Charpentier : Méditations

Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704) Méditations

Sunday 25 April, 5 PM

Chapelle Royale

Duration: 1h05 without interval

Concert for male voices centred around Holy Week. Under the reign of Louis XIV, both city and court were accustomed to a profusion of lavish spectacles, offering the illusion of an endless celebration. Only Lent brought a halt to the laughter of comedy and the marvels of machinery. The extravagance of secular scenes then gave way to the confidential, mysterious splendours of this time of contemplation. The French taste for beautiful singing and overwhelming passions continued in the motets of Holy Week, where the drama of human solitude in the face of the apparent loss of all hope unfolds. The origin of Charpentier's Méditations pour le Carême is unknown; however, their composition for three male voices links them to some of his Leçons de Ténèbres, intended for male singers. This attraction to the low register reinforces the twilight feeling associated with the themes of repentance and desolation that run through the Scriptures. The Ténèbres ceremony is well-known: as the chants progress, the dim light of the church gradually gives way to total darkness as the candles illuminating the choir are extinguished one by one. Normally held around three in the morning, the service was brought forward to concert time for the Parisian public, who came to delight in these sonic jewels. A time to tip into the unknown of the night, before the awakening of Easter. After exploring the secrets of the Ténèbres in the company of Lalande, Cavalieri, and Couperin, Le Poème Harmonique now enters the familiar atmosphere of Holy Week with Charpentier. The intense colours of the male voices make this chiaroscuro painting all the more striking.