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Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1665-1729) was a pioneer in the history of music, one of the first to bring sonatas and cantatas into the French repertoire, and the first woman in France to compose a performed opera. She explored and pushed further the possibilities of musical composition, as well as writing some of the most beautiful pieces of the Baroque era. She worked under the patronage of the most powerful figures of this Grand Siècle that saw the absolute reign of Louis XIV and the construction of his dreamed Versailles. And yet, there are still many elements of mystery and unknown in this composer's story. Kate Molleson invites you to (re)discover the extraordinary adventures of a gifted musician, with a soupçon of French flair and lots of gorgeous music.

In this third episode, we look at how Jacquet de La Guerre comes to create the very first performed opera written by a woman in France, in a musical landscape dominated by maestro Lully.

Céphale et Procris ["Cephalus and Procris"]
Prologue: Overture
Cologne Baroque Orchestra
Holger Mester, conductor

Sonata (No. 3) in D major
from Sonates en Trio et pour Violon Seul et Basse Continue (1695)
Frances Conover Fitch, harpsichord
Jane Hershey, viola da gamba
Dana Maiben, baroque violin
Robert Mealy, baroque violin
Peter Sykes, harpsichord
Na'ama Lion, baroque flute

Céphale et Procris ["Cephalus and Procris"]
Act II: Entr’acte – Bourrée
Act III (excerpts)
Reinoud van Mechelen, tenor/haute-contre (Céphale)
Gwendoline Blondeel, soprano (Iphis)
Wei Lian Huang, soprano (Une suivante de la Volupté)
Namur Chamber Choir
a nocte temporis
Reinoud van Mechelen, director

Céphale et Procris ["Cephalus and Procris"]
Act IV (excerpts)
Déborah Cachet, soprano (Procris)
Marc Mauillon, baritone/tenor (La Jalousie)
Gert-Jan Verbueken, tenor (La Rage)
Laurent Bourdeaux, baritone (Le Désespoir)
Namur Chamber Choir
a nocte temporis
Reinoud van Mechelen, director

Harpsichord Suite (No. 3) in A minor
from Les Pièces de clavecin; Premier Livre (1687)
I. Prélude
II. Allemande
III. Courante
Marie van Rhijn, harpsichord

Jacob et Rachel ["Jacob and Rachel"]
from Cantates Françaises, sur des Sujets Tirés de l'Écriture; Livre Premier (1708)
Air: "Cruel, quelle injustice extrême"
Sophie Boulin, soprano
Guy Robert, theorbo/director
Françoise Bloch, viol
Brigitte Haudebourg, harpsichord

Presented by Kate Molleson
Produced by Julien Rosa
A ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Audio Wales production for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 3