Calendar - Christmas Night

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Christmas Night

Ensemble

Choir and orchestra of Les Arts Florissants

Cast

Élodie FONNARD, soprano
Natalie PEREZ, soprano
Nicholas SCOTT, tenor
Thibaut LENAERTS, tenor
Cyril COSTANZO, bass

Program

Guillaume BOUZIGNAC - Dum Silentium

Marc-Antoine CHARPENTIER - Noëls sur les instruments H. 534 (extraits)

"Joseph est bien marié" H.534/3

Eustache DU CAURROY - Une jeune pucelle ( Arrangement par Dominique Visse )

Eustache DU CAURROY - Fantaisies sur une jeune fillette

Marc-Antoine CHARPENTIER - Noëls sur les instruments H. 534 (extraits)

"Une jeune pucelle" H.534/6

Guillaume BOUZIGNAC - Noe, Noe, Pastores

Marc-Antoine CHARPENTIER - Magnificat H.79 à 4 voix

Marc-Antoine CHARPENTIER - Messe de Minuit à 4 voix, flûtes et violons, Pour Noël H. 9

- Kyrie

- Gloria

Graduale - Tecum principium - Dixit Dominus (Plain-chant)

Alleluia - Dominus Dixit ad me

- Credo in unum Deum

Offertoire - Laetentur Coeli (Plain-chant)

- Sanctus

- Benedictus

- Agnus Dei

Communion - In splendorous sanctorum (Plain-chant)

Marc-Antoine CHARPENTIER - Ave Regina coelorum H.45

Marc-Antoine CHARPENTIER - Noëls sur les instruments H. 534 (extraits)

"Or nous dites Marie" H.534/4

An evening of joyful and profound music for Christmas.

“The midnight mass of Charpentier is at once joyful and profound, a celebration of the mystery of the birth of Christ. This performance will include instrumental noëls or carols, organ interludes and traditional plainsong chants putting the various movements into context, and attempting to recreate Charpentier’s vision of the Christmas celebration.

This mass is particular in the tradition of parody masses which has existed since the 14th century, using popular tunes as the basis for the musical composition. Most often these themes, the ‘Western Wind’ melody or that of ‘L’homme armé’ being two common examples, are hidden within complex texture, forming an architectural foundation to the composition yet having little influence on the ultimate character of the work. Charpentier keeps the folk melody at the forefront of his musical texture leaving us often with diametrically opposed sentiments between the melody and the words of the office. This ability to create many layers of meaning within his music is precisely where his genious lies.”

Paul Agnew