Cast
Rachel Redmond Soprano
Lisandro Abadie Bass
Gwendoline Blondeel Soprano
Thomas Hobbs Tenor
Damien Guillon Countertenor
Les Arts Florissants
William Christie Conductor
Presentation
For his first Christmas Vespers as Cantor of Leipzig on 25 December 1723, Bach chose to give the Magnificat at the Nikolaikirche. In Bach's work, the Magnificat occupies a very significant place: a Latin work dedicated to the Virgin, it is unexpected in the corpus of a deeply Lutheran musician, but it was the tradition in Leipzig to play this Latin Magnificat.
This pillar of sacred music is built on a principle of multiple symmetries and numeral connections, which make it a cyphered kaleidoscope of Bach's scholarly work, for a dazzling musical result, in which these extraordinary combinations are never filtered out! The Magnificat might be Bach's work where perfection and sublimity constantly emerge, with splendid chorales with extreme affects followed by extraordinary arias.
The Ascension Oratorio, written a decade later in 1735 in diptych form, is a great festive cantata relating (in German this time) this major moment in the life of Christ. Trumpets and timpani are summoned for divine praise with all the required brilliance.
This cathedral of sound with its two magnificent arches finds in William Christie its fervent servant, and in his Arts Florissants an infinite palette of musical colours that Bach would have dreamed of conducting...
PROGRAMME
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)
Magnificat – Ascension Oratorio – Suite for orchestra no.3
Magnificat
Suite no.3
Cantata
Royal Chapel

Royal Chapel - Access map
Prices
Catégorie 3
Catégorie 2
Catégorie 1
Prestige
Prestige VIP
PRESTIGE VIP CATEGORY: Best seats in house with complimentary glass of champagne and programme.
PRESTIGE CATEGORY: Excellent seats with complimentary glass of champagne and programme.
REDUCED RATE applicable to under 26s, Chateau de Versailles Spectacles card holders and groups of more than 10 people (excluding special company offer).
To ensure the best welcome possible, people with limited mobility are advised to book their seats by telephone at +33 (0)1 30 83 78 89.
In case of any technical problem, the box office service remain available to complete your order by phone at +33 (0)1 30 83 78 89 (Monday-Friday from 11am to 6pm) or in our box office-shop (3 bis rue des Réservoirs, 78000 Versailles ; Monday-Friday from 11am to 6pm, and on Saturdays with concerts or shows except during the Musical Fountains Shows, from 2pm to 5pm).