In three parts, three composers and three periods, the three resident ensembles at the Philharmonie de Paris perform in counterpoint to each other, spanning the centuries, from one repertoire to another. A concert in three parts but with one indivisible whole—the music.

Rameau’s Pièces de clavecin en concerts, composed in full maturity and divided into five parts, are his only compositions for chamber ensemble. Some of these brilliant pieces, characterised by their evocative and mysterious titles, were adapted for solo harpsichord. 

Saint-Saëns’ Septet op. 65, distinguished by its inclusion of a trumpet, was premiered in 1880, with the composer himself on piano. Made up of four movements in the spirit of a baroque suite, the piece has known great and lasting success, giving rise to multiple transcriptions, including one for two pianos by Gabriel Fauré. 

The evening concludes with a contemporary piece, the world premiere of Florence Baschet’s Si un jour..., an existential musical experience. Composed during home confinement in the spring of 2020, the work is a meditation on the conservation and dispersion of energy.