Le Concert Spirituel - ensemble référence dans l’interprétation de la musique baroque et du répertoire sacré français.
LE CONCERT SPIRITUEL
Choir and orchestra
Le Concert Spirituel – choir and orchestra - was founded in 1987 by Hervé Niquet. Its name was inspired by the first private concert society of France, founded in the 18th century.
Performing each year in Paris at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Château de Versailles, Metz Arsenal, and abroad (Brussels BOZAR, London’s Wigmore Hall, Barbican Centre and Royall Albert Hall, Madrid’s Auditorio Nacional, Warsaw’s Philharmonic Hall, etc.), the ensemble is considered nowadays one of the best of its kind on the international stage.
Le Concert Spirituel specialises in sacred music performances, both baroque and romantic, and, with both Centre de musique baroque de Versailles and Palazzetto Bru Zane, also unveils a lyrical heritage that has unjustly fallen into oblivion. It has earned prestigious prizes for these achievements, such as, recently, the 2023 German Record Critics' Award for the recording of Boismortier’s Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse,and Opéra Magazine’s Diamant for the recording of Gluck’s Echo et Narcisse.
These musical adventures were also the opportunity to work with directors and choreographers directors as diverse as Karole Armitage, Georges Lavaudant, Joachim Schloemer, Patrice Thibaud, Christian Schiaretti, Julien Lubek and Cécile Roussat (Mozart's The Magic Flute in French), Corinne and Gilles Benizio aka Shirley and Dino (Purcell's King Arthur, Boismortier’s Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse), Vincent Tavernier (Molière and Lully's Les Amants Magnifiques, Le Malade Imaginaire), and Marshall Pynkoski (Grétry’s Richard Coeur de Lion).
The training and professionalization of young musicians is also an important part of Hervé Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel’s work, notably through a partnership with the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Paris : the ensemble welcomes young instrumentalists and singers to its productions each season, on an audition basis. Passing on this passion to the youth through outreach initiatives such as open rehearsals and workshops with school and middle school children is also crucial, be it in partnership with the Massy Opera as well as with Paris’ City programme « L'Art pour grandir » in parisian schools, or in French regions. Since 2019, Le Concert Spirituel also carries out regular musical interventions for the children hospitalized at Hôpital Necker - Enfants malades (AP-HP).
Le Concert Spirituel’s main projects this season include its Première at the Opéra-Comique with “La Fille de Madame Angot” by Lecocq (staged by Richard Brunel), and its return to the Royal Opera of Versailles with Boismortier's “Don Quichotte at the Duchess’ “(staged by Corinne and Gilles Benizio), as well as the comeback of its comédie ballet by Molière, “Le Mariage Forcé” (staged by Vincent Tavernier) at the Massy Opera, Meaux Theatre, Avignon Opera and Postdam Musikfestspiele Sans-Souci.
In concert, the ensemble’s season starts with Haendel’s Coronation Anthems at the Opéra national du Capitole de Toulouse (also presented at Massy Opera in the spring), followed by Vivaldi’s Gloria and Magnificat at the Seine Musicale, and in Paris, Gounod’s Vocal Masses at Musée d’Orsay’s Auditorium, Desmaresr and Campra’s Iphigénie en Tauride at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées – the third opus of the four-year (2022-25) cross-residency between Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Centre de musique baroque de Versailles and Le Concert Spirituel, recorded for Alpha Classics.
The season will close with Mozart's Ave verum and Short Masses at the Théâtre impérial de Compiègne , and Fauré’s Requiem at BOZAR in Brussels, to celebrate Fauré’s most beloved piece on his death centenary.
Since June 2015, Le Concert Spirituel has an exclusive recording engagement with Alpha Classics. Have already been released: CD Vivaldi's Gloria/Magnificat, Cherubini and Plantade’s Requiem, Lully’s Persée (1770), Handel’s Messiah, Benevolo’s Missa si deus pro nobis and L’Opéra des opéras, Berlioz’s Messe solennelle and Lully and Francoeur’s Armide (1778), Haendel’s Coronation Anthems & Dettingen Te Deum, and lately, Marais’ Ariane et Bacchus. Charpentier’s Médée will be published in the beginning of 2024.
Le Concert Spirituel is in residency at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées as part of the "cross-residency" scheme set up throughout France by the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles.
This residency enables Le Concert Spirituel to recreate and record operas by Marais, Charpentier, Desmarest-Campra and Lully between 2022 and 2025. The productions from 2023 to 2025 are generously supported by Aline Foriel-Destezet.
Le Concert Spirituel is funded by the Ministry of Culture (DRAC Ile-de-France) and the City of Paris. It thanks the donors of its Endowment Fund, and its individual donors of "Le Carré des Muses".
Le Concert Spirituel, 2020 award-winner of the Liliane Bettencourt choral singing prize, is supported by the Fondation Bettencourt Schueller.
Le Concert Spirituel benefits from the support of its Grand Mécène : the Fondation Bru.
www.concertspirituel.com
