Limoges, Berlin, Paris, Lyon, Versailles, Siena

Dido and Aeneas by Les Surprises in Limoges

Before the Limoges Opera, the Ensemble Les Surprises, conducted by Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas, premiered a new original version of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas at the Clermont-Auvergne Opera, choosing an exclusively female vocal cast. This was a nod to the origins of the work, which was performed in Purcell’s day at a girls’ school. Dido and Aeneas was thus staged in the style of English ‘masques’, performances combining music, theatre, dance and mechanical effects, which were all the rage with London audiences in the second half of the 17th century. The staging, set design and costumes are by Pierre Lebon, with choreography by Iris Florentiny and lighting design by Bertrand Killy.

With Les Surprises and Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas.

Max Emanuel Cenčić at Versailles

In the imposing Salon d’Hercule at the Palace of Versailles, Max Emanuel Cenčić gave a recital of arias by Handel, Vivaldi and Porpora, accompanied by the Polish ensemble {oh!} Orkiestra, conducted by Martyna Pastuszka.

With Max Emanuel Cenčić, {oh!} Orkiestra and Martyna Pastuszka.

Roberta Mameli and the Akademie für Alte Musik in Berlin

In the Pierre Boulez Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic, the young musicians of the Barenboim-Saïd Academy had the privilege of joining members of the Akademie für Alte Musik, conducted by Bernhard Forck, for a Baroque concert combining instrumental pieces and arias by Handel, Scarlatti and Hasse, among others, performed by soprano Roberta Mameli.

With Roberta Mameli, the Académie Barenboim-Saïd, the Akademie für Alte Musik and Bernhard Forck.

Le Cœur et la Raison by La Néréide in Paris

Very busy with their solo engagements, Ana Vieira Leite, Camille Allérat and Julie Roset, the three singers and friends from the ensemble La Néréide, were only able to offer the launch concert for their new CD, Le Cœur et la Raison, at the Temple du Foyer de l’Âme in Paris at the end of January. Based on the theme of the musical confessions of a young girl in the 17th century, they imagine the voice of a resident of Saint-Cyr, reflecting the impulses and contradictions of the Grand Siècle, torn between religious conduct and earthly sensuality.

With Ana Vieira Leite, Camille Allérat and Julie Roset.

Jean Rondeau at the Trinité of Lyon

In tribute to the 400th anniversary of Louis Couperin’s birth, Jean Rondeau presented a programme at the Trinité Chapel in Lyon featuring works by Louis and François Couperin, Jean-Philippe Rameau and Pancrace Royer. The harpsichordist also demonstrated his great talent for improvisation in a deliberately sober atmosphere.

With Jean Rondeau.

Ghielmi father and daughter in Siena

In the Church of Santa Caterina in Siena, Lorenzo Ghielmi and Anna Maddalena Ghielmi brought to life a musical dialogue between father (harpsichordist) and daughter (violinist) during a concert on the theme of music at the court of Dresden. The programme rigorously and elegantly recreated the extraordinary vitality of the German city in the first half of the 18th century, when the Saxon capital was one of Europe’s main centres for music production and dissemination.

With Anna Maddalena Ghielmi and Lorenzo Ghielmi.