Between topiaries and bowers, the music of Lully and Charpentier resonated in the gardens of William Christie
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Por its eleventh edition, the festival “In the gardens of William Christie”, organized in Thiré, in Vendée, from August 20 to 27, once again won over many lovers of baroque music and garden art, the two passions of founder of the whole The Flourishing Arts. Scholarly and poetic references, the elaborate “scenes” (the “Roman” pine forest, the terraces of yews and boxwood cut into topiaries or the meadow dotted with poplars and weeping willows) and the “factories” (the little Chinese bridge, the dovecote or the false ruins) were to be discovered as a counterpoint to musical walks and concerts given in the shade of the pines or by the water.
Under the direction of Paul Agnew, musical co-director, and William Christie himself, arias and symphonies by Mozart and a pasticcio of extracts from comedies-ballets by Molière, set to music during the lifetime of the author of the Bourgeois gentleman and Imaginary illness by Jean-Baptiste Lully or Marc-Antoine Charpentier, were performed at nightfall on the water mirror. Cleverly lit, the setting of this one, with its rows of lime trees or plane trees, its bower curtains and its arcade of yews cut in the back of the stage, formed an ideal open-air theatre. At the same time, the Thiré church, decorated for the occasion with splendid floral bouquets, hosted candlelit concerts and soothing nocturnal meditations.
In the musical universe of the Franco-American conductor, the theme of gardens is never far away, starting with Les Arts florissants, which owe their name to an opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, or Le Jardin des voix, a singing academy which has allowed the discovery of many young talents. In 2019, William Christie could not resist the pleasure of directing on this same water mirror La Finta Giardineria (The Fake Gardener), an opera composed by the young 18-year-old Mozart, where the protagonists are called Belfiore or… Serpetta. A critic of the time (January 1775) was not mistaken: “If Mozart is not a greenhouse plant, he will become one of the greatest composers who have ever lived…”
Among them new gardening and landscaping, two projects to which William Christie is particularly attached have seen the light of day. First of all, a future alley of honor leading from… a car park – which will be concealed in the vegetation – to the portal of the building was designed by a young landscape designer, Alexis Perrocheau. “Future” because he made the relevant choice to plant young trees, which will take the time to take root… and grow, and thus better resist the vagaries of the weather and diseases. The other project that has taken shape is that of the artists’ home, the In Terra Pax house, designed by the architects Olivier Dugast and Patricia Jaunet, with its plant setting, the Garden of the Islands.
For this new garden, a link between the Artists’ Quarter and the banks of the Smagne, the landscaper has highlighted land formerly devoted to livestock and long neglected. A large weeping willow isolated in the meadow and a ditch dug and filled with water, quickly colonized by spontaneous vegetation and wetland fauna, today outline a landscape that seems to have always been there. A new footbridge gives access to an island planted with low pruned pollard beech trees, reminiscent of a traditional agricultural activity. Full of charm, shaded and cool, ideal for picnics, fishing or… siestas, the garden island aims to remain accessible to the public and the inhabitants of Thiré throughout the year.
Finally, in the heart of the village, inside the Maison de la Fontaine – also a restaurant – the gardener-botanist Baptiste Pierre has set up an incredible… Clos des aubergines. This took over from a colorful Clos des tomatoes, in 2019, a placid Clos des Salades, in 2020, and an incandescent Clos des chilli and peppers, in 2021! For this selection, there are dozens of varieties, of all sizes and all shapes, with colors ranging from white to purple-black, that the host of the Conservatory of the Extraordinary Vegetable Garden and YouTube channel “The Garden of the Curious” managed to reunite. (This installation will be presented again in Thiré on September 17 and 18, on the occasion of Heritage Days.)
Another remarkable Vendée garden, the domain of Chalignyin Sainte-Pexine, will host, on September 24 and 25, the Heritage and creation meetings, with more than a hundred exhibitors. The photographer Jacky Jaccotton will present, with the association Regard’Hermine, an exhibition of photographs of parks and gardens in the Vendée, including of course… those of William Christie.
The gardens of William Christie, 32, rue du Bâtiment, Thiré (Vendée). Next visits from September 14 to 30, 2022, Wednesday to Sunday, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission: €5, without reservation. Discovery of the gardens of William Christie on arts-florissants.org
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