CHECK OUT THE CONCERTS CONTINUO IS SUPPORTING ON CONTINUO CONNECT

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Passacaglia Trio is seeking support from the Continuo Foundation for the first (promotional) stage of Echoes of Paris, our new project celebrating the elegant, vibrant, and rarely heard music of cousin‑composers Anne and Pierre Danican Philidor and their contemporaries. Central to 18th‑century Parisian music‑making, the Philidor family left a rich legacy of music which we perform on period instruments and at the authentic low French pitch of A=392. For this project we are joined by guest artist Eligio Quinteiro on theorbo and baroque guitar, enriching the ensemble’s colour and rhythmic vitality.
This application supports the creation of short, dedicated promotional films to raise awareness of our recently recorded CD and act as a key tool for developing a tour of the wider Echoes of Paris concert programme in 2026.

To be filmed at Owlpen Manor in Gloucestershire on 12–13 November 2025, the videos will be publicly available online and form the backbone of our promotional activity. Released strategically over several months via social media, YouTube, our website, and partner networks, they will steadily build engagement and anticipation.

The Music

The repertoire spans 1712 to the mid‑1730s — a transitional period in French cultural life. In 1715, the death of Louis XIV ended the long splendour of the Versailles court. As cultural life shifted to Paris, public concerts flourished, new patrons emerged, and musical style became lighter, more cosmopolitan, and open to new influences. Echoes of Paris is rooted in this change, when the Philidor cousins’ music reflected both the grandeur of the ancien régime and the freshness of a new era.

The programme blends familiar French Baroque gems with striking rarities — among them Pierre Philidor’s magnificent flute suites, Anne Danican Philidor’s Le Tombeau, a poignant memorial to a mystery figure, and the evocative Le Vents, portraying the restless wind. On joining the trio to rehearse and record, our guest theorbo and guitar player remarked: “I am still in awe of how excellent all the repertoire was — little musical gems, from the charming and beautiful to the very noble and sublime.”

While the Danican‑Philidor cousins are at the heart of our album, the wider programme includes works by Michel Blavet, Marin Marais, and a chamber suite by Mademoiselle Duval, one of the few known female French Baroque composers and only the second woman, after Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, to compose an opera for the Paris Académie Royale de Musique.

Echoes of Paris will inspire curiosity, attract new listeners, and provide lasting resources for promoters, educators, and festivals. By reviving rare works and championing overlooked voices, Passacaglia Trio will bring fresh life to French Baroque music and strengthen its presence in today’s cultural landscape.