They are small bubbles, light and playful. Three chapters of a short novel evoking several female composers of the Baroque era. What do we hear? A catchy voice-over which presents these women determined to make their voices heard in a concert where those of men dominate. And many extracts from their works, performed by young singers and instrumentalists passionate about a repertoire of which very large parts remain to be discovered. And what do we see? An ingenious animation where drawings, details of paintings and pages of handwritten scores combine, enhanced by the fantasy of contemporary graphics.
Imagined by Karine Chaunac and Mina Perrichon, this triptych emphasizes the courage of these women to impose their creative independence. “I want to show the world that women have the same gifts of intelligence as men,” pleaded Madalena Casulana. When she published her book of madrigals in Venice in 1568, she was a pioneer with this first volume, never published exclusively from the pen of a female composer.
A little musical pedagogy
Many Italian women are honored during the three episodes of Les Barockeuses, including Antonia Bembo, recently honored on the stage of the Opéra Bastille. Fleeing her violent husband, she found refuge at the French court, obtaining pension and protection from Louis XIV. Throughout these quick portraits, the viewer is invited to strengthen his musical foundations, with welcome explanations on polyphony, basso continuo or cantata punctuating the subject.
The place of aristocratic courts, theaters but also religious establishments such as the Venetian orphanage of La Pietà, a true conservatory training its residents to excellence, is also recalled. While Baroque Europe is taking shape, in all its richness and complexity, where styles and traditions interact, from north to south… As for Marie-Antoinette of Bavaria, composer and singer, she helped to gently tip this baroque era towards the classical age. But that’s another story…
