To coincide with Lully's Roland production, the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles is offering two days of training that will address the recitatives of lyric tragedies from the specific perspective of dramaturgy, focusing on how recitative should be conducted musically, through the rhythm of the text and its prosody. Work on a few excerpts, based on separate parts in manuscripts (with annotations by singing masters of the time), will also be offered. All these keys to interpretation will provide valuable ground for experimentation for participants.
This workshop offers an in-depth exploration of recitative in French lyric tragedy, taking Jean-Baptiste Lully's Roland as its starting point. It is aimed at singers and continuo instrumentalists (harpsichordists, double bassists, violists, etc.) who wish to deepen their stylistic, technical and dramaturgical knowledge of French recitative. At the heart of this training is the way in which the rhythm of the text, prosody and declamation shape the musical interpretation of recitative. The workshop will draw on the study of excerpts from period manuscripts—with annotations by singing masters—to inform experimental and historically informed work, directly linked to the practices of the Académie Royale de Musique in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The sessions, led by specialists from the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, will alternate between vocal work, accompaniment, continuo performance according to the instruments, and reflection on the musical relationship between singer and accompanist. Particular attention will be paid to the preparation of the score, performance tools, and strategies for collective work.
Objectives
- (Re)discover one of the pivotal operas of the French Baroque repertoire, its history, structure, specific features and interpretative challenges
- Work on interpretation in established groups and on the specific features of continuo for this repertoire
- Deepen your knowledge of continuo performance and working with solo singers
Trainers
Emiliano Gonzales Toro, residency chef 2025–2026
Mathilde Etienne, opera singer and stage director
Barbara Nestola, research director (CESR - CMBV)
Benoît Dratwicki, researcher and artistic director (CMBV - CESR)
Emiliano Gonzales Toro, residency chef 2025–2026
Swiss tenor, conductor, producer and director of the Froville Festival, Emiliano Gonzalez Toro made his debut over 25 years ago under the direction of Michel Corboz and Gabriel Garrido in Geneva and Lausanne. Since then, he has collaborated with conductors such as Raphael Pichon, Christophe Rousset, René Jacobs, Ottavio Dantone and Andrea Marcon. A noted performer of the Evangelists in Bach's Passions and the title roles in Rameau's Platée and Dardanus, he is also a recognised specialist in baritone roles in Vivaldi and Handel (Farnace, Giustino, Ariodante and Bajazet). He has sung regularly at the Berlin and Munich Staatsoper, the Festival d'Aix en Provence, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Opéra du Rhin, Lausanne, Lille, Amsterdam and the Opéra de Paris. Emiliano is an acclaimed Monteverdi specialist: title role in L'Orfeo with Ottavio Dantone and Ryo Terakado; Arnalta in L'Incoronazione di Poppea with Emmanuelle Haïm, Christophe Rousset, Ottavio Dantone and Raphaël Pichon; Eurimaco in Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria with Emmanuelle Haïm and the title role with Ryo Terakado; les Vêpres de la Vierge with René Jacobs, Christina Pluhar and Raphaël Pichon. To share this experience of the Seicento, Emiliano Gonzalez Toro and Mathilde Etienne created the ensemble I Gemelli in 2019, with Monteverdi's L'Orfeo at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées - Emiliano singing the title role - followed by Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria and L'Incoronazione di Poppea. The ensemble has performed at the Capitole in Toulouse, the Arsenal in Metz, the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Opéra de Tours, Nantes and Bordeaux, and the Ambronay Festival. The ensemble's recordings, which have won the highest awards, are a testament to their critical and public success.
Mathilde Etienne, opera singer and stage director
Mathilde Etienne studied literature at the University of Poitiers and drama at the Royal Conservatory of Liège (Belgium) before beginning her studies in opera singing. She trained with Micaëla Etcheverry, Rachel Yakar and Malcolm King for singing, Jacques Delcuvellerie for theatre and Christian Schiaretti for directing. After obtaining her various diplomas, she perfected her skills in early music at the Paris Conservatoire. As a soprano soloist, she has sung with Le Parlement de Musique, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Le Concert Spirituel, A Sei Voci, La Fenice, Orchestra of the 18th Century, Elyma, Il Seminario Musicale, and others. She has performed as a soloist at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Capitole in Toulouse, the Opéra de Nantes, Tours, Lille, Bordeaux, the Stadsschouwburg in Amsterdam, the Comédie-Française, the Victoria Hall in Geneva, etc., as well as at the Ambronay, Pontoise, Avignon, Utrecht, Lessay, La Chaise-Dieu, Sablé, Edinburgh, Avignon, Tokyo... In 2009, she made her directorial debut with Bizet's Carmen at the Gémeaux de Sceaux and the Théâtre du Trianon, followed in 2011 by Verdi's Macbeth and Lully's Atys. In 2015-16, she wrote and directed Te Recuerdo (Opéra de Lille, Festival des Arts-Scènes, TAC, Forum de Meyrin). In 2019, she directed Monteverdi's Orfeo for the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. This production, which was revived at the Capitole in Toulouse, the Victoria Hall and the Opéra de Tours, was recorded at the Opéra de Nantes in 2020. In 2021, she directed Le Retour d'Ulysse (revived in 23-24) for the ensemble I Gemelli; in 2023, the Monteverdi ‘trilogy’ will be completed with le Couronnement de Poppée. Together with Emiliano Gonzalez Toro, she founded the ensemble I Gemelli and the Gemelli Factory label, for which she is artistic director and dramaturgy.
