MARC-ANTOINE CHARPENTIER
Charpentier: Médée Véronique Gens, Cyrille Dubois, Judith van Wanroij, Thomas Dolié, David Witczak Le Concert Spirituel, Hervé Niquet [ Alpha Classics / 3 CD - released 22/Mar/2024 ] Médée, a tragedy in a prologue and five acts on a libretto by Thomas Corneille, was Marc-Antoine Charpentier's first and last collaboration with the Académie Royale de Musique. The work was premiered on 4 December 1693, when Charpentier was exactly... |
W. A. MOZART / ANTONIO SALIERI
Mozart & Salieri: Requiem Valentina Nafornita, Ambroisine Bre, Robin Tritschler, Andreas Wolf / Hervé Niquet; Le Concert Spirituel [ Château de Versailles Spectacles / CD - released 11/Nov/2022 ] Two illustrious composers at odds with their Requiem? When, in 1791, a 36-year-old Mozart composed the one that would remain unfinished due to his death, he did so in response to a commission from the eccentric Count von Walsegg. Mozart would never... |
JOSEPH BODIN de BOISMORTIER
Boismortier: Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse Le Concert Spirituel (early music ensemble); Hervé Niquet [ Château de Versailles Spectacles / CD - released 23/Sep/2022 ] In 1743, two years before Rameau's Platee, Boismortier created an extraordinarily modern and madcap "comic ballet", Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse. As the exuberant plot unfurls, Cervantes' hero encounters monsters, enchanters, princesses and people... |
CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS
Saint-Saëns: Phryné (complete opera) Orchestre de l'opéra de Rouen Normandie; Chœur du Concert Spirituel; Hervé Niquet [ Bru Zane / CD/Book - released 11/Feb/2022 ] "Florie Valiquette is a winning Phryné, and Cyrille Dubois all that you could hope for in a French tenor as her beloved Nicias - their Act II duet deserves to be much better known." BBC Music |
SEBASTIAN FAGERLUND
Oceano: Chamber Music by Sebastian Fagerlund Meta4 String Quartet / Christoffer Sundqvist (clarinet), Paavali Jumppanen (piano), Hervé Joulain (horn) [ BIS SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 1/Oct/2021 ] "Yet his chamber music is no less compelling…By turns ferociously rhythmic, playful and softly luminous, every piece here shares a coherent dramatic arc." BBC Music Magazine Awards 2022 Shortlisted - Premiere |
ANTONIO VIVALDI
Vivaldi: Gloria & Magnificat Le Concert Spirituel; Hervé Niquet [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 25/Jun/2021 ] Hervé Niquet and his Concert Spirituel offer a programme to the glory of Antonio Vivaldi: his Gloria and Magnificat, genuine masterpieces of sacred vocal music, demonstrate the same variety of styles, tempo and atmospheres that characterise his... |
REYNALDO HAHN
Reynaldo Hahn: L'île du rêve Hervé Niquet, Hélène Guilmette, Artavazd Sargsyan, Cyrille Dubois, Münchner Runddfunkorchester, Ludivine Gombert, Thomas Dolié, Chœur du Concert Spiri [ Bru Zane / CD/Book - released 23/Oct/2020 ] "To have written that, you must be a poet", Massenet told Reynaldo Hahn when he read through the score of L Île du rêve. Composed when the young man was not yet eighteen years old, this curtain-raiser already had the qualities of the great works of... |
ANDRE-MODESTE GRETRY
Gretry: Richard Coeur de Lion Le Concert Spirituel, Hervé Niquet [ Château de Versailles Spectacles CD + DVD / 2 CD/DVD - released 25/Sep/2020 ] "An early example of the "rescue opera" genre, anticipating Beethoven's Fidelio, it's stylishly sung and robustly played. A DVD of the old-fashioned but charming staging is included." Sunday Times |
JEAN-BAPTISTE LULLY
Lully: Armide 1778 (complete opera) Chantal Santon Jeffery, Katherine Watson, Véronique Gens, Tassis Christoyannis / Le Concert Spirituel, Hervé Niquet [ Alpha Classics / 2 CD/Book - released 28/Aug/2020 ] Recording of the Month - BBC Music Magazine, November 2020 |
JEAN-PAUL-EGIDE MARTINI
