An Imaginary Opera

An Imaginary Opera Original creation from arias and unpublished operas by Mondonville, Bertin de la Doué, Rameau, Campra, Dauvergne, Colin de Blamont, Francœur, Rebel, Marais, Leclair, Charpentier, Stuck, Destouches, Montclair, Gervais, Royer, Lully. An Imaginary Opera is a real musical tragedy constructed according to the canons of French Baroque lyrical theater from the best of the scores of the Royal Academy of Music: a hero, a princess, a rival – magician – jealous and embittered… These are the ingredients of a miniature drama where the noise of battle, storm, bewitchment, love duets, infernal ballets, earthquake, sleep and dreams alternate. Virtuoso airs, shimmering ballets and large ceremonial choirs are by Lully and Rameau, of course, but also allow us to hear some of their lesser-known contemporaries, most of whom have been honored in recent years by Le Concert Spirituel and the Baroque Music Center of Versailles. The masterpiece rubs shoulders with the unpublished, extending the musical rediscoveries that have marked, for thirty years, the common history of the orchestra and the institution. excerpts from Jean-Joseph Cassanea de Mondonville (1711-1772) Toussaint Bertin de La Doué (1680-1743) Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) André Campra (1660-1744) Antoine Dauvergne (1713-1797) Francois Colin de Blamont (1690-1760) Francois Francoeur (1698-1787) Jean-Féry Rebel (1666-1747) Marine Marais (1656-1742) Jean-Marie Leclair (1697-1764) Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704) André-Cardinal Destouches (1672-1749) Michel Pignolet de Montclair (1667-1737) Charles-Hubert Gervais (1671-1744) Pancrace Royer (1703-1755) Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) Graphic design: Antony Rubier With: Karine Deshayes, the Magician Queen Chantal Santon-Jeffery, the princess Reinoud van Mechelen, the prince Le Concert Spirituel Hervé Niquet, conductor