Opéra Royal - Vivaldi / Guido: The Four Seasons

From Saturday 12 to Monday 14 July 2025

Every day

Location : Opéra Royal de Versailles

Map

FICHE_INFO_SIMPLE_LIBELLE_DESTINATION
Place d'Armes Château de Versailles
78000
Versailles
GPS coordinates
Latitude : 48.805766
Longitude : 2.122483
BY CAR
Motorway A13 - Versailles Notre-Dame exit
Motorway 186 - Versailles Centre exit
Free "Place d'armes" parking from 19:00

BY TRAIN

Gare Montparnasse > Gare Versailles Chantiers
Dreux, Mantes-la-Jolie, Rambouillet direction

Gare St. Lazare > Gare Versailles Rive Droite
Rive Droite direction

Paris RER C > Gare Versailles Rive Gauche - Château
Rive Gauche Château direction

Pont de Sèvres - Bus 171 > Versailles Château stop
Château de Versailles Spectacles
Phone : +33 1 30 83 78 89
Phone : +33 1 39 24 88 88
Location
Opéra Royal de Versailles
Place d'Armes Château de Versailles
78000
Versailles

Presentation

Born around 1675, he was
is noted among the violin students at the Conservatorio della Pietà dei Turchini in Naples, then among the musicians of the Chapelle Royale until 1702.
If Guido remains a mysterious musician, it's due to a lack of archives. Born around 1675, he was listed as a violin student at the Conservatorio della Pietà dei Turchini in Naples, then as a musician at La Chapelle Royale, until 1702. It was then that he left for Paris and entered the service of Duke Philippe d'Orléans, future Regent of France and a great music lover, where he became Master of Music. He thus rubbed shoulders with Morin, Gervais and Forqueray, and helped introduce Italian music to France. He also entered the circle of financier Pierre Crozat, where he gave concerts between 1714 and 1726, joining the likes of Watteau and banker Law.



Between 1713 and 1716, Crozat commissioned Watteau to decorate his Salle à Manger with four paintings on the theme of the seasons. It was no doubt to pay tribute to this admirable new ensemble that Guido composed his Scherzi armonici sopra le quattro stagioni dell'anno around 1717, based on four anonymous poems: Les Caractères des Saisons. Each of these “musical entertainments” has ten or so movements and, although called a concerto, resembles a French suite: the music is a skilful blend of Italian and French styles.


The publication of Guido's Saisons in Versailles bears no date, but it's reasonable to assume that they were written between 1725 and 1733: they are contemporary with Vivaldi's famous Saisons, and perhaps a little earlier. So, who inspired whom?

Pics

Pics

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