Barbara Nestola, research director (CESR - CMBV)
Barbara Nestola is a musicologist and theatre historian with HDR status. Since 2019, she has been head of research at the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles. Her work focuses on musical transfers between Italy and France, Italian and French opera practices, and issues of circulation and transversality in theatre in France under the Ancien Régime. Together with Emanuele De Luca (Université Côte d'Azur), she co-directed the research projects ThéPARis (2019-2022) and ThéPARis-France (2023-2024), with the participation of Bénédicte Louvat (Sorbonne University). A specialist in the declamation of sung Italian, she leads masterclasses in singing and is involved in opera productions. She regularly collaborates as a scientific advisor with professional performers in concerts, recitals, opera productions and audiovisual recordings.
Benoît Dratwicki, researcher and artistic director (CMBV - CESR)
Benoît Dratwicki first obtained degrees in cello, chamber music and music education, before turning his attention to music history, analysis and aesthetics, earning various distinctions at the conservatories of Metz and Paris, before joining the aesthetics and music culture classes at the CNSMD in Paris. During the 2006-2007 season, he produced the programmes ‘La Querelle des Bouffons’ and ‘Sortez les jumelles’ with his brother Alexandre on France Musique. He is a researcher and artistic director at the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, where he has worked since 2001, and artistic director of the Palazzetto Bru Zane in Venice – Centre de musique romantique française since 2007. A specialist in court music and French opera between 1670 and 1800 (and more particularly in the singers of the Académie Royale de Musique, historically informed performance, the evolution of styles and lyrical genres, and the reworking of works), he is the author of several research papers on these subjects and defended a thesis on François Colin de Blamont (1690-1760) at the Sorbonne. In 2023, he will defend his habilitation thesis at the University of Paris-Sorbonne, entitled L'Opéra de Paris et ses chanteurs (1669-1791): context and sources as keys to interpretation.
Training arrangements
- In-person workshop only
- Workshop conducted in French (discussions possible in English)
- Assessment methods: self-assessment and individualised final assessments by trainers
- Alternating between lectures and group and individual work sessions
Programme
Classes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. - details of the days to be specified later
- Teaching in established groups
- Working with trainers separately or in groups
- Lectures on ‘The continuo in opera (sources, practices, at the Paris Opera, instrumentation, orchestration)’ and ‘The masters of taste in singing in the 18th century (declamation, ornamentation and interpretation)’
- Musical work with musicological input
- Visit to the CMBV library and presentation of CMBV publications
- Social gatherings
Participants
- 10 singers
- 3 harpsichordists
- 3 bowed basses
- 3 theorbo players
Prerequisites
- Working professionals
- Future professionals in training – currently enrolled in higher education (bachelor's, master's) or equivalent
Repertoire studied
Recitatives and arias from Roland by Lully
Following registration, discussions with the trainers beforehand will enable the excerpts to be covered to be specified.
Pricing conditions
Fees for 2 days of workshops (online payment via payment link sent upon acceptance of application):
Full fee covered: depending on coverage (contact the Training Centre administration for a quote)
Maximum individual contribution: €250 including VAT
Maximum individual contribution for students (up to 26 years old): €90 including VAT
For permanent or temporary employees, CMBV workshops may be covered under continuing professional development programmes (Afdas, employers, etc.).
Services included in the price:
- Access to CMBV premises (instrument tuning if necessary)
- All teaching costs (instructors, instruments, etc.) for the duration of the course
- Active participation in workshops
- Provision of documents and sheet music
- Loan of instruments, or access to instruments, if necessary
Restent à la charge des stagiaires :
- Travel expenses
- Accommodation expenses (meals and lodging)
Registration
For the experimental workshop: Selection based on application and video recording (mandatory): one French Baroque aria and, if possible, one Baroque aria in another language
The application file must contain a CV and cover letter
Accessibility
The classrooms and teaching spaces are accessible to people with reduced mobility. For any disability requiring adaptation of the teaching, please specify this when registering: this information will be forwarded to the CMBV disability officer, who will contact you if necessary.
Registration deadline: 19 January 2026
