Our favourite activities
Opéra Royal - Vivaldi : MAGNIFICAT
Friday 10 April 2026
20:00 to 21:10
Location : Chapelle Royale
Destination
Château de Versailles
78000
Versailles
GPS coordinates
Latitude : 48.804963
Longitude : 2.122356
BY CAR: GPS: Château de Versailles, Place d'Armes, 78000 Versailles
-A13 motorway > Versailles Notre Dame exit
-A86 motorway > Versailles Centre exit
PLACE D'ARMES CAR PARK
- During the day before 7pm: paid parking. No access via the central driveway. Please note that the car park is full on Sundays. We recommend arriving one hour in advance and parking in town.
- In the evening from 7 p.m.*: free parking. Access only via the central driveway, at the statue of Louis XIV, and parking on the right, on the bus side.
*Opens at 6.15 p.m. for shows starting at 7 p.m.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT
- LINE N: Montparnasse Station > Versailles Chantiers Station
Direction: Dreux, Mantes-la-Jolie, Rambouillet.
- LINE L: Gare St-Lazare > Gare de Versailles Rive Droite Dir. Versailles Rive Droite.
- RER C: Paris > Gare de Versailles Château Rive Gauche Dir. Versailles Rive Gauche Château.
- BUS 171: Pont de Sèvres > Versailles Château stop.
-A13 motorway > Versailles Notre Dame exit
-A86 motorway > Versailles Centre exit
PLACE D'ARMES CAR PARK
- During the day before 7pm: paid parking. No access via the central driveway. Please note that the car park is full on Sundays. We recommend arriving one hour in advance and parking in town.
- In the evening from 7 p.m.*: free parking. Access only via the central driveway, at the statue of Louis XIV, and parking on the right, on the bus side.
*Opens at 6.15 p.m. for shows starting at 7 p.m.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT
- LINE N: Montparnasse Station > Versailles Chantiers Station
Direction: Dreux, Mantes-la-Jolie, Rambouillet.
- LINE L: Gare St-Lazare > Gare de Versailles Rive Droite Dir. Versailles Rive Droite.
- RER C: Paris > Gare de Versailles Château Rive Gauche Dir. Versailles Rive Gauche Château.
- BUS 171: Pont de Sèvres > Versailles Château stop.
Event Organizer
Château de Versailles Spectacles
Location
Chapelle Royale
Château de Versailles
78000
Versailles
Presentation
At the helm of Les Arts Florissants, William Christie offers a new interpretation of two masterpieces of Italian sacred music: Scarlatti's Messa di Santa Cecilia and Vivaldi's Magnificat.
It was in 1720, at the age of sixty, that Alessandro Scarlatti composed the Messa di Santa Cecilia in Rome. Considered the crowning achievement of his church music, this piece brings together the compositional possibilities of the early 18th century in a score full of striking contrasts. During the same period, in Venice, Antonio Vivaldi composed his famous Magnificat for the virtuoso musicians of the Ospedale della Pietà, where he was director. Over a period of more than twenty years, he carefully reworked this score to create the gem of sacred music that we know today – and which provides a brilliant Venetian counterpart to Scarlatti's Roman mass for this concert.
Although he has conducted the Magnificat many times, this is the very first time that William Christie has tackled the Messa di Santa Cecilia. For the occasion, he has brought together an international cast of young soloists, alongside the choir and orchestra of Les Arts Florissants, who are well versed in this repertoire. A celebration of Baroque splendor, Italian style!
Although he has conducted the Magnificat many times, this is the very first time that William Christie has tackled the Messa di Santa Cecilia. For the occasion, he has brought together an international cast of young soloists, alongside the choir and orchestra of Les Arts Florissants, who are well versed in this repertoire. A celebration of Baroque splendor, Italian style!
