Baroque flautist Georgia Browne and harpsichordist Tom Foster take an indulgent musical excursion through the palace and gardens of Versailles.
Centred around the music performed at musical gatherings for Kings Louis XIV and XV, this programme of three vignettes offers a glimpse into the rarefied life of music at the French court in the early eighteenth century.
The three musical sets have been created to replicate the use of the dance suite as a manner of grouping together shorter pieces of music. The “Palace” set takes us to the heart of refined nobility with a suite of courtly dances. “Portrait” is a stroll through a picture gallery containing musical depictions of characters known at court. The “Pastorale” set finds us at a fête champêtre – an extravagant garden party where we chance upon peasants dancing, birds singing and the west wind blowing.
Programme
“Palais”
François Couperin (1668-1733): Les Lis Naissans, Prélude, Allemande, Sarabande, Gavotte, Gigue
Michel de la Barre (c.1675-1745): Chaconne
“Portrait”
Antoine Dornel (1685-1765): Prélude “l’aimé de Mr de la Barre”, Allemande “l’Angelique”
François Couperin: La Superbe “La Forqueray”
Antoine Dornel: La Chauvet, Sarabande “la Descosteaux”, Gavotte en rondeau “la Rochelloise”
Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (1667-1737): La Tenebreuse
François Couperin: La Morinéte
Jacques Hotteterre (1673-1763): Sicilienne “La Hotterre”
INTERVAL
“Pastorale”
Jacques Hotteterre: Air (le fleuri), Branle de Vilage (l’Auteuil)
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764): Musette en Rondeau
Michel Pignolet de Montéclair: Sommeil des Festes de l’Eté, Les Tourterelles
François Couperin: Les Rozeaux
Antoine Dornel: Le Zephir, L’Hirondelle
François Couperin: Les Fauvétes Plaintives, La Juliet, Le Rossignol en Amour
Antoine Dornel: Chaconne
Historical flautist Georgia Browne has created an international profile performing at concert halls major and festivals with the world’s leading early music ensembles. She trained with Barthold Kuijken at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague and lived for some time in the United Kingdom where she continues to play for Arcangelo, The English Concert, La Nuova Musica and the Dunedin Consort.
Currently based in France, Georgia is principal flute with Ensemble Pygmalion led by Raphaël Pichon and is an invited guest of a number of French ensembles – Les Correspondances, Ensemble Jupiter and Ensemble Masques – as well as groups in Germany, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and her homeland Australia. Georgia very much enjoys her role as baroque flute tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and gives guest masterclasses at tertiary institutions on her travels. She has appeared on recordings for the Alpha, BIS, Harmonia Mundi and Pentatone labels and is the featured artist on an album of flute music by Carl Friedrich Abel.
Tom Foster leads a busy career as both a soloist and a continuo player on harpsichord and organ. He has given recitals across the UK including concertos at the Edinburgh International Festival and made his USA solo debut at Carnegie Hall in 2020. Respected for his sensitive and inventive continuo playing, Tom plays with some of the UK’s foremost chamber and orchestral ensembles.
He is the principal keyboard player of The English Concert and is a guest with Arcangelo, The Academy of Ancient Music, Dunedin Consort, Early Opera Company, Ensemble Jupiter, The Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Scottish Ensemble and The Sixteen. Tom began his musical education as a chorister at Manchester Cathedral before going on to study piano and subsequently harpsichord at Chetham’s School of Music, also in Manchester. He holds a first-class degree in music from St Catherine’s College, Oxford, as well as a Master’s degree in performance from the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied with Trevor Pinnock.
Please note that tickets on the door on the night will cost £28 and £18 respectively