The Concert Champêtre

Nature was one of the major themes of inspiration in the 18th century. From François Boucher to Jean-Jacques Rousseau, pastoral worlds populated by shepherds and shepherdesses in love were found in painting, literature and music, which brought popular instruments such as the hurdy-gurdy and the musette, a cousin of the bagpipes, back into fashion. The greatest composers of the time, including François Couperin, Jean-Philippe Rameau and Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, were interested in the wonders of nature, which they described through magnificent pieces vibrant with colour and emotion.

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Koske Nozaki: flutes, musette, hurdy-gurdy Florence Bolton: viola da gamba and bass viola da gamba Benjamin Perrot: theorbo and baroque guitar

Concert accessible to holders of the ‘1 year in Versailles’ subscription