Programme
Christmas carols from the manuscrits de Tours et Deslauriers
Messe de minuit H.9
Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704)
In the Royal Chapel of the Palace of Versailles, the CMBV choir Les Pages & Les Chantres invite audiences to a new season of Jeudis musicaux. True to the mission of the CMBV choir, these public performances bring together training, research and performance, showcasing both the great masterpieces of the French Baroque repertoire and rare or previously unperformed works.
This season will, in particular, explore the musical repertoire, which is as rich as it is little-known, of 17th century French cathedrals, featured on the 2026 Château de Versailles Spectacles recording Un bouquet de myrrhe, conducted by Fabien Armengaud. It will also include the rarely performed Messe du 11e mode by Antoine Boësset, as well as Eustache Du Caurroy’s celebrated Requiem, one of the great funeral monuments of French polyphony, conducted by Paul Agnew, Co-Musical Director of Les Arts Florissants and Artist-in-Residence with the CMBV choir for the 2026–2027 season. In collaboration with the Baroque Section of Maurepas, the CMBV choir Les Pages & Les Chantres will also revive Lully’s La Grotte de Versailles.
The Jeudis musicaux will also feature a series of distinctive artistic collaborations: with Geoffroy Jourdain and Les Cris de Paris, pairing contemporary creations with motets by Marc-Antoine Charpentier; and with the CMBV choir and Studio baroque for two exceptional events marking the CMBV’s 40th anniversary, devoted respectively to Rigel’s histoires sacrées and Charpentier’s Te Deum, the latter performed with an orchestra of students from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris and partner conservatoires.
Throughout the season, the CMBV choir will continue its educational mission alongside its long-standing partners—the Versailles Grand Parc Conservatoire, the Paris Saclay Conservatoire, the Boulogne-Billancourt Conservatoire and the Paris Regional Conservatoire – Ida Rubinstein—while also welcoming new guests, including the Canterbury Cathedral Choir, the Limoges Conservatoire and the Early Music Department of the Aubervilliers–La Courneuve Conservatoire.
Practical information
- Free admission subject to availability.
- Priority access by booking (entrance B) for members of the Cercle Rameau and holders of the Château de Versailles Spectacles card, upon presentation of the day's ticket and card, after booking online.
- Open to the public at 5.15 pm (entrance B).
- Jeudis musicaux take place on Thursdays between November and June, excluding holidays and public holidays, at 5.30 pm in the Royal Chapel of the Palace of Versailles.
- Jeudis musicaux are open to school groups, associations and social groups.
Information: actionculturelle@cmbv.fr / +33 (0)1 39 20 78 10