Martini: Requiem For Louis XVI Le Concert Spirituel, Hervé Niquet [ Château de Versailles / CD - released 24/Apr/2020 ] When it comes to his illustration of music at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, Martini had more to show than Plaisir d'Amour alone. The Bavarian would rise to glory at the French court and enjoy a privileged position amon the sovereigns. |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Messiah Sandrine Piau, Anthea Pichanick, Božidar Smiljanić, Krešimir Špicer Le Concert Spirituel, Hervé Niquet [ Château de Versailles Spectacles / DVD - released 17/Jan/2020 ] Filmed in decembre 2018 at the Chapelle Royale de Versailles. |
FERNAND de la TOMBELLE
La Tombelle: Musique De Chambre, Chorale et Symphonique (complete operetta) Brussels Philharmonic, Hannes Minnaar (piano) Flemish Radio Choir, Jeff Cohen, Yann Beuron (tenor), Pascal Amoyel, Emmanuelle Bertrand (cello), Herve [ Bru Zane / 2 CD/Book - released 15/Nov/2019 ] "The music's engaging, the performances decent, and the whole serves as a salutary reminder that you don't have to be a Beethoven to deserve a spot in the sun." The Times |
HECTOR BERLIOZ
Berlioz: Messe Solennelle Le Concert Spirituel / Hervé Niquet [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 8/Nov/2019 ] Composed in 1824 by Hector Berlioz at the age of twenty-one and premiered at the church of Saint-Roch in Paris in 1825, the Messe solennelle has come down to us following an eventful history. After Berlioz declared that he had destroyed the score,... |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
The French Romantic Experience Marc Minkowski, Hervé Niquet, François-Xavier Roth, Christophe Rousset, Diana Damrau, Véronique Gens, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, etc [ Bru Zane / 10 CD Box Set - released 1/Nov/2019 ] "Well worth anyone's attention, especially those attracted to the less familiar areas of 19th-century repertoire. In fact, I have rarely encountered a 'compilation' that has yielded so much listening pleasure" Gramophone |
FROMENTAL HALEVY
Halevy: La Reine de Chypre [The Queen of Cyprus] Véronique Gens, Cyrille Dubois, Étienne Dupuis / Flemish Radio Choir & Orchestre de chambre de Paris, Hervé Niquet [ Bru Zane Ediciones Singulares / 2 CD/Book - released 20/Sep/2018 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD 2019 WINNER - Opera |
MARIN MARAIS
Marais: Sémélé (complete opera) Shannon Mercer, Benedicte Tauran, Jael Azzaretti, Hjordis Thebault, etc / Le Concert Spirituel, Hervé Niquet [ Glossa / 2 CD - released 10/Mar/2018 ] "It's full of arresting, colourful music, much of it - not least the thrillingly vivid closing earthquake scene - worthy of Rameau, writing three decades on." (Sunday Times) |
CHARLES GOUNOD
Gounod: Cantates et Musique Sacree Gabrielle Philiponet (soprano), Sébastien Droy (tenor) / Flemish Radio Choir, Brussels Philharmonic, Hervé Niquet [ Bru Zane Ediciones Singulares / 2 CD/Book - released 26/Jan/2018 ] "The choral singing has wonderful richness, clarity and fervour, above all in the Messe vocale, which is breathtaking. A tremendous set, it adds immeasurably to our understanding of Gounod's work. Very highly recommended indeed." Gramophone |
HANDEL
Handel: Messiah 1754 Le Concert Spirituel, Hervé Niquet [ Alpha / 2 CD/Book - released 27/Oct/2017 ] Why yet another Messiah? 'I went through the different scores that exist and decided on the very interesting 1754 version, which features five soloists. You must remember that, when Handel arrived somewhere to perform his oratorio, he had soloists of... |
FELICIEN DAVID
David: Christophe Colomb & Musique de chambre, symphonique et sacrée, etc Flemish Radio Choir, Brussels Philharmonic, Hervé Niquet, Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth [ Bru Zane Ediciones Singulares / 3 CD/Book - released 25/Aug/2017 ] "The performances are fabulous. François-Xavier Roth and Les Siècles mine the textures and sonorities of Christophe Colomb for all their worth" Gramophone Editor's Choice Oct 2017 |
MARC-ANTOINE CHARPENTIER
Charpentier: Sacred Choral Works Vol. 3 Le Concert Spirituel, Herve Niquet [ Naxos / CD - released 22/Aug/2017 ] "The choir and instrumentalists of Le Concert Spiritual are on their usual lively form .... directed with stylistic assurance by Niquet." Gramophone Magazine |