Marie-Antoinette / Sonya Yoncheva

Iconic queen, legendary performers: in this concert, William Christie, Sonya Yoncheva and the orchestra of Les Arts Florissants walk the tightrope between the myths of yesterday and today. 

Revealed by William Christie during her participation in the Jardin des Voix, Les Arts Florissants' academy for young singers, Sonya Yoncheva has since undeniably entered the firmament of opera stars. But while the world's greatest stages have been snapping her up, her artistic complicity with the Franco-American conductor has lost none of its depth. On the contrary: it continues to be nourished by their shared passion for Baroque music. 

It is in this spirit that the two have decided to share the stage once again, for this concert devoted to one of the most famous female figures of the Age of Enlightenment: Marie-Antoinette. Beyond the sulphurous image often associated with her, this queen was above all a lover of the arts. A great lover of music, she commissioned many works from the composers of her time - some of whom were among her friends, such as Gluck, whose works appear on this program alongside those Cherubini, Rameau, Piccini and Grétry. 

By breathing life and voice back into these works, this concert invites us to discover a lesser-known facet of Marie-Antoinette, through her aesthetic sensibility... and to immerse ourselves in the music of the second half of the 18th century, as it could then be heard in Paris or at the court of Versailles.