B a r o q u e
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 AT 7:30PM
at La Maison Française
Admission
- General: $20
- Student w/ID: $15
Tickets: www.instantseats.com
A limited amount of free parking within the Embassy of France will be available on a first come, first served basis. Additional parking is available on Reservoir Road and across the street at Georgetown University Hospital’s pay lot.
Italian Cantatas From the Time of Farinelli
Damien Guillon, counter-tenor
Claire Gratton, cello
Kevin Manent-Navratil, harpsichord
A wine reception to meet the artists will follow the concert.
Co-presented with the Italian Cultural Institute in Washington
Program
Nicola Porpora (1686 –1768) — D’amor la belle pace
Domenico Scarlatti (1685 –1757) — Sonata in F major, K 6
Domenico Scarlatti (1685 –1757) — Sonata in b minor, K 27
Antonio Vivaldi (1678 –1741) — Qual per ignoto calle, RV 677
--- Intermission ---
Leonardo Leo (1694 – 1744) — Dove Fuggo à che penso
Francesco Geminiani (1687 — 1762) - Sonata for violoncello
Nicola Porpora (1686 – 1768) — Dal povero mio cor
"Damien Guillon gave an excellent delivery of the closing Agnus Dei. In any aria, the music is the vehicle which carries the message of the word. A beautiful voice alone is not enough. Guillon managed to fuse the drama of the text into the beauty of the melodic line." — The Business Times Singapour
French counter-tenor Damien Guillon received his musical training from the Maîtrise de Bretagne directed by Jean-Michel Noël; the Maîtrise du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles directed by Olivier Schneebeli; and the prestigious Schola Cantorum Basiliensis where he studied with Andreas Scholl. Other coaches include Howard Crook, Jérôme Corréas, Gisèle Fixe, Viviane Durand, Noëlle Barker and Maarten Köningsberger.
In addition to singing, Mr. Guillon studied organ with Frédéric Desenclos and Véronique Le Guen and won First Prize for basso continuo and hasrpsichord at the Conservatoire de Boulogne-Billancourt.
Damien Guillon has sung as soloist with numerous early music ensembles, including Poème Harmonique under Vincent Dumestre Ensemble Matheus under Jean-Christophe Spinosi, the Ricercar Consort under Philippe Pierlot, Les Paladins under Jérôme Corréas, Akadêmia Ensemble under Françoise Lasserre, l'Ensemble baroque de Nice under Gilbert Bezzina, Le Parlement de Musique under Martin Gester, l'Orchestre d'Auvergne under Arie van Beek, Le Concert Spirituel under Hervé Niquet, La grande écurie et la chambre du Roy under Jean-Claude Malgoire; as well as under the baton of Christophe Rousset and Philippe Herreweghe.
Mr. Guillon has performed at the major European festivals in Versailles, Ambronay, Beaune, Utrecht, Rome and Lisbon, among others. Recent engagements include: Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris), with Les Folies Françoises and Patrick Cohën-Akenine; Opéra de Nice under the bâton of Gilbert Bezzina, Théâtre royal de la monnaie (Brussels) under the bâton of Philippe Pierlot.
Ms. Claire Gratton (cello) performs in Il Convito (led by Maude Gratton), the Mensa Sonora (led by Jean Maillet), L’ensemble baroque de Nice (led by Gilbert Benzina) and Pulcinella (led by Jean Maillet). She studied at the Conservatoire de Poitier and in Bordeaux; she has several recordings with Le concert des nations led by Jordi Savall.
Mr. Kevin Manent-Navratil (harpsichord) received his training at the Conservatoire national de région Boulogne-Billancourt under Laure Morabito and Frederic Michel, the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Lyon under Françoise Langelle and ESMUC in Barcelona with Beatrice Martin.
Mr. Manent-Navratil has perfomed on regular basis with ensembles that include Les musiciens du paradis, Le banquet celeste, Les folies françoises and L’ouie dire. He has been heard in festivals in Sable, Dieppe, Saintes, the Baroque Academy of Orléans, as well as the festival of Ambronay.
In 2002, Manent-Navratil formed the ensemble Les douces folies with Fleur Bouilhet (soprano) and Marie van Cutsem (recorder and bassoon). Together they have recorded contemporary pieces for harpsichord by the young composer Gilles Vuillard.
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>> Sept. 16: Italian Cantatas from the time of
Farinelli
Farinelli (né Carlo Broschi) — 1705-1782
Damien Guillon, counter-tenor
Claire Gratton, cello
Kevin Manent-Navratil, harpsichord