''Les plaisirs de Versailles'' H.480 (English: ''The Pleasures of

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

'') is a short

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

(or ''divertissement'') by the French composer

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still us ...

. It was intended for performance at the new courtly entertainment known as ''les appartements du roi'' ("the king's receptions") devised by

King Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

and held in his own apartments at the palace of Versailles in 1682. At the time, Charpentier was composer for Louis, ''le Grand Dauphin'', the king's son. The

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...

is unknown.

Roles and synopsis

Most of the characters represent the pleasures enjoyed at Versailles: ''La Musique'' (Music), ''La Conversation'' (Conversation), ''Le Jeu'' (Gambling),

Comus In Greek mythology, Comus (; grc, Κῶμος, ''Kōmos'') is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. He is a son and a cup-bearer of the god Dionysus. He was represented as a winged youth or a child-like satyr and represents ana ...

and ''Un plaisir'' (A Pleasure). The cast of the first performance is unknown but Charpentier himself may have sung ''Le Jeu''. ''La Musique'' sings until she is interrupted by the babble of ''la Conversation''. Comus arrives and tries to reconcile the two by offering chocolate, wines and confectionery. ''Le Jeu'' suggests they gamble, but ''la Musique'' only wants to sing and ''la Conversation'' only wants to drink chocolate. The two finally agree to settle their differences so they can both help King Louis to relax after fighting his wars.

Selected recordings

*''Les Plaisirs de Versailles'' H.480 (with ''Les Stances du Cid'' H.457- H.459 and ''Amor vince ogni cosa'' H.492)

Sophie Daneman Sophie Daneman is a British soprano specializing in the baroque repertoire. Biography Sophie Daneman, a daughter of the actor Paul Daneman, studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She became known during the 1990s with ...

, Katalin Karolyi, Steve Dugardin, Jean-François Gardeil, François Piolino,

Patricia Petibon Patricia Petibon (born 27 February 1970) is a French soprano. Life Born in Montargis, Petibon's parents were both teachers. She initially studied the visual arts, including painting and subsequently changed her academic focus and earned a ba ...

Monique Zanetti Monique Zanetti (born 13 June 1961) is a French soprano. She studied at the University of Metz, then with Elisabeth Grümmer. She first came to attention singing in the same first generation of French early music singers with Agnès Mellon and Gé ...

, Fernand Bernadi, Les Arts Florissants conducted by William Christie, CD (Erato, 1996). Diapason d'or *''Les Plaisirs de Versailles'' H.480, ''Idylle sur le retour de la santé du Roi'' H.489, ''Sonate à 8'' H.548, Les Folies Françoises, Patrick Cohen-Akenine. Director, Olivier Simonet, DVD Armide Classics / Vox Lucida ARM 003, 2004. *''Les Plaisirs de Versailles'' H.480 (with Les Arts Florissants H.487), Teresa Wakim, Jesse Blumberg, Virginia Warnken, Boston early Music Festival Vocal & Chamber Ensembles, Paul O’Dette, Stephen Stubbs, CD (CPO, 2019).

Sources

* ''The Viking Opera Guide'' ed. Holden (Viking, 1993)
Le magazine de l'opéra baroque

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plaisirs De Versailles, Les French-language operas Operas Operas by Marc-Antoine Charpentier 1682 operas