What’s on Shows Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print Resize Resize down Resize up Exhibitions Shows Events Patronage Life on the estate Operas staged version From March 7th to 10th 2024 Berlioz/Gluck : Orfeo ed Euridice Orfeo is without a doubt the opera of operas: from Monteverdi to Rossi, at the very origins of lyric art, then with Gluck and his reform of the opera in Italian in Vienna and in French in Paris, and ultimately with Berlioz in a romantic version (and before Offenbach's brilliant parody), the romantic fate of this Greek poet is enduringly perpetuated on theatre stages. Director Aurélien Bory shapes the dizzying spaces through which Orpheus travels, brought to life by Marie-Claude Chappuis, while Václav Luks unleashes the wizardry of the musical virtuosi. Concerts Sunday March 10th 2024 Charpentier : Missa Assumpta est Maria From the shadow and misery of death to the dazzling light of Resurrection, Charpentier’s composition masterfully highlights the turmoil caused by the mystery of Easter, the mystic passage from death to life. For this extraordinarily beautiful programme that perfectly expresses the musical and religious sentiment of Louis XIV’s century, Gaétan Jarry conducts the Marguerite Louise musicians and singers in their preferred repertoire, adorned with the gilt and surges of baroque passion. Concerts Monday March 11th 2024 Récital Samuel Mariño : quella fiamma ! What if this “sopranista” were to become a worldwide phenomenon? With two CDs recorded in Versailles and a double-page spread in the New York Times, Samuel Mariño has earned his credentials among music lovers and fans of the mythical era of the castrati. The Orchestra of the Opéra Royal de Versailles brings Samuel Mariño to the stage in exuberant, heart-rending works from the baroque repertoire, conducted by Stefan Plewniak: watch out for some truly fashionable talent! Concerts Saturday March 16th 2024 Purcell : Hail ! Bright Cecilia Ode to St Cecila Purcell illustrates a glorious chapter in the history of his nation, the Restoration, which saw the return of the monarchy after the bleak years of Cromwell’s regime. Vincent Dumestre makes this piece for the queen of musicians truly shine, celebrating Purcell with Le Poème Harmonique for this concert that will be recorded to CD for our Château de Versailles Spectacles collection. Operas in concert version Sunday March 17th 2024 Wagner : The Walkyrie The singers of the permanent troupe, for whom it represents a core element of the repertoire, are joined here by guest soloists who perform the major roles in all German-language operas. As such, the Saarbrücken Theatre will be presenting a project, rooted in one hundred and fifty years of practice, at Versailles over a four-year period. After the success of The Rheingold in May 2023 comes the second instalment – and the first day – of the cycle. Concert Sunday March 24th 2024 Handel: Israel in Egypt John Eliot Gardiner has developed a passion for Handel that he conveys with incredible precision through his Monteverdi Choir. Revisiting Israel in Egypt, he invites the audience to an impressive demonstration of the excellence of his choir – the greatest choir in the world – in all its glory in the Chapelle Royale! Concerts Wednesday 5th April 2023 Couperin: Leçons de ténèbres Marie Perbost and Gwendoline Blondeel, two stars of the young generation of sopranos, directed by Chloé de Guillebon, revive this musical miracle in the darkening night, as the candles are extinguished one by one... Ballets From March 28th to April 5th 2024 Ballet Preljocaj: Triptych These three pieces by the choreographer Angelin Preljocaj, one of them a première, highlight the cohesion and force of an extraordinary choreographic language, which debuted with Preljocaj’s first pieces nearly forty years ago. Concerts Friday March 29th 2024 Stabat Mater for two castrati Two countertenors for an emblematic work, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater: the resurrection of the historical creation of this work in France, brought by two castrati of Louis XV’s Royal Chapel ! Concerts Sat. March 30h and Sun. March 31st 2024 Bach: St. John Passion Founded in 1956 near Munich, this boys’ choir is now the heir of seven decades of the most outstanding choral work. The choir – and in particular its young soloists – have performed around the world with, among others, Herbert von Karajan, Wolfgang Sawallisch, James Levine and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Today, it is the greatest children’s choir and especially dazzling in the German holy music repertoire, which the boys sing with joy in their own language. Unforgettable. Concerts Saturday April 6th 2024 Bach : Mass in Si Minor In Bach's oeuvre, this great "Latin" mass contrasts with its splendour to the Protestant passions. The heady sorrow of the Crucifixus, in which each voice weeps for Christ, is followed by the intoxicating Resurrexit, with all the brass and timpani playing, carried away by the joyful clamour of the faithful. Bach's musical testament is now one of his most performed works and it's the Pygmalion ensemble, led by Raphaël Pichon, who take it on with force and passion! Concerts Friday April 5th 2024 Bach : Mass in Si minor It is probably a theoretical composition, whose purpose was not dictated by need: Bach thus created his major work, a musical summit after fifty years dedicated to cantatas and passions… Opera staged version Saturday April 20th 2024 Purcell: Dido and Aeneas Dido and Aeneas is a brief and direct yet astonishingly diverse opera, combining sailors and pastors, sorceresses and furies, comedy and tragedy. The Death of Dido will forever