Help me choose among these Paris concerts!
 

I found some concerts being performed by Les Solistes Francais at Sainte Chapelle on June 9 and 10. That will work for me, but can anyone tell me about the various performances I have to choose from? I would prefer something that includes vocals (although instruments alone is not a deal breaker), but the site is in French and I'm not sure what type of performances they are (particular instruments, whether there are vocals, etc.) Any comments on the compositions are welcome as well. (Of all that are listed, I'm only familiar with the Four Seasons.)

Also, any advice on navigating the ordering of tickets would be appreciated. I'm assuming it's easy.

Thanks in advance!

Sorry...

http://www.solistesfrancais.com/

Les Solistes are instrumental soloists - so no singing.

I think you would recognise more than the Four Seasons upon hearing.

I'd be inclined towards the BACH, HAENDEL, ALBINONI Sonates d'Eglise - but thats just me.

You can get the tickets online

http://www.francebillet.com

maybe try www.ampconcerts.com

Re the Vivaldi 4 seasons, there were
5 violinists - no vocal - and they
were marvelous.

If you get there 1/2 hr in advance you
can buy (25E) walk-up tickets.

Thanks! I don't see Handel or Bach listed. Just Vivaldi, Mozart, Schubert, Albinoni, Tarrega and Granados. Which one of us is looking in the wrong place?!

I personally would opt for the Four Seasons, but that is because I like the music very much. Otherwise, flip a coin.

What is vital here is to arrive before sundown so you can watch the light play on those marvellous stained glass panels. They are incredible, particularly when you think of how old they are and how they have been so well designed and built that age has not cracked them. A storm a few years ago did more damage in a few hours than had taken place in a few centuries.

Another strong suggestion. Get seats as close to the front as you can without being in the first 2 rows. The sound in the hall is very, very reverberant. If you are way in the back, the echo begins to be a definite problem and can interfere with the listening enjoyment -- mine at least.

Otherwise, if you sit close to the instruments, you get all of the glory of string sound reverberating in a medieval hall, which is the type of venue for which the music was originally written.

Several years ago I heard The Four Seasons in that very hall, and I would take nothing for that experience. It was fantastic - a once in a lifetime experience.

My best suggestion is GO. I don't care what the music is, just go and enjoy the whole setting.

I saw Les Solistes last May when I was there. It was also the Four Seasons program (which I love anyway) but at the end they also did a few extras such as Pachebel's Cannon. I did it more for the experience of seeing something like that in Sainte Chapelle but it ended up being the highlight of my trip. I don't think you'd go wrong with anything there if you're just in it for the experience.

And I got walk up tickets that day as well.

None have vocalists. I would go to the June 9th at 8:30 performance myself, because it has two wonderful string quartets (Mozart's Dissonance and Schubert's Death and the Maiden in d). The one at 8:30 pm on June 10th is classical guitar, which I like very much (Albeniz, Tarrega, Granados, etc.) so I'd choose that as second. If you like Guitar, those are very good composers and combined romantic-period with Spanish folk idioms.

I wouldn't go to a performance of Vivaldi's 4 Seasons nor Albinoni, but they are often played at these kind of popular concerts because they are very easy-listening or "accessible" (ie, most people who don't really like classical music or listen to it much will like them). I've just heard the Vivaldi probably at least a 100 times, and the Albinoni a lot, also, and it's not as special to me.

They are both string concerti, if you like that (violins and some other string instruments, like viola -- the basso continuo part can vary and may be guitar or harpsichord or cello). If you aren't familiar with these pieces, they are pleasant works, however, and you will probably like them. The Four Seasons is one of the best-known pieces in the literature of that period, of course, and is very likable. I like Albinoni, but don't consider him as great a composer as Vivaldi.

I assume the classical guitar program is a soloist, so you might choose the string concerti just because they are bigger pieces for that venue, and if the acoustics are good, that might be more "worth" the tickets for that venue.