The sixth Denman Island Baroque Workshop and Festival is nearly here.
The week-long event (April 28-May 4) features an extended workshop, to be attended by 37 musicians (17 singers and 17 instrumentalists), culminating in a concert on May 4.
During the week of the workshop, participants will be working on French Baroque music for the court of the Sun King, Louis XIV for a semi-staged performance on the afternoon of Saturday, May 4. The Sun King was so named after his appearances dancing as Apollo. Ballet began with the dance Louis and his troupe developed at Versailles in the 17th century. Louis reined from 1643 to 1715. Musical styles changed considerably during that period and many composers, musicians and other artists worked in the royal court at Versailles.
The Baroque Festival will present works by Jean Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) and Marin Marais (1656-1738). La Grotte de Versailles from 1667 is a 35 minute-long mini opera or eglogue, a pastoral divertissement celebrating the return of Louis to Versailles after victory in battle in Flanders.
It is all about love and the singing of the birds. The title refers to La Grotte de Tephys, an elaborate building at Versailles. Tephys, a titan and Greek goddess of freshwater who, every evening, welcomed the Sun (Apollo, often played by the king) in her sea cave after his celestial passage. La Grotte was a fantasy building adorned with sea shells and with marble sculptures of apollo and other gods, fountains and a hydraulic organ which made the sounds of birds.
This masterpiece was a great success, and the location for many musical productions, often involving dancing by the king and other nobles. La Grotte de Tephys was built in 1663 and demolished in 1684 to make way for grander architectural plans.
Marin Marais is best known for his wonderful music for the Viola da Gamba. He also wrote several fine operas which today are little known. The prologue and the wonderful final chaconne from Alcione (1706) will be performed. The opera tells the Greek myth, told in Ovid’s Metamorphosis, of Alcione and Ceyx a married couple who generated the wrath of Zeus through their romantic hubris. In the prologue, the mountain god Tmole judges a musical contest between Pan and Apollo. The victor Apollo wishes for the return of peace to the world. Local dancers Cathy Stoyko and Caresse Nadeau will be interpreting the instrumental dances.
In addition to the final concert, esteemed festival instructors will perform a concert on the Wednesday evening (provisional). On Friday evening (May 3), the workshop participants will present a concert of chamber works they have prepared in advance.
Information on all performances and tickets for the final concert (May 4, 2:30 p.m. in the Denman Community Hall) are now available through the website denmanbaroque.ca