fauré, the evocative Autumn/Winter from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi, and Suite 3 by Johann Bach. This performance promises to be a celebration of classical music that will enchant and inspire.

Mark your calendars and prepare to be moved by the power of music in a historic setting. For more information and to follow our events, connect with us on Facebook at MCOJackson or join our MCO Facebook Group. Don't miss this unforgettable musical experience!

Concert Two: Soloist Marta Szlubowska, Violin

St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral

Baroque riches abound as internationally acclaimed violinist Viktoria Mullova joins forces with guest conductor Jonathan Cohen, the newly appointed music director of Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society. Mullova’s unparalleled affinity for Bach shines in his Violin Concertos in A Minor and E Major. Wildly colorful suites by French Baroque composers Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau add a dash of French flair. 

Mullova Plays Bach

Harris Theater

Baroque riches abound as internationally acclaimed violinist Viktoria Mullova joins forces with guest conductor Jonathan Cohen, the newly appointed music director of Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society. Mullova’s unparalleled affinity for Bach shines in his Violin Concertos in A Minor and E Major. Wildly colorful suites by French Baroque composers Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau add a dash of French flair.

Harris Theater for Music and Dance

North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie

Music Of The Baroque: Mullova Plays Bach

Jean-Baptiste Lully was a French composer, conductor, and dancer who worked in the court of Louis the XIV. Despite his venerable status as an artist, Lully is perhaps best known for his death: He struck himself in the foot with a long conducting staff (this was before conductors waived batons, and instead would keep the orchestra in time by banging a large staff on the floor) and subsequently died of the infected wound.

Celebration Of The Dance

Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church

Union Church of Hinsdale

Immerse yourself in the opulent sounds of the Baroque era with the "Voices of Versailles" concert, a highlight of the 2023/24 season presented by the Sebastians. This enchanting evening is scheduled for Saturday, November 18, 2023, at 5pm, taking place at the historic Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church, located at 152 West 66th St., nestled between Broadway and Amsterdam.

"Voices of Versailles" promises a rich auditory feast, featuring the combined talents of the eight singers from the Yale Voxtet and the Sebastians’ core quartet, which includes two violins, a cello, and a harpsichord. The ensemble will be further enhanced with the addition of recorders, oboes, viola, violone, and theorbo, creating a full-bodied sound that is sure to transport the audience back to the grandeur of the French Baroque period.

The concert's program is centered around Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s "La Couronne de fleurs," and will also include works by Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Henry Purcell, and Jean-Féry Rebel, among others. The performance is expected to last between 80 and 90 minutes and will proceed without an intermission, ensuring an uninterrupted experience of sublime music.

Performers for the evening include notable musicians such as Margaret Owens and Geoffrey Burgess on oboe and recorder, Daniel Lee and Nicholas DiEugenio on violin, Annie Garlid on viola, Ezra Seltzer on cello, Nathaniel Chase on violone, Charles Weaver on theorbo, and Jeffrey Grossman on harpsichord, alongside the talented vocalists of the Yale Voxtet.

In keeping with the Sebastians' commitment to accessibility and community engagement, students of any age can attend the concert for free, subject to ticket availability and proof of student status. Additionally, community comp tickets are available for those who wish to attend but may find the cost prohibitive.

The Sebastians prioritize the health and safety of performers, staff, and audience members. While the event is currently mask-optional, the organization remains vigilant and may adjust policies in response to local health conditions. Attendees are encouraged to stay informed of any changes and to make responsible decisions regarding their own health and safety.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience the "Voices of Versailles" and be swept away by the beauty and elegance of French Baroque music. Reserve your tickets now for an unforgettable evening of historical musical treasures.

Voices of Versailles

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

Juilliard415 | Invention of the Orchestra

Lincoln Center

Be transported to another time and place as you listen to the Chamber Orchestra's first ever performance in the new Conrad Prebys Theatre at SDSU's Performing Arts District.

Setting the Scene - SDSU Chamber Orchestra

San Diego State University

The Chamber Music Society of Williamsburg

Williamsburg Library Theatre

The Feldman Chamber Music Society

Chrysler Museum of Art

The Stanford Baroque Soloists' spring concert, French Overtures — Ouvertures à la française, is directed by Anthony Martin and features music by Jean-Baptiste Lully, George Frederic Handel, Johann Sebastian Bach, and more!

Stanford Baroque Soloists: French Overtures — Ouvertures à la française

Stanford University

Saskatoon’s own Alexa Haynes-Pilon has quickly established herself in the early music scene and is known for her brilliance on baroque cello, viola de gamba, and even baroque bassoon. She returns home to the prairies to lead your orchestra with her cello in a program of early music that gives us a glimpse into concert halls of the 17th century. It’s a chance to be immersed in some truly timeless classics.

Baroque Soul

The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist

The morning we were shepherds

Køge Town Hall

Join us for an enchanting evening of baroque music as The Sebastians present "The 24 Violins" on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at 5pm. This special concert will take place at the Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church, located at 152 West 66th St., offering a journey back in time to the opulent court of France's Versailles.

"The 24 Violins" pays homage to the Vingt-quatre Violons du Roy, the celebrated string band of the French court, renowned for its distinctive sound and impeccable musicianship. For this tribute, The Sebastians have assembled their largest group of strings to date, aiming to recreate the magnificent ensemble's sonority. The program will feature a rich tapestry of music by Jean-Baptiste Lully, Louis XIV’s esteemed maître de musique, alongside Bach’s Overture in the French Style, creating a vivid musical dialogue between two countries and eras.

