Our favourite activities
Royal Opera - THE THREE COUNTERTENORS!
Wednesday 10 December 2025
20:00 to 21:30
Location : Opéra Royal
Destination
Place d'Armes
78000
Versailles
GPS coordinates
Latitude : 48.806059
Longitude : 2.12285
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 PARKING LOT
- During the day before 7 p.m.: paid parking. No access via the central driveway. Please note that the parking lot is full on Sundays. We recommend arriving 1 hour early 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 PARKING LOT
- During the day before 7 p.m.: paid parking. No access via the central driveway. Please note that the parking lot is full on Sundays. We recommend arriving 1 hour early 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
Opéra Royal
Place d'Armes
78000
Versailles
Presentation
In Baroque Europe, castrati held an extraordinary position: they were the first “stars” in the history of music.
Almost all Italian and trained in the conservatories of Naples, they devoted themselves to opera careers or to serving the most prestigious princely chapels, going as far as the Vatican and the Royal Chapel of Versailles, and often combining both jobs.
In numerous operatic productions and sacred oratorios, from Vienna to London, castrati systematically played the title role (in Rome, all female roles) and several other important roles, creating fierce competition on stage. This led to an escalation of virtuosity and emotion between the singers, with the audience acting as arbiters, both through their requests for encores and the lavish gifts offered to the most adored performers. The opera was also regularly supplemented with “suitcase” arias that the most sought-after castrati brought with them to shine.
With a trio as extraordinary as that formed by Nicolò Balducci, Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian, and Rémy Brès-Feuillet, the audience is treated to a high-level competition: baroque at its finest, the rivalry between these primi uomi was the attraction of Italian operas, whose most thrilling vocal dynamics are revived here by the voices of three countertenors, for an evening celebrating the glory of the castrati.
Les Productions de l'Opéra Royal.
In numerous operatic productions and sacred oratorios, from Vienna to London, castrati systematically played the title role (in Rome, all female roles) and several other important roles, creating fierce competition on stage. This led to an escalation of virtuosity and emotion between the singers, with the audience acting as arbiters, both through their requests for encores and the lavish gifts offered to the most adored performers. The opera was also regularly supplemented with “suitcase” arias that the most sought-after castrati brought with them to shine.
With a trio as extraordinary as that formed by Nicolò Balducci, Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian, and Rémy Brès-Feuillet, the audience is treated to a high-level competition: baroque at its finest, the rivalry between these primi uomi was the attraction of Italian operas, whose most thrilling vocal dynamics are revived here by the voices of three countertenors, for an evening celebrating the glory of the castrati.
Les Productions de l'Opéra Royal.
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