André Campra’s 1699 Opera for Versailles 
(concert performance)

Judith van Wanroij – soprano (Isabelle / Eurydice)
Mathias Vidal – tenor (Orphée)
Marie Lenormand – mezzosoprano (Léonore / Une Ombre)
Thomas Dolié – baritone (Léandre)
Lisandro Abadie – bassbaritone (Rodolphe / Pluton)

COLLEGIUM MARIANUM 
Jana Semerádová – artistic director
Lenka Torgersen – concertmaster

 

It must have been a memorable event when the opera-ballet Carnaval de Venice by André Campra was premiered in the Salle du Palais-Royal in Paris in 1699. Campra combined the world of commedie dell’arte with Roman mythology into a grand whole and, in order to evoke the atmosphere of Venice in the heart of Paris, he fused the French and Italian style. As one critic remarked after the modern premiere of the opera, Campra masterfully commingled the signature style of Lully with elements of Monteverdi, thus paving the way for the music of Haendel and Rameau. The festive concert performance of Campra’s opera at the close of the Summer Festivities of Early Music will host a cast of exquisite vocal soloists, Judith Van Wanroij,Mathias Vidal, Marie Lenormand, Thomas Dolié, and Lisandro Abadie, accompanied by the Collegium Marianum orchestra directed by Jana Semerádová. The Spanish Hall of the Prague Castle will shine with all the sounding colors of Harlequin’s costume.