Following the government's decisions on coronavirus COVID-19, the performance of November 21, 2020 at the Arsenal in Metz is canceled. The performance of March 31, 2021 at the Opéra de Massy is postponed to July 6, 2021. The recording for the Alpha Classics label is maintained. 

Programme

Arias, dances and choruses from operas by Jean-Baptiste Lully, Henry Desmarest, Pascal Collasse, Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Marin Marais

It’s ‘back to Lully’ for Véronique Gens, accompanied by the CMBV choir Les Chantres and Les Surprises, to inaugurate the CMBV Résidences Croisées joint residency project. She pays tribute to the creators of French opera in a colourful performance of both well-known and rare pieces.

As part of the residency project with the CMBV and the Sinfonia en Périgord festival, Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas and his ensemble Les Surprises have invited soprano Véronique Gens and the CMBV choir Les Chantres to perform highlights from tragédies lyriques and ballets dating back to the first operas in the time of the Sun King, featuring composers such as Jean-Baptiste Lully, Henry Desmarest, Marin Marais, Pascal Colasse and Marc-Antoine Charpentier. On her much anticipated return to the baroque stage, Véronique Gens steps into the shoes of Lully’s famous muse Marie Le Rochois, who was given  all the majestic roles in the late 17th century, from Lully’s Armide  and Charpentier’s Médée to Desmarest’s Circe. With support from the CMBV, a varied and dramatic programme has been compiled, unearthing as usual some real artistic gems.