Judith, Mary Magdalene and Cecilia: Trois histoires sacrées by Charpentier

Stage director Vincent Huguet takes up eternal themes—liberation and courage, devotion and doubt, tragedy and acceptance—to stage three histoires sacrées (sacred histories) written by Marc-Antoine Charpentier more than 300 years ago. The economical use of a small instrumental ensemble over Latin vocal lines creates space for sublime surprises: more than abrupt mood changes or an unexpected fortissimo, we become attuned to the slightest dissonance, the delicate softness of instruments in unison, the briefest moments of silence. After three centuries, the drama of the work hits just as potently in the 21st century.

These three histoires are actually three motets designed for religious introspection; bringing them to the stage is a bold undertaking that feels immediately justified by the music’s sublime expressiveness. The result is a profoundly moving spectacle, intensely human and exquisitely rendered in the grandest of spaces, the Royal Chapel at Versailles. With Sébastien Daucé conducting the Ensemble Correspondances, the performance boasts “a sophisticated level of detail, authenticity and authority… ever tasteful and stylistic, the voices blending in sheer beauty” (The Classic Review). 

© Photo: Philippe Delval