The Scents of Versailles
Intricate Baroque music from France
Marais – De la Guerre – Couperin – Rameau
FiBO players, with Markku Luolajan-Mikkola on viola da gamba
Anthony Marini, violin
Louna Hosia, viola da gamba
Marianna Henriksson (Helsinki and Porvoo) / Annamari Pölhö (Pyhtää), harpsichord
NB. During the concert in Helsinki ja Porvoo, mild fragrances are used.
Markku Luolajan-Mikkola and Marianna Henriksson, programme planning
A tourist wandering through the palace of Versailles might ponder what it really was like there? The musician, who has a life-long relationship to sheet music, asks him- or herself the same question. Can a sound in itself convey information from a past life – and what about a scent?
This FiBO’s concert draws inspiration from life at the Sun King’s court, and the room will be filled not only with music but also with the scents of Trudon candles. The same manufacturer sold candles to Versailles and the important churches of Paris already during the reign of the Sun King. The scent you can sense in the concert is inspired by the floor wax in Versailles. Performing with the instrumental ensemble is FiBO’s former artistic director, the gambist Markku Luolajan-Mikkola.
Marin Marais (1656–1728) was the Sun King’s chamber musician. The virtuoso viola da gamba player enthralled his audiences with his exceptional interpretations and his playing technique. He is known to have written over 600 works for viola da gamba. FiBO’s concert programme features the lost soundscapes of The Bells of St. Genevieve (1723). Over the persistent bass line we get to hear a description of the daily life, decorated in a Baroque way.
Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665–1729) was very much admired as a keyboard player. She was the daughter of a musician and gained the patronage of Madame de Montespan, mistress of the Sun King, at an early stage. De la Guerre’s sonatas and cantatas were important examples of the Italian style in France at the time. Her violin sonata in D minor (ca 1707) is impressive in its sincere melancholy.
François Couperin’s (1668–1773) works for harpsichord contained not only music but also imitation of the surrounding world and jovial observations about society as well. His Royal Concerts (1714) are an example of colourful chamber music. They were not meant for dancing, not even if the King’s foot tapped against the floor.
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764) was one of the most important scholars of harmony and acoustics of his time. He also revolutionized the French opera and worked as an organist and harpsichordist at the Sun King’s court. His third Pièces de clavecin en concert (1741) is filled with charming surprises.
Duration (Helsinki and Pyhtää): 1 h 30 min (incl. intermission)
Duration (Porvoo): 1 h (no intermission, Rameau's piece not in the programme)
FiBO's artistic planner Marianna Henriksson introduces the concert at the House of Nobility on 21 March from 6 pm to 6.30 pm.
Smell, hear, and see the Palace of Versailles during the reign of the Sun King! This concert offers a chance to travel back to the 18th century through scent and sound. But if you wish to explore what the most iconic locations of the Palace of Versailles look like, you can do so through virtual tours with VR headsets.
The headsets will be available at the House of Nobility before the concert from 6 to 7 pm and during the intermission. Access is on a first-come, first-served basis. The virtual tours are organized in collaboration with the Institut Français.
HELSINKI
Tickets 15/29/37/52 € (price according to the seat) including handling costs + 1,5 € delivery fee per order: Ticketmaster's points of purchase and ticketmaster.fi
Student tickets at the door 10 €
Series tickets for the residency series of the House of Nobility 72/92 € (price according to seat) including handling costs + 1,5 € delivery fee per order: Ticketmaster's points of purchase and ticketmaster.fi. Series tickets can be purchased until the series' first concert (February 14). Note! When you buy online, the system offers its best seat. If you want to choose a specific seat, it is possible at Ticketmaster's points of purchase.
Group offers and ticket inquieries: lippu@fibo.fi
*
The House of Nobility is not fully accessible. There are steps at the entrance, and access from the lobby to the assembly hall, which serves as a concert venue on the second floor, is via stairs.
The accessible entrance is located at Hallituskatu 2 B. The doorman will open the door upon request. Please call him when you are at the door at +358 50 395 2349.
An accessible restroom is available on the second floor, next to the concert café area.
PORVOO
Tickets 15 € (normal), 10 € (discount groups): porvoo.fi
PYHTÄÄ
Tickets 25 € + delivery fee from 1,5 €: Lippupiste's points of purchace and lippu.fi