The life of Christina of Sweden seems straight out of a novel – or  better yet, an opera. Born on 18 December 1626 in Stockholm, she  ended her days in Rome in 1689 after an exile that led her to  encounter more and more protagonists throughout the different acts of her  life. A great lover and patron of the arts, her life was marked by  the omnipresence of music, of which she was a major supporter. This concert musically retraces her life in three acts – and a prologue – through works she might have heard or even  commissioned.

Prologue : the coronation and abdication.  The concert opens with a selection of works that might have been  performed at her coronation – about which nothing is known, musically speaking. The  highlight of this moment is Veni Sponsa Christi by Carissimi  (whom Christina admired and would meet much later).  But the joyful prologue ends abruptly with Fader War,  which was sung at her abdication.

Christine de Suède

After André Danican Philidor (1652–1730)
La Suédoise

Gustav Düben (1629–1690)
Venite Sancte Spiritus

Giacomo Carissimi (1605–1674)
Veni Sponsa Christi

Gustav Düben
Fader War

Antonio Cesti (1623–1669)
L’Argia: prologue

Henri Du Mont (1610–1684), Michel Lambert (1610–1696) and Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687)
Court airs and excerpts from Alcidiane

Alessandro Melani (1639–1703) and Antonio Bertali (1605–1669)
Requiem and excerpts from the Missa Archiducalis

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

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

REDUCED RATE : applicable to under 26s, Chateau de Versailles Spectacles card holders and groups of more than 10 people (excluding special company offer).

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.