All the tenderness in my heart

Attend a moving recitation of Madame de Sévigné's letters, accompanied by a musical creation inspired by the exchanges she had with her daughter, Madame de Grignan, to mark the 400^th anniversary of the famous letter writer's birth!

The musicians, Jeanne Jourquin and Ariane Issartel, offer a sensitive journey through Madame de Sévigné's correspondence. From their contemporary perspective, they establish a dialogue with this major figure of the 17^th century and reveal a surprising, funny and witty personality. Drawing on the Marquise's passionate correspondence , the two artists offer a portrait of the Grand Siècle full of nuance and chiaroscuro, from the splendour of the court of Versailles to the solitude of a Breton retreat.

The harpsichord dialogues with the words, helping to recreate the atmosphere in which the letter writer lived. The harpsichord weaves its voice as closely as possible to Sévigné's, in turn echoing, prolonging or suggesting an emotion, relaying words that are discreetly overshadowed by sentiment, and representing the passing of time. It also suggests the absent presence of Madame de Grignan, whose answers, now lost, seem to haunt this maternal dialogue interrupted by time.

Jeanne Jourquin :

After ten years on the piano,Jeanne Jourquin decided to take up the harpsichord. She studied at the Conservatoire du VII^ème arrondissement with Elisabeth Joyé, and at the CRR de Boulogne-Billancourt with Frédéric Michel, before entering the Conservatoire Supérieur d'Amsterdam in 2011, in the classes of Bob van Asperen and Menno van Delft.

In 2013, thanks to the Erasmus programme, she spent 6 months at the CNSMD in Lyon, studying with Jean-Marc Aymes. She obtained her Bachelor's degree in Amsterdam in June 2015 and is currently pursuing her Master's studies at the CNSMD in Paris, in the classes of Olivier Baumont and Blandine Rannou.

Jeanne takes part in a number of baroque music courses and projects: masterclasses with Pierre Hantaï, Bob Van Asperen, Bertrand Cuiller, Gérard Lesne, Freddy Echelberger, Emma Kirkby, Ton Koopman, Jörg-Andreas Botticher, Raphaël Pichon, the Academies of Vannes, Lisieux and Périgord Noir, and the Goûts Réunis orchestra. She is a member of the young ensembles Les Vestales and In Movimento. She has taken part in a number of early music festivals in the Netherlands, including the Reincken Festival in Deventer, the Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam, and the Bruges and Utrecht festivals. She also plays occasionally with the Belgian ensemble Scherzi Musicali, conducted by Nicolas Achten. She teaches harpsichord at the Conservatoire de Lucé (28).

Ariane Issartel

Ariane Issartel is a graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure and holds a doctorate in theatre literature, as well as being a musician and stage director. She focuses most of her work on the relationship between music and text, whether in theatrical projects or in freer forms (musical readings, performances, theatrical concerts, etc.). In 2013 she entered the École normale supérieure in Paris, where she studied comparative literature, dramaturgy and musicology. At the same time, she is the director of the young Compagnie des Xylophages, founded in 2015, with whom she works alternately on collective creations and repertory plays. She teaches theatre in schools, notably as part of the DEMOS programme. Since September 2018, Ariane has also been conducting this musical research work from an academic angle, with a thesis on the presence of singing in contemporary theatre at the University of Strasbourg. Ariane holds a DEM in cello from the CRR in Paris, and also writes music for documentaries and participates in theatrical projects as a stage musician.