Les plaisirs de Versailles Les plaisirs de Versailles Les plaisirs de Versailles (English: "The Pleasures of Versailles") is a short opera (or "divertissement") by the French composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier. It was intended for performance at the new courtly entertainment known as "les appartements du roi" ("the king's receptions") devised by King Louis XIV and held in his own apartments at the palace of Versailles in 1682. At the time, Charpentier was composer for Louis, "le Grand Dauphin", the king's son. The librettist is unknown. Most of the characters represent the pleasures enjoyed at Versailles: "La Musique" (Music), "La Conversation" (Conversation), "Le Jeu" (Gambling), Comus
Palace of Versailles gardens of Versailles in the early 1660s. They are the finest example of the "jardin à la française", or the French formal garden. They were originally designed to be viewed from the terrace on the west side of the palace, and to create a grand perspective that reached to the horizon, illustrating the king's complete dominance over nature. The features closest to the Palace are the two water parterres, large pools which reflect the facade of the palace. These are decorated with smaller works of sculpture, representing the rivers of France, which are placed so as not to interfere with