Candlelight concert.

By the mid-17th century, Les Leçons de Ténèbres had become the subject of increasingly admired musical compositions. In France, Michel Lambert was the first to compose a cycle in 1662, soon followed by Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Michel Richard Delalande. But the most famous — and the first to regain popularity through recordings and with the wider public in modern times — are those by François Couperin, dating from 1714.

At the end of the reign of Louis XIV, France was both a land of deep piety and of Italian influence in music, including sacred music. The emotions composed by Couperin for his singers are so dramatic that they might almost seem drawn from opera itself… Vocal expression and spirituality are artfully intertwined, bearing witness to the refinement of the French vocal style cultivated alike in salons, theatres, and places of worship. Crowds gathered in Parisian convents to hear these heavenly voices performing the Leçons for Holy Week — faceless voices of young cloistered women, voices from heaven… yet often opera singers as well, during the closure of theatres in penitential times. Traditionally, candles were extinguished one by one as the Office of Tenebrae unfolded, ending in the darkness of night… The three surviving lessons by François Couperin were written for Holy Wednesday. They represent one of the high points of French sacred art in the early 18th century.

Marie Perbost and Sarah Charles, leading figures of the younger generation of sopranos, revive this musical miracle under the direction of Chloé de Guillebon, in the deepening night where the candles are extinguished one by one…

The Productions of the Royal Opera

CD available in the Château de Versailles Spectacles collection

Coming soon

PRESTIGE VIP CATEGORY : Best seats in house, you will receive a complimentary programme and a glass of champagne.

PRESTIGE CATEGORY : Excellent seats, you will receive a complimentary programme and a glass of champagne.

REDUCED GROUP RATE : available for groups of more than 10 people, excluding corporate offers.

CORPORATE GROUP RATES : for more information, please refer to our page dedicated to works councils and groups.

In case of any technical problem, the box office service remains available to complete your order by phone at +33 (0)1 30 83 78 89 (Monday-Friday from 11am to 6pm) or in our box office-shop (3 bis rue des Réservoirs, 78000 Versailles ; Monday-Friday from 11am to 6pm, and on Saturdays with concerts or shows except during the Musical Fountains Shows, from 2pm to 5pm).

To ensure the best welcome possible, people with limited mobility are advised to book their seats by telephone.