Les Plaisirs Du Louvre

Presented by Early Music Vancouver

The Louvre was the chief residence of the King, the epicentre of power, where the important events in the life of the court naturally took place. A ceremonial tradition was developed within its walls, which was to reach its zenith under Louis XIV. In this theatre of power, music was an object of entertainment as well as an instrument of magnificence. While laying the foundations of the future splendours of the Grand Siècle, the reign of Louis XIII represents the golden age of a galant culture, whose musical emblem, the air de cour, pervaded the whole of society and was heard in all the salons, galleries and ruelles of the capital’s aristocratic residences, and especially the most symbolic of them: the Louvre. Another key centre of sociability was the Queen’s apartment, located on the ground floor beneath the King’s apartment. It was in these different spaces that the Musique de la Reine could be heard. The echoes of these ‘pleasures’, inhabited by strange and whimsical divinities, allegorical characters or characters from the realm of galanterie, are bound to delight every listener.

There will be a pre-concert talk in the RBC Cinema at 6:45PM with EMV Artistic & Executive Director Suzie LeBlanc and Sébastién Daucé of Ensemble Correspondances. Seating is limited and is first come, first-served.

The presentation of this series is made possible, in part, through the generous assistance of the Chan Endowment Fund at the University of British Columbia.