Organization

Singer

Soprano

Claire Lefilliâtre

Victoire Bunel

Tenor

Cyril Auvity

Clément Debieuvre

Serge Goubioud

Baritone

Marc Mauillon

Bass-baritone

Benoît Arnould

Bass

Geoffroy Buffière

Renaud Delaigue

Conductor

Stéphane Fuget

Opéra Royal de Versailles

Orchestra

Les Epopées

Lully: grands motets - Benedictus

Versailles

France

Chapelle Royale

Lully: grands motets - Benedictus: Concert Various

Public

Concert

Approved

Lully 's Grands Motets were the first masterpieces of this “large format” style which was to become the hallmark of French sacred music, and an emblem of the Century of Louis XIV. For the King's daily office at Versailles, the liturgy was very special: the mass was said "low" by the priest, and dressed in a permanent concert of voices and instruments, among the most sumptuous imaginable, the Grands Motets for the King's Chapel . 

To bring these legendary works back to life for Versailles, Stéphane Fuget has brought together the best performers for this project, a veritable "army of generals" where the choir is made up of exceptional singers, who alternate between solo parts and large choral pieces, as in the days of Lully, for a dazzling result. The variety and the number of musicians also contrasts with modern practices of interpretation: eight instruments of the flute family mobilized when they must, the twenty-four violins of course, the organ and the harpsichord, the theorbo, the flamboyant band of oboes, in short, an opulent musical ensemble like no other to (re)play the music of Lully or his contemporaries. This will therefore be the challenge of this third volume of a complete CD of the Grands Motets by Lully, 

For this concert, three of the most beautiful grand motets will be brought together: Benedictus , composed in 1685 shortly before Lully's death, is of extraordinary architecture and transcends the sacred drama; Notus in Judea Deus , a veritable song of victory celebrating the Glory of God; Domine Salvum fac Regem , this energetic "God save the King" systematically sung in honor of the Sovereign to close religious services and special occasions, accompanied by the sublime Magnificat of Henry Du Mont, in charge of the Music of the Chapel of King until 1683.

If you wish to hear the most incredible orchestral and choral colors of the Grand Siècle, in the power of the masterpieces of Lully, Stéphane Fuget and the Epics await you at the Royal Chapel.

English

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Ensemble