In the Gardens of Muses

In the center of Paris there is the ancient Latin quarter of Le Marais. And in the heart of the quarter there used to be the seat of the Freemasons, the magnificent Maison du Temple. In the mid-18th century it used to be the home of the royal prince Louis-François I de Bourbon, the famous host whose distinguished guests included the little Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on one occasion.

Another important patron of musicians was Alexandre La Riche de La Pouplinière who supported, among others, Jean-Philippe Rameau, his Kapellmeister. At his Château de Passy in Paris he organized large orchestral concerts.

In the course of the 18th century the salons of the two patrons competed with the musical production at the royal court. Their offer included parts of large operas, orchestral perfomances and chamber concerts for which some new forms, including small cantata, were defined.

Although the palace is no longer there and all that remained from Château de Passy is a plaque on the wall, their legacy lives on in the eternal value of the music which used to be heard within its walls. Out of its opulent sounds, in turn, it is possible to reconstruct mysterious palaces and in them famous musical salons, tonight in the heart of the Prague Troja Chateau.

Composers such as Louis-Nicolas Clérambault, Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, and André Danican Philidor will return to life in an exclusive company of muses: the extravagant Chantal Santon-Jeffery, ethereal Jana Semerádová, elegant Stéphanie Pfister, and erudite Béatrice Martin, together with the chevalier of the cello, Bruno Cocset.

Thanks to them the search of lost time will be successful on this occasion.