Le Concert Spirituel


Le Concert Spirituel is a French ensemble specialising in works of baroque music, played on period instruments. Founded by Hervé Niquet in 1987, it is named after the 18th-century concert series Concert Spirituel. The group performs internationally, playing mostly rarely performed sacred music and operas, and making recordings. Its focus is on French music played at the court of Versailles.

History

The ensemble is named after Concert Spirituel, the first private concert society in France, founded in the 18th century and dissolved during the French Revolution. The ensemble was founded by Hervé Niquet in 1987, designed to revive the great works of the French repertoire played at the court of Versailles.
Le Concert Spirituel collaborates closely with the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, with a focus on French composers such as Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Jean-Baptiste Lully, André Campra and Joseph Bodin de Boismortier.
Le Concert Spirituel often plays sacred music, and has also performed operas such as Daphnis et Chloé by Boismortier, Rameau's Pygmalion, Purcell's King Arthur and The Indian Queen, and Mozart's Don Giovanni. The ensemble "rediscovered" forgotten operas from the French repertoire, such as Callirhoé by André Cardinal Destouches, Lully's Proserpine, Sémélé by Marin Marais, Guétry's Andromaque, Campra's Le carnaval de Venise and Catel's Sémiramis.
At a Proms concert in 2012 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the ensemble played Handel's Water Music and the Music for the Royal Fireworks, with a large formation including 18 oboes, 9 trumpets and 9 trombones, and strings to match. This is an authentic band for the music, which was originally intended to be played in the open air.
Le Concert Spirituel is subsidised by the French Ministry of Culture and the city of Paris. It also receives financial support from the Mécénat Musical Société Générale and the Fondation Bru.

Recordings

Le Concert Spirituel recorded for the Accord, Adda, Virgin and Naxos labels until 1999, and then exclusively for Glossa from 2000 to 2015. Since June 2015, Le Concert Spirituel has recorded exclusively for Alpha Classics.

Awards

Le Concert Spirituel received a 2001 Grammy Award nomination for its recording of Sérénades chez Marie Leczinska by Boismortier. Its recording of Striggio's 40 Voice Mass was also nominated for a Grammy Award in 2013.
Its recording of Grétry's Andromaque was awarded a "Chock" by Classica, a Diamant by Opéra Magazine, a Découverte by Diapason and the "Grand Prix du Disque" by the Académie Charles-Cros in 2010.
Its recording of Sémélé was chosen "Opera Recording of the Year" at the Echo Klassik Awards ; its recording of Campra's Le Carnaval de Venise won a "German Record Critics’ Award", a Classica magazine "Chock" and a Diamant from Opéra Magazine ; Lully's Persée also won a German Record Critics' Award.

DVDs

Le Concert Spirituel has recorded the following: