Strasbourg, Paris, Chicago, La Rochelle

Around Versailles with Café Zimmermann (Strasbourg)

At the Chapelle réformée du Bouclier, the 49th season of the Association de musique pour instruments anciens (AMIA) welcomed Ensemble Café Zimmermann for an evening entitled Around Versailles, dedicated to the famous querelle des Bouffons. This musical controversy pitted the defenders of French taste – staunch advocates of the harpsichord, courtly music and, more broadly, the scholarly tradition – against proponents of Italian music, seen as more popular, dominated by the violin, the cello, and a primarily melodic language. Between these two aesthetics, certain composers such as Jean-Marie Leclair and François Francoeur, influenced by both styles, sought a middle ground, continuing the synthesis initiated by François Couperin.

Avec l’Ensemble Café Zimmermann.

Destins de Reines with Patricia Petibon and Amarillis (Paris)

Soprano Patricia Petibon and Ensemble Amarillis continue their tour of Destins de Reines, a concert blending baroque and contemporary repertoire. The programme musically explores the intertwined destinies of three emblematic queens, each of whom inspired composers: Agrippina the Younger for Georg Friedrich Handel, Mary II of England for Henry Purcell, and Eleanor of Aquitaine for Thierry Escaich, whose contemporary composition is paired with a text by Olivier Py. At the Théâtre du Châtelet and in Nantes, the visual work of Camille Della Giustina and Robin Plastre adds a colourful and striking choreographic dimension to Le Tombeau d’Aliénor.

With Patricia Petibon and Ensemble Amarillis.

Solo recital for Thomas Dunford (Chicago)

As part of his American solo tour, Thomas Dunford – dubbed “the Eric Clapton of the lute” by BBC Music Magazine – gave two recitals in Chicago. The first took place at Bond Chapel for university students, the second at the Logan Center. The programme featured Dowland, Marais, Satie, Bach, The Beatles… and a few of Dunford’s own songs.

With Thomas Dunford.

Tour draws to a close for Le Poème Harmonique (La Rochelle)

After Budapest and before heading to Dijon and the Opéra Royal de Versailles, Le Poème Harmonique made a stop in La Rochelle as part of its 2025 tour of the celebrated Carnaval Baroque. At the crossroads of baroque music and circus arts, this performance evokes a festive day in Venice – from a gargantuan noble banquet to the bustling stages of the public square, singers and acrobats captivate the audience through dances and popular songs.

With Le Poème Harmonique.