Musical life at the court of Louis XIV was elaborate and spectacular, but what kind of music did the Sun King enjoy on withdrawing from public gaze? This album reveals the intimate sound world inside the private chambers of the grand royal palaces, exploring the depths of human emotion that Baroque art sought to express. The softly expressive combination of traverse, viola da gamba and theorbo was known as the Royal Trio, called upon for such duties as the official retirement-to-bed ceremony. Lully’s Chaconne ‘pour le Coucher du Roi’ provides a fitting close to this rich and fascinating programme.