It was in this vein of the Versailles ceremonial that Charpentier wrote the Te Deum that would make him famous in the twentieth century: performed for the military victory at Steinkerque in 1692, probably in the church of Saint-Louis-des-Jésuites, where Charpentier was the Maître de Chapelle, this work, which glorified the King’s arms, was a great success, but was never performed before Louis XIV. Since its rediscovery, this powerful fresco, whose prelude opens with the timpani and trumpets’ martial rhythms, has come to symbolise the Grand Siècle of the arts, but also of Louis XIV’s conquests. Young Valentin Tournet adds to the programme works that are much less well known, but whose splendour is also a reminder of the quality and expressiveness of official French music: the De Profundis is full of gravitas, while the Triumphal March sounds the trumpets of fame for the Greatest King in the World!

Concert dedicated to the memory of Joëlle Broguet, Founder of ADOR – Friends of the Royal Opera

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