At the end of Louis XIV’s reign, France was a land of deep piety, but also of Italian influence in music, including sacred music. Thus, the dramatic expressiveness Couperin composed for his singers is so intense that it might be mistaken for opera. Here, vocality and spirituality are artfully combined, showcasing the refinement of the beautiful French singing tradition that was practiced not only in salons and theaters but also in places of worship. Indeed, people flocked to Parisian convents to listen to these divine voices singing the Tenebrae Lessons for Holy Week—faceless voices of young cloistered nuns, voices from heaven… though often these were opera singers performing in convents during the penitential closure of theaters! Traditionally, candles were extinguished one by one throughout the Tenebrae service, ending in the darkness of night.

The preserved Tenebrae Lessons by François Couperin are written for Holy Wednesday and represent one of the pinnacles of French sacred art in the early 18th century.

Stéphane Fuget leads the young and exquisite voices of Florie Valiquette and Marie Perbost (as if escaped from some mysterious convent…) for this concert, perfectly suited to the ambiance of Versailles, which will also be recorded for our discography collection.

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