Le Concert Spirituel
Since 1987, Hervé Niquet has been adding new chapters to the great story of Le Concert Spirituel, which will celebrate its 300th anniversary in 2025.
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1987 - birth of Le Concert Spirituel
Le Concert Spirituel, the name taken from the first French private concert society founded in the 18th century, has established itself on the national and international stages as one of France's finest ensembles. Since it was founded in 1987 by Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel has embarked on ambitious and original projects, specialising in the performance of French sacred music, while at the same time rediscovering a lyrical heritage that has unjustly fallen into oblivion (Grétry's Andromaque - 'Grand Prix du Disque' from the Académie Charles Cros 2010, Destouches' Callirhoé, Lully's Proserpine, Marais' Sémélé - ECHO Klassik Awards 2009, Campra's Le Carnaval de Venise - German Record Critics' Award 2011, Mozart's Les Mystères d'Isis, Rameau's Les Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour and Lully's 1770 version of Persée).
Artistic encounters
These musical adventures are an opportunity for original encounters with directors such as Karole Armitage, Georges Lavaudant, Joachim Schloemer, Patrice Thibaud, Christian Schiaretti (Castor et Pollux by Rameau), Julien Lubek and Cécile Roussat (The Magic Flute by Mozart, in French), Corinne et Gilles Benizio - alias Shirley and Dino (Purcell's King Arthur, Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse de Boismortier and Rameau's Platée), Vincent Tavernier (Les Amants magnifiques and Le Malade imaginaire by Molière, Lully and Charpentier), Marshall Pynkoski (Richard Coeur de Lion - Richard the Lionheart by Grétry and La Caravane du Caire by the same composer).
Tours in France and abroad
Taking its orchestra and choir from Paris (Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Théâtre du Châtelet, Philharmonie de Paris) to the Château de Versailles, from the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels to the LG Arts Center in Seoul, from London's Royal Albert Hall to Tokyo's Opera House, Le Concert Spirituel shows all audiences, through original and atypical productions, that baroque music knows how to surprise and fascinate. Le Concert Spirituel's international dynamism has enabled it to do much to promote French excellence at high-profile events such as the Shanghai World Expo, Istanbul European Capital of Culture at the Topkapi Palace, and the BBC Proms in London during Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. With Handel's Music for the Fireworks & Watermusic (the recording of which won an Edison Award), Le Concert Spirituel has already brought together more than 100,000 spectators in different pyrotechnic versions and concerts in unusual locations, such as the Retiro Park in Madrid, the Barlin mining site (Nord-Pas-de-Calais), the Bassin de Neptune at the Château de Versailles and the Château de Chambord.
For 35 years, Le Concert Spirituel has offered concerts and operas (stage and concert versions) for a variety of audiences in France and abroad.
The 2022/2023 season
In the 2022/23 season, Le Concert Spirituel will return to the Opéra royal de Versailles with a concert version of Gluck's Echo & Narcissus, a revival of Purcell's King Arthur (directed by Corinne and Gilles Benizio) in the autumn, a French version of The Magic Flute for the festive season, and Grétry's La Caravane du Caire (directed by Marshall Pynkoski) in June with a new cast. In Paris, the ensemble will present Mozart's Messes brèves and Ave Verum (as part of a participatory concert) at the Cité de la Musique in February, followed by Charpentier's Médée at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in March.
After its re-creation in 2022, Marin Marais's Ariane & Bacchus will be recorded by Alpha Classics and will be the second opus in the four-year (2022-2025) 'cross-residency' linking the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles and Le Concert Spirituel around the rediscovery each year of a key work in the French Baroque repertoire. The 2022/23 season will also see new tours throughout France, including Vivaldi's Gloria & Magnificat in Avignon and Mozart's Messes brèves at the Toulon Music Festival, Handel's Coronation Anthems at the Arsenal de Metz and a revival of Baron Münchhausen's Adventures (directed by Patrice Thibaud) at the Théâtres de Nîmes, Poissy, Tourcoing, Clermont-Ferrand, Le Touquet-Paris Plage and the Centre des bords de Marne in Le Perreux.
Beyond France's borders, Mozart's Messes Brèves and Ave Verum and Fauré's Requiem will be heard at Bremen's Musikfest and London's Wigmore Hall respectively in September, followed by a 35th anniversary concert at the Wigmore Hall in June. Finally, Le Concert Spirituel Choir will also be performing with groups such as the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and the ensemble Les Ombres.
A rich season of operas!
Professional integration and cultural initiatives
As well as giving concerts, Hervé Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel are also involved in teaching young musicians in training through their partnership with the CRR de Paris and the Pôle Supérieur d'Enseignement Artistique Paris - Boulogne-Billancourt. The ensemble welcomes young instrumentalists or singers, selected by audition, to its productions 1 to 3 times a season. This season's production of Charpentier's Médée was an opportunity to put this partnership into practice.
We also attach great importance to sharing their passion with a wider audience. In 2022/23, Le Concert Spirituel will continue its mission of cultural outreach, both to children hospitalised at the Hôpital Necker-Enfants malades (AP-HP) and to audiences far removed from music, whether in partnership with the Opéra de Massy, as part of the "L'Art pour grandir" programme in schools in the City of Paris, or in the regions through the opening of certain rehearsals, meetings and customised school workshops.
Record production
Le Concert Spirituel has been recording for Alpha Classics since June 2015. CDs have already been released featuring Vivaldi's Gloria & Magnificat, the Requiems by Cherubini and Plantade, Lully's Persée (1770 version), Handel's Messiah (1754), Benevolo's Missa Si Deus pro nobis,
"L'Opéra des Opéras", Berlioz's Messe solennelle (Diamant Opéra Magazine and German Record Critics' Prize) and Armide 1778 by Lully and Francœur.
The ensemble's discography for the 2022-23 season will revolve around the recording of Charpentier's Médée, and the release of Handel's Coronation Anthems & Te Deum de Dettingen in August 2022, and Marais's Ariane & Bacchus, in March 2023, on Alpha.
In autumn 2022, for the Château de Versailles Spectacles (CVS) label, Mozart and Salieri's Requiem and Don Quichotte at the Duchesse de Boismortier were released.
L’ensemble Le Concert Spirituel est en résidence au Théâtre des Champs-Élysées dans le cadre du dispositif de « résidences croisées » mis en place sur l’ensemble du territoire français par le Centre de musique baroque de Versailles. Cette résidence sera l'occasion de recréer et d'enregistrer des opéras de Marais, Charpentier, Campra et Lully entre 2022 et 2025.
Les productions de 2023 à 2025 font l’objet du généreux soutien d’Aline Foriel-Destezet.
Le Concert Spirituel est ensemble associé à l’Opéra de Massy.
Le Concert Spirituel est subventionné par le Ministère de la Culture (DRAC Ile-de-France) et la Ville de Paris.
Il remercie les mécènes de son Fonds de dotation, entreprises et mécènes individuels.
Le Concert Spirituel est lauréat 2020 du prix Liliane Bettencourt pour le chant choral.
Le Concert Spirituel bénéficie du soutien de son Grand Mécène : la Fondation Bru.
Découvrez en chiffres et en images l'année 2022 du Concert Spirituel >> Rapport d'activité 2022
