Artists

Juan de la Rubia, organ
Manuel Forcano, reciter

Program

Improvisations on the organ by Juan de la Rubia and texts by Manuel Forcano will bring sound, ‎light and colour to the events of a legendary celebration of French Baroque that chroniclers ‎of the time described as being like a night continuously lit by a sun.‎On 18 July 1668, Louis XIV organised a Great Royal Entertainment in the gardens of Versailles ‎to celebrate his victories in the war against Flanders. The entire court was invited and, from ‎dusk till dawn, the Sun King offered his guests an extravagant party where all the arts ‎married: gastronomy, theatre, music, fountain displays, ballet and fireworks dazzled those ‎attending with a remarkable aesthetic experience that would go down in history. Against the ‎backdrop of his palace gardens, fantasy, myth and poetry merged in an irrepressible quest ‎for beauty and pleasure, and amongst the guests were several prominent figures such as the ‎painter Le Brun, the architect Le Vau, the gardener Le Nôtre and the king’s ravishing mistress, ‎Madame de Montespan. Improvisations on the organ by Juan de la Rubia and texts by ‎Manuel Forcano will bring sound, light and colour to the events of a legendary celebration of ‎French Baroque that chroniclers of the time described as being like a night continuously lit by ‎a sun. Now as then, an evening not to be missed.‎

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