Christian Benda, the conductor, is a descendant of the Czech Benda composer dynasty of the eighteenth century, noted as the longest enduring family of musicians in music history.
Recording & Production
This album is a co-production with Radio Della Svizzera Italiana, and features recordings made in Prague in 2005 and Lugano in 1998.
Composer Biography
François-André Danican Philidor, the composer, was a chorister in the Chapelle Royale at Versailles as a boy, where he was taught by Campra, the maître de chapelle.
Composer Biography
The name Philidor, by which the composer's family became known, originated from King Louis XIII comparing his great-grandfather's oboe playing skill to that of the famous Italian oboist Filidori.
Composition History
Philidor's oratorio, Carmen Sæculare, is a setting of poems by Horace associated with Roman centennial celebrations and was written at the instigation of Italian scholar Giuseppe Baretti.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Giuseppe Baretti, who instigated Carmen Sæculare, sought a composer like Philidor who could temper the solemnity of church music with the brilliance of theatrical music.
Composer Biography
Philidor, the composer, was also a chess virtuoso, instructed by M. de Kermur, Sire de Légal, a leading player of the time in France, and even played against Voltaire and Rousseau.
