Stéphanie d'Oustrac

L’Étoile did much to establish Chabrier as a major force on the Parisian stage and his contemporary Henri Duparc praised him specifically for creating a French comic genre, both funny and musical – described as something of a French Die Meistersinger. The fanciful story is set in an imaginary kingdom and all, naturally, ends well. However, despite the slight plot line L’Étoile is something of a pivotal work, a unique example of French 19th-century light opera, orchestrated with great sophistication and flooded with gossamer wit.

Les Arts Florissants, led by William Christie in performance and masterclasses of two masterpieces from their repertoire, Actéon by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, and Dido & Aeneas by Henry Purcell