In vino musica with La Chapelle Harmonique

Here’s the English translation:

From opera, we know the countless miraculous potions and elixirs that the tormented souls on stage crave throughout the acts. From melody, we savor the long sighs where the poet’s soul gets intoxicated with love and nature. From tavern songs, we remember the liveliness and bouts of ribaldry… But how enchanting it is to discover, at the heart of these scores, through a line, a recitative, an aubade, or a song, the praise of wine!

In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, censorship and propriety made it strange to showcase such a drink on stage. Beyond the fact that it was inappropriate to display a man’s downfall under the influence of alcohol, the very act of drinking—a common gesture intended to satisfy a purely physical desire—could not decently inhabit the musical art that aimed to elevate the spirits. Although widely consumed by the aristocracy and bourgeoisie daily, wine could thus appear as a vulgar and, ultimately, anti-aesthetic element…

This did not take into account the importance of ancient culture in inspiring composers: in stories from Athens or Rome, bacchanals, bacchantes, and bacchic festivals were integral parts of the scene! Bacchus, for his part, was happy to join the concert of scores and mischievously and sometimes ribaldly intrude into the melodies and drinking songs. It also overlooked the aspiration to libertinism that found in wine—and in the music of taverns, theaters, or courts—a valuable accomplice. Finally and above all, the buffa vein of many scores naturally invited the inclusion of wine, with its effects on the body providing a pretext for amusing and hilarious scenes. Ultimately, the connection between wine and music was a guarantee of laughter and good cheer. In essence, composers and performers saw this as a path to success. Thus, wine—whether young or old, delicious or vile, adorned with commendable virtues or a symbol of depravity—would passionately infuse numerous scores.

We have assembled here a delightful selection.

And around music by Lully, Rameau, Clérambault, Bataille, Lambert, Boësset… the wine itself will be tasted at the end of the concert. Patiently selected to echo the notes, the vintages will allow the audience to extend the musical journey. In vino musica!

Laurent Croizier

Valentin Tournet, viola da gamba and direction

Laurent Croizier, presentation

Elodie Fonnard, soprano

Cyril Costanzo, baritone

La Chapelle Harmonique