This concert is a unique opportunity for music lovers of all ages, with free admission available for students. We also offer community comp tickets for those who wish to attend but find the cost prohibitive, ensuring that music is accessible to all.

Please note that the venue is not wheelchair accessible, with twenty steps up to the sanctuary. For safety, we will closely monitor local COVID-19 conditions and may require proof of vaccination, masking, and distancing inside the concert hall. Detailed safety procedures will be announced closer to the performance date.

Don't miss this immersive experience into the heart of baroque music with The Sebastians. Reserve your ticket today and let us share the beauty of "The 24 Violins" together.

The 24 Violins

The wild power of nature inspires this program of orchestral showpieces, including Vivaldi’s Tempesta di Mare (Storm at Sea) concerto featuring violinist Alan Choo; Marais’ tempest scene from Alcione; and gorgeous arias sung by Amanda Forsythe.

Storms and Tempests

First United Methodist Church Of Akron

Rocky River Presbyterian Church

St. Paul's Cleveland Heights

Join Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and conductor Matthew Halls for music by Bach, Muffat and Lully.

Matthew Halls Conducts Bach

Colburn School

Schon wieder hat Jupiter für sich ein Objekt der Begierde ausgemacht, die schöne Nymphe Io. Ihre Auserwähltheit bleibt nicht lange geheim: Ihr Verlobter Hiérax beklagt schon ihre Untreue, bevor etwas passiert ist, aber obwohl Jupiter seine glanzvolle Macht und Größe vor ihr ausbreitet, lehnt Io seine Anträge ab. Das nützt ihr aber nichts, denn Juno, Jupiters nicht grundlos permanent eifersüchtige Gemahlin, hat ebenfalls Wind von der neuesten Schwärmerei ihres Mannes bekommen und will die Rivalin auf jeden Fall ausschalten. Jupiters Vernebelungstaktiken greifen nicht, Juno bringt Io in ihre Gewalt und setzt sie schrecklichen Qualen aus: Sie muss, von Furien verschleppt, in der kältesten Zone der Erde beinahe erfrieren, in der heißesten fast zerschmelzen. Als Io an Ägyptens Mittelmeerküste angespült wird, ist sie fast tot. Nun greift Jupiter endlich ein, er versöhnt sich mit Juno und macht Io unsterblich: Aus der Nymphe wird die ägyptische Göttin Isis. Diese personenreiche Tragédie en  musique mit dem obligatorischen, den Königverherrlichenden Prolog und fünf  abwechslungsreichen Akten, war die fünfte Zusammenarbeit zwischen Jean-Baptiste  Lully und dem Dichter Philippe Quinault, aber Isis blieb stets eine der unbekanntesten  Opern der beiden, was nicht unbedingt an der musikalischen Qualität liegt. Sie erhielt sogar den Beinamen „Die Oper der Musiker“: Die  Instrumentierung ist besonders farbig und fantasievoll, die Partitur birgt zahlreiche Schätze, so die Verzweiflungsarie der Io, „Terminez mes tourments“, den geradezu revuehaften dritten Akt, in dem die Geschichte von Pan und Syrinx wie eine Oper in  der Oper als Spiegelung der Haupthandlung gezeigt wird und die Schilderung der  Qualen von Io im vierten Akt. Der „Choeur des Trembleurs“, der vor Kälte Zitternden,  soll Vorbild für Purcells „Frost Scene“ in King Arthur gewesen sein. Trotzdem war Isis  ein Reinfall und beendete die Karriere des genialen Duos Lully/Quinault, denn sie  waren zu dreist geworden: Das Libretto barg eine unmissverständliche Anspielung auf die aktuelle Konkurrenz zweier Mätressen Ludwigs XIV. Der König war nicht  erfreut, und Isis sowie weitere Arbeiten Quinaults waren bei Hofe nicht mehr  erwünscht. 

Isis

The disguises and trials of love take center stage when Principal guest conductor Maxim Emelyanychev leads the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in a program where dance drives the story forward. The evening opens with John Adams’ The Chairman Dances – an exuberant, motoric scene in constant motion. Then, Alina Ibragimova meets Igor Stravinsky's Violin Concerto, where sharpness and elegance coexist with unexpected twists. After intermission, the concert continues thorugh the world of French Baroque: Jean Baptiste Lully's music for Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (The Bourgeois as a Nobleman) and Jean Philippe Rameau's suite from Les Indes galantes, full of colour and seductive splendour.

The Trials of Love

Berwaldhallen

A unique musical experience for young and old. Right in the middle of it, not just watching from the side! Accompany the artists up close on a shared search for a new concert experience that goes beyond convention and makes new discoveries and sensations possible.

Composer

Jean-Baptiste Lully

Events

Upcoming events

15 - 16 Apr, 2027

The Trials of Love · Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

May 30, 2027

Classical Music Up Close! – Erzgebirgische Philharmonie Aue · Kulturhaus Aue

Past events

Oct 28, 2026

Wanderlust · Sinfonia Smith Square

Jul 26, 2026

French Reflections · Sydney Symphony Orchestra

About

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