Italian composers were all the rage at the Court of Louis XIV! Take Xerse, the opera by Cavalli, who was invited for the marriage of the king, which you can discover in the Great Hall from the 2nd to the 10th of October.
Lully, past master of taste and music at the Court, held for the Italians a place of honour, in particular Franceso Corbetta, uncontested virtuoso of the guitar. His instrument could be heard in Lully’s ballets at the Court and in the intimacy of private parlours, even the royal chamber of the great Louis — who could not fall to sleep without the charms of a Folia, a Caprice or a Sarabande. The Italian masters rivalled one another with brio and virtuosity, inspiring the French to compose the most exquisite chamber music for the instrument and its cousin the theorbe. The soloists of the Concert d’Astrée are sure to strike a sensitive chord …

Solistes from the Concert d’Astrée
Quito Gato guitar, theorbo and percussions
Laura Monica Pustilnik guitar, theorbo