Series: Ratatouille
The Pleasures of Conversation
September 24, 2026 – 7:30 p.m. | Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours
A program of 18th-century chamber music inspired by the refined art of French conversation, blending elegance, wit, and sociability. Through duets, trios, and quartets, the composers translate into music a free-flowing and balanced dialogue, imbued with gallantry and subtlety.
$20–$49 (taxes and fees included)
Works by Couperin, Villeneuve, Boismortier, Guillemain, Quentin and Mondonville
In the 18th century, whether discussing philosophy or politics in cafés, exchanging views on art and aesthetics in salons, or courting some charming person, the French elevated the art of conversation to the highest degree of refinement. As Casanova observed: “I have found true sociability only among the French, for they alone know that subtle and delicate wit, by anchoring the conversation, is the charm of society.” Sometimes giving the title Conversations to their collections, composers quickly grasped the analogy between this subtle art of language and the forms of chamber music. Indeed, this analogy finds its musical counterpart in duos, trios, and quartets, whose protagonists engage in free-flowing dialogues in a spirit of gallantry, which in no way excludes the firmness and balance of the composition.
Artists
Francis Colpron
Olivier Brault
Mélisande Corriveau
Christophe Gauthier
+ 4 other musicians
Program
Works by Couperin, Villeneuve, Boismortier, Guillemain, Quentin and Mondonville
Date
Thursday, September 24, 2026 –
7:30 p.m.
Venue
Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours
400, rue Saint-Paul Est, Montréal
