wowhd.co.uk

In the Versailles of the Kings of France, music was omnipresent at the great ceremonial feasts. Louis XV had the Opéra Royal built in 1770 to house the official wedding celebrations of his three grandchildren. The cornerstone of the ceremony was the grand ceremonial dinner, accompanied throughout by music that covered the hubbub of the assembled courtiers and the noise of the service at the table. For the wedding of the Comte d'Artois (the future Charles X) in 1773, the orchestral refinement was matched only by the dramatic power and choreographic energy of the setting. Alexis Kossenko gives these festive pieces the luxury of being performed by a full orchestra, on the very stage where they were performed for this historic wedding!