Franciscus (30 October 1934 – 13 August 2014) was a Dutch conductor, recorder player and baroque flautist.
Alfred de Vigny’s Cinq-Mars, published in 1826, is regarded as the first great historical novel in French. The action is set in the seventeenth century: the Marquis de Cinq-Mars gains the esteem of King Louis XIII by organising a movement of opposition to Cardinal Richelieu. But manipulations, betrayals and plots force the monarch to abandon his champion and allow Richelieu to triumph and condemn Cinq-Mars and his friend De Thou to death. It was at the request of the director of the Opéra-Comique Léon Carvalho, attracted by the idea of a musical setting of the novel, that Gounod agreed to return to the forefront of the operatic scene in 1877, after an absence of ten years.
A veteran of groups led by Herbie Hancock, Yo-Yo Ma, Laurie Anderson, Paul Simon, Phish, Sting and many more, Cyro Baptista continues to bring life, love and madness to every ensemble he works with. His own bands Banquet of the Spirits and Beat the Donkey tour the world to great acclaim and his CDs continue to be Tzadik best-sellers. Cyro’s latest project is a pop-infused psychedelic trip featuring Cyro with a huge lineup of all-star musicians. Three years in the making, this is groovy lyrical instrumental and vocal music that you will listen to morning, noon and night. A classic!