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Les Plasirs de Manhattan New York
1 Wall Street: Printemps Department Store
07/21/2025 - & July 23 (New York), 26 (Lanaudière), 29 (Toronto), 2025
Gioachino Rossini: Tancredi: Sinfonia – Semiramide: “Ecco mi al fine in Babylonia”
Pierre Rode: Polonaise from 1st Concerto for Violin
Franco Fagioli (Counter-Tenor)
Orchestre de l’Opera Royal de Versailles, Stefan Plewniak (Violin, Conductor) 
Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra in Versailles Palace
(© Courtesy of the Orchestra)
“Thou knowest, o Lord, as well as I, that I am only a composer of opera buffa.”
Giacomo Rossini
“Everything in French music is dead, outside of the authority of fools.”
Hector Berlioz
New York’s most innovative producers, “Death of Classical”, has produced concerts in the most ghoulish settings, including crypts, cemeteries, and cathedral basements. Last night, for the first two concerts of the Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra, the Death of Classical world was turned upside‑town. In a brightly‑lit ballroom at Number 1 Wall Street a.k.a. Printemps Department Store, they created a grandiose party.
Okay, the title “Versailles in Printemps” was hardly appropriate for this midsummer night’s dream. Plus, the three selections (plus Vivaldi and Lully encores) were only a short prelude for a full concert tomorrow (July 23). Plus the selections–Italian 19th Century opera and concerto–would hardly have pleased Louis XIV, who demanded music to which he would do his Fred Astaire impressions for an obsequious aristocracy.
Yet one must put that aside for this unmatched mélange of costume, haute/basse society, Champagne, Baroque music, an American premiere (the Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra itself), special guests in the glittering, sometimes-costumed, and the adoration of a four-year-old poodle (see picture below).
Added to a dramatic/musical encore created by Andrew Ousley himself. I was unable to stay for his Black Mass, but the cast included a belly‑dancer, sword‑swallower, dancers and music by Verdi. Purcell, Ravel, Debussy, Max Richter etc etc.
Oh, and a drag queen as well. No doubt a resurrected Louis XIV would have relished it. But (sorry, Impresario Ousley) I have a weee little suspicion that Mr. Trumf’s Kennedy Center won’t be interested.
In the midst of this nuit de fête was the music. Rather, the musical prelude to Wednesday’s full concert.
The Versailles orchestra does not hélas go back to the 17th Century. Its origin is a mere seven years ago, though they offer about 100 concerts a year. Even more important, violin virtuoso Stefan Plewniak has been their founding. conductor–and his spirit, enthusiasm and élan is infectious.
Hair dripping over his fiddle, face beaming, he might have been like Lully himself. As the leader of the opening well‑known Rossini overture, he quickly overcame the less than perfect acoustics here. Even better, his single movement from a concerto by one Pierre Rode (who Beethoven idolized) was a pre‑Paganini tour de force played with towering force.
F. Fagioli/Honored Guest (© Buster A. Dawg)
A single Rossini aria by counter-tenor Franco Fagoli would be the sparkling climax to the evening, outside of aforesaid Black Mass. And while its venue was hardly up to Charpentier’s Les Plaisirs de Versailles, New York’s glamour, the festive background and this sparkling French orchestra quite literally radiated the usually doleful Wall Street evening.
CODA: The full program will be repeated at Alliance Française a 7.00 pm on Wednesday, July 23.
Harry Rolnick
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