be remembered as a pinnacle of baroque music, but come and listen to its terrible wizardry... Proceeds from this concert go to the Académie de l’Opéra Royal Operas staged version Saturday April 27th 2024 Rameau : Platée Rameau is a perfect fit for Valentin Tournet, who conducts and records this masterpiece of humour and musical perspicacity, with the incredible Mathias Vidal in the hilarious title role! Concerts Sunday April 28th 2024 Selva Morale : Vespers of San Marco Monteverdi Testamento Vincent Dumestre’s Poème Harmonique showcases the work and accompanies the soloists, among them the illustrious mezzo-soprano Eva Zaïcik. The virtuoso choir and dazzling orchestra transport you to an exhilarating Venice at the dawn of the baroque style. Operas in concert version Thursday May 16th 2024 Cimarosa : L'Olimpiade This seemingly inextricable plot grants Cimarosa the most extraordinary arias ever to be composed to this libretto, perfectly in keeping with the “Olympic spirit” of summer in Versailles. Christophe Rousset, the great champion of the Italian fin de siècle repertoire, leads a stunning cast in this bel canto tempest! Operas staged version From May 22nd to 26th 2024 Mozart: The Abduction from the Seraglio Gaétan Jarry directs the choirs and orchestra of the Opéra Royal, restoring all the flavour to Mozart’s music, seasoned with a mise en scene by the great opera enthusiast Michel Fau, and in a French-language version that feels utterly natural! Concerts Sunday May 26th 2024 Mozart: The Great Mass in C Minor Long before he composed his Requiem, Mozart produced another immense masterpiece of sacred music, a Mass in C minor (1783). He began writing this great composition for Vienna, having left his position in Salzburg. Operas in concert version Friday May 31st 2024 Rameau : Les Boréades Taking on this monument of French music, Václav Luks brings together experienced soloists and the skills of his choir and orchestra, all familiar with Versailles: their talent is admirable and Versailles owes this to Rameau! Operas in concert version Thursday June 6th 2024 Handel: Julius Caesar in Egypt - Cecilia Bartoli Cecilia Bartoli wanted to pay tribute to the music with panache and the sense of drama for which she is well known: a musical event well suited to this queen of baroque singing, who performs Cleopatra with passion, grandeur and virtuosity! Operas staged version Saturday June 8th 2024 Their Master’s Voice – Cecilia Bartoli/John Malkovich : a gender duel The Austrian writer and director Michael Sturminger will be tasked with creating this custom performance, presented first in Monte-Carlo and then at the Opéra Royal de Versailles, followed by the Barocchissimo event at the Vienna Staatsoper. Concerts Friday June 14th 2024 Au Service de Sa Majesté Chapelles royales de Londres et Paris The dialogue between the small choir and the large choir, the sublime instrumental simphonies with their shimmering colors, the majesty of the discourse: between these two French and English repertoires, everything seems to respond to each other and converse with mutual admiration. Operas in concert version Wednesday June 19th 2024 Destouches: Telemachus and Calypso In Telemachus and Calypso, we discover Destouches’ unique dramatic effect and a constant focus on the “vivacity of flow” and natural declamation. The work also echoes his commitment to Louis XIV, then nearing the end of his life, with a great monumental chaconne with couplets and choruses of nearly four hundred bars, in tribute to the tradition passed down by Lully. Operas staged version From June 21st to 23th 2024 Monteverdi : L'Orfeo Jordi Savall and the Concert des Nations take on this performance, supported by the profound sensitivity of Marc Mauillon, reviving this inaugural tragedy, at once personal and universal, its resounding fanfares and sumptuous choruses retaining all their extraordinary power four centuries later. Repeat of the performance first presented on 4 June 2021 at the Opéra Comique. Co-production by the Opéra Royal / Château de Versailles Spectacles, Opéra Comique, Opéra Grand Avignon Operas staged version Thursday June 27th 2024 Purcell : The Fairy Queen A new production of Purcell’s masterpiece, this Fairy Queen focuses on youthfulness and inventiveness for near-total spectacle! In an enchanted forest, reality meets dreams, illusion and the supernatural, while the paths and love stories of young Athenians, woodland fairies and a troupe of actors cross. Operas staged version Saturday 29th and sunday 30th june 2024 Vivaldi : Gloria e Imeneo The two young star counter-tenors, France’s Théo Imart and Italy’s Nicolò Balducci, will combine their sublime voices – especially at home in the soprano register – to lend Vivaldi the quicksilver colour that so well complements his music. Accompanied by the Orchestra of the Opéra Royal, they are conducted by Stefan Plewniak, the awe-inspiring violin virtuoso, who promised to play a high-voltage version of the piece! The director Nicolas Briançon will bring this formidable musical allegory to life amid the incredible period sets of the Théâtre de la Reine, which have been specially arranged for the occasion. Operas in concert version Thursday July 4th 2024 Colin de Blamont : Les Fêtes grecques et romaines Rebel and Francœur, deserves to be rediscovered for his effective and endearing style, which Valentin Tournet harnesses as he conducts the Chapelle Harmonique, against a backdrop of the Paris Olympic Games! Recurring shows Program of the National Equestrian Academy of Versailles Equestrian Show The Great Stables The 2023-2024 musical season All shows Back to Exhibitions Shows Events Patronage Life on the estate