Viva Cultural Imperialism

Louis XIV’s military aggressions didn’t do him much good, but his attempt to make France the cultural capital of Europe was a triumphant success. In music, the elegant, eminently pleasing French musical style spread across Europe and even captured some territory in the 20th century. For their first appearance at the Kimmel Center, the musicians of the Tempesta di Mare period instrument orchestra will present a program that tracks the happy influence of French Baroque music, from Lully’s theatrical music for Molière’s The Bourgeois Gentleman to a suite from Igor Stravinsky’s1928 ballet Apollon Musagète.

Tempesta di Mare Baroque Orchestra presents Apollo at Play: Theater music in French Baroque style by Lully, Locke, Kusser, and Stravinsky, with directors Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone and Concertmaster Emlyn Ngai. The show is Saturday, March 8 at 8pm at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Broad and Spruce, Philadelphia. For tickets and more information, call 215-755-8776 or visit the event online.