Ensemble Correspondances
Attributed to the period from 1600 to about 1750, Baroque music is known for its grandeur, richness, and diversity, a style that powerfully elicits emotions and communicates feeling through sound and orchestration. This musical style gave birth to operas, a novel form of artistic expression in the 17th century. French Baroque music is unique, known for composers such as Marc-Antoine Charpentier, François Couperin, Jean-Baptiste Lully, and Jean-Philippe Rameau.
Yet, over time, Baroque music fell out of practice in France, and the repertoire of the 17th century slowly began to disappear, taking its cultural and historical heritage along with it. This was something celebrated harpsichordist and organist Sébastien Daucé was not going to allow on his watch. In 2009, Daucé founded Ensemble Correspondances with the mission of performing Baroque music and restoring the 17th-century repertoire to its former glory. Today, Ensemble Correspondances is internationally recognized as the premier musical collective performing Baroque music.
Ensemble Correspondances performs regularly on tours and conducts numerous events and initiatives each year to connect audiences, especially young listeners, to their musical heritage. One longstanding program is a residency at the Théâtre de Caen, which provides access to tours of theater, educational concerts, and interactive panels with musicians. Since 2016, the ensemble’s residency in Caen allows students and young people from the underserved neighborhood of La Grâce de Dieu to discover cultural events, igniting passion for French Baroque music in Normandy. The Ensemble Correspondances is also known for innovative projects like the Normandy Musical Escape, a bicycle tour launched in 2020 along Normandy’s roads. This initiative aims to engage with local audiences to share the rich historical and cultural heritage of French Baroque music. This year, the ensemble’s 10 musicians will pedal through the Orne department, performing in 6 concert stops.
To revive the grandeur of Baroque music, Daucé established a Baroque research laboratory with musicologists, historians, and theater and opera managers. This collective meticulously restores Baroque compositions, undertaking extensive research and preparation to authentically interpret this exquisite musical style. One of the ensemble’s greatest achievements was reconstructing the Ballet Royal de la Nuit, originally performed in 1653 and featuring the young Louis XIV. Fragmented over time, the piece was brought back to life in 2017 as part of the ensemble’s residency at Théâtre de Caen.
Second edition of the festival : Les Heures Musicales de la Sainte-Chapelle
Ensemble Correspondances’s desire to revive already well-known composers like Charpentier while also showcasing the work of lesser-known French artists has led it to create a series of concerts at the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris in 2023 called Les Heures Musicales de la Sainte-Chapelle, in partnership with the Centre des monuments nationaux.
Following on from the first edition of the festival – whose three concerts enjoyed great success, with all shows sold out – this second edition of Les Heures Musicales de la Sainte-Chapelle will occur from October 10 to 12, 2024.
The programs for this edition will highlight the work of Marc-Antoine Charpentier who worked at the Sainte-Chapelle until his death in 1704, while also focusing on other leading composers of the time whose music is less frequently performed: Nicolas Bernier, Antoine Boësset, André Campra and Louis-Nicolas Clérambault.
Musical tradition at the Sainte-Chapelle
The Sainte-Chapelle was built in the mid-13th century by Louis IX, the future Saint Louis, to house the most prestigious relics of Christ’s Passion: the Crown of Thorns and the fragment of the True Cross. The Sainte-Chapelle, one of France’s foremost religious music venue, is designed like a piece of goldsmith’s art, with 1,113 stained-glass windows exalting the Capetian monarchy and the kingdom of France.
While Versailles is celebrated for its influence on the artistic and musical creation of the 17th century, Paris was also a hub of musical creativity at the time. At the heart of this effervescence, the Sainte-Chapelle stands out as an emblematic place where music comes to life, blending the grandeur of its Gothic architecture with the harmony of the compositions that resonate there.
Les Heures Musicales de la Sainte-Chapelle were established to resurrect its former musical prominence in 17th-century Paris and revive its musical legacy. The ensemble invites all audiences, whether seasoned enthusiasts of Baroque music or newcomers, to experience this unique event in the unparalleled setting of the Sainte-Chapelle.
The concerts
October 10 th – 8 :30pm
La Voix des Anges
An evocation of the world off women’s convents in 17th century Paris
October 11th – 7pm
Dans les pas de Charpentier
Charpentier’s last works composed specifically for the Sainte-Chapelle, as well as those of his successors within these walls, Bernier and Campra
October 12 th – 7 and 9pm
Lamentations des hommes
An immersion in the lavish services of the Holy Week, just a stone’s throw from the Sainte-Chapelle, at the Jesuits’ home
Discover the full programs : https://www.ensemblecorrespondances.com/programs/les-heures-musicales-de-la-sainte-chapelle-2/
Book your tickets: https://www.billetweb.fr/les-heures-musicales-de-la-sainte-chapelle-2024
A prestigious evening to support 17th century musical heritage
To open the festival, the ensemble and the Centre des monuments nationaux are organizing a fundraising concert reserved for patrons on October 10, 2024. The event will start with a preview concert of the program “La Voix des Anges”, followed by a cocktail reception at the Conciergerie, right by the Sainte-Chapelle. By taking part in this exceptional evening, patrons will be supporting a musical heritage composed for one of the most emblematic sites in French history. Individual tickets will be available for $375, or $650 for couples. Proceeds will benefit the Fondation Correspondances, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the ensemble.
October 10 th – Fundraising concert
5 :30pm – Guests’ reception at the Sainte-Chapelle
6pm – Concert La Voix des Anges
7 :30 – Cocktail reception at the Conciergerie
Fondation Correspondances
Fondation Correspondances supports the creative and research initiatives of Ensemble Correspondances, including the Baroque research laboratory as well as providing promotional and organizational support for the ensemble’s performances and tours, over sixty events each year. In addition to these objectives, a key aspect of its mission is to engage with younger listeners and help further music education surrounding the French Baroque repertoire.
Fondation Correspondances is committed to providing affordable access to all audiences, with discounted tickets for younger listeners as well as other social programs. In order to continue producing high quality musical performances and cultural programs for all audiences, the ensemble needs support. This is why Fondation Correspondances has partnered with Friends of Fondation de France, a New York-based 501(c)(3) dedicated to facilitating secure international giving, to reach a larger audience and connect with lovers of Baroque music in the United States.
US-based donors who wish to support the artistic excellence and cultural stewardship of the Baroque period can made tax-deductible donations to Fondation Correspondances through Friends of Fondation de France. For those in France, funds raised by the October 10th patron concert will allow Fondation Correspondances to ensure the continued excellence of Ensemble Correspondances, and will allow audiences to discover of Baroque music, keeping this priceless cultural heritage alive for generations to come.
For more info regarding the fundraising event and bookings, please contact:
Clémentine Leyer – clementine@ensemblecorrespondances.com
Crédits photos : ©Olivier Lauriot dit Prévost
