One Saturday every month the CMBV runs a series of interactive fun activities for families and friends at the Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs. On offer are workshops, stage productions, guided tours, treasure hunts and the chance to meet a researcher, all designed to draw you into the fascinating world of Baroque music!
2 am – 5 pm
NEW! Digital treasure hunt – La saga Papillon à Versailles
Delve into the closely guarded secrets at 22 Avenue de Paris in Versailles. Built under Louis XV it is crammed with over three centuries of history. The trail will uncover a horde of fascinating facts about the splendour of the King’s court, the glory of the French Revolution and the lavish festivities still held there today!
For all ages
Duration: 45 mins
Free admission
2 pm
Treasure hunt – Chasing after lost time
Curiouser and curiouser…! What’s happening at N° 22 Avenue de Paris? A mysterious curse has struck the CMBV! It all started during a choir rehearsal late yesterday evening. A bolt of lightning suddenly lit up the rehearsal room and everything seemed to move back in time! Horses’ hooves can be heard on the courtyard cobbles, the white walls in the rooms flake away to reveal 18th century decoration. This morning the staff appear wearing wigs! You will have to use your powers of observation and ingenuity to dispel the curse on the building. Everyone at the CMBV is relying on you!
For adults & children aged 10+
Duration: 1hr 30 mins
Admission:
- €4 per child (€2 Pass Destination)
- €6 per adult (€4 Pass Destination)
3.15 pm
Discover Baroque: instruments
Harpsichords, organs, oboes, the Vingt-quatre Violons du roi, etc. Find out about the CMBV’s pool of musical instruments and explore French Baroque music.
Age 6+
Duration: 45 mins
Admission:
- Children free of charge
- €5 per adult (€4 Pass Destination)
3.30 pm
Loup XIV et les Comptines stage show
Featuring
Les Comptines de Lutèce
Anaïs Raimbault, narrator
Claire Hamon, piano & harpsichord
Who is this King who keeps doing silly things?! Why, Loup XIV of course!! Dear children, dear adults, welcome to the court of Loup XIV with his musicians and royal ballet troupe. Follow the adventures of our rather simple-minded King via 17th and 18th century nursery rhymes.
Age 2-6
Duration: 40 mins
Admission:
- €20 for 1 child + 1 accompanying adult (€15 Pass Destination)
€10 concession (students & those on minimum income*) - €10 per additional child
€5 concession (students & those on minimum income*) - €5 per additional participant
€2 concession (students & those on minimum income*)
*documentary proof required
4 pm
Guided tour
Guided by members of the CMBV, delve into the history of the Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs, the iconic nerve centre of the history of France and discover the political, social and artistic role it has played from the 18th century up to the present day.
All ages
Duration: 45 mins
Free admission
5 pm
Meet a researcher
What do researchers do, exactly? What are their missions? What new avenues of research are emerging in the field of Baroque performing arts? Are we currently experiencing a Baroque revival? For an hour you can meet with a CMBV researcher and hear about their line of research.
In the footsteps of forgotten institutions – 18th century Music Academies
Featuring
Bénédicte Hertz, researcher at the CMBV and coordinator of the AcadéC project (ANR project)
Bénédicte Hertz, CMBV researcher and coordinator of the AcadéC project (funded by the French research agency), takes us away from Paris to the first Concert institutions which were to transform the musical landscape of the Age of Enlightenment in France, their influence reaching Paris and the royal court.
All ages
Duration: 1 hr
Free admission
Group bookings
Group bookings may be made for CMBV Open Days, which can also be tailored for schools or outreach publics. For further details, please email actionculturelle@cmbv.com, or phone +33 (0)1 39 20 78 10.
