When: November 26 to December 2
Where: St. Dominic – St. Joseph – Mandarin House
LES SACQUEBOUTIERS
When they decided to found Les Sacqueboutiers in 1976, Jean-Pierre Canihac and Jean-Pierre Mathieu, like pioneers, were among the first to embark on the adventurous rediscovery of early instruments. It was necessary to find the authentic instruments, reinvent a playing technique, reconsider the repertoire, exhume it more often!
Les Sacqueboutiers started then a thorough and imaginative approach of a rich and profuse repertoire. This research implies a constant investment in the study of the interpretation style corresponding to this rediscovered music. The quality of their work soon attracted attention, and they took part in ground-breaking recordings of Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine, conducted by Michel Corboz, Jordi Savall, William Christie, Philippe Herreweghe, Gabriel Garrido, Jean-Claude Malgoire.
Since then, they have performed music ranging from the Renaissance to Mozart, with many prestigious ensembles including Hespèrion XX and XXI, Les Arts Florissants, La Chapelle Royale, A Sei Voci, Elyma, La Grande Ecurie et la Chambre du Roy, the Clément Janequin Ensemble… With these ensembles or in their own programmes, Les Sacqueboutiers have appeared at all the great European festivals, in North and South America, in Japan…
The group comprises a nucleus of cornetts and sackbuts, which is joined, as the needs arise, by other instruments (violins, viols, bassoons, shawms, percussions…) and vocalist(s) (a soloist, a vocal quartet, or a choir).
Flexibility is necessary in the performance of such a varied repertoire. In collaboration with specialized musicologists, Les Sacqueboutiers often work on revivals. Indeed, one of the ensemble’s major objectives is to play an active part in the gradual rediscovery of the very fine works that make up our European musical heritage.
Les Sacqueboutiers were nominated as the Ensemble de l’année (Ensemble of the year) at the Victoires de la Musique classique 2008.
AMARILLIS
Amarillis is now one of Europe’s most original Baroque ensembles. Created in 1994, the group, counselled by Pierre Hantaï, Christophe Rousset and Christophe Coin, has won several competitions: first prize in the York Early Music Competition in 1995, first prize in the FNAPEC ‘Musique d’Ensemble’ Competition in 1997, and first prize and the public prize in the Sinfonia Competition (chaired by Gustav Leonhardt) in 1997. In 1999, Amarillis was distinguished by the ‘Révélations classiques’ (Adami).
According to the requirements of the repertoire, the basic nucleus is joined by musicians of recognised talent. Amarillis works regularly with the finest singers of the younger generation, including Patricia Petibon, Stéphanie d’Oustrac, Mathias Vidal, Robert Getchell, Emiliano Gonzalez-Toro, Benoît Arnould…
Amarillis has received the highest praise from the national and international press for all 15 of the CDs in its catalogue, recorded for labels Ambroisie-Naïve, Ambronay, Sony Classical, AgOgique, NoMadMusic. The 15th recording, Baroque inspiration, was released in March 2016 with the NoMadMusic label. Iconic works of different musical styles from the Baroque period are put in resonance with compounds or songs arranged by jazz clarinetist Louis Sclavis and saxophonist Matthieu Metzger with shared taste for fantasy and freedom of tone in the melodic invention.
Internationally renowned, Amarillis gives concerts in France (Théâtre des Champs Élysées, de Poissy, Philharmonie de Paris, Festivals of Ambronay, Auvers sur Oise, Saintes, Sablé sur Sarthe…, Versailles Center for Baroque Music, Operas of Lille, Versailles, Angers, Nantes, Avignon…, Arsenal of Metz, Besançon National Scene…), Great Britain (Royal Academy of Music, York and Brighton’s festivals…), Holland, Spain, Germany, Latin America, Canada, Senegal, India, Russia, China and Hong-Kong… (tours supported by the French Institute).
Amarillis can regularly be heard on France Musique and Radio Classique. The BBC, Mezzo, France télévision and Arte have recorded several of its concerts.
SPREZZATURA
The rationale is to Sprezzatura music and more specifically the baroque to everyone. Indeed this music is not restricted to insiders. It speaks directly to each of us because it is built according to the strict rules of rhetoric, that is to say in accordance with the profound nature of human construction. Revenue late on our stages, Baroque music is still very little known.
Sprezzatura proposes to us to rediscover modernity with simple and effective actions, concerts, conferences, workshops and open to all project participants. It’s a simple message, but extremely difficult to achieve as it requires care and attention that Sprezzatura wants us to choose: to break down barriers between professionals and amateurs on the one hand, between artists and also spectators. So to be born through this artistic dimension that lies within each of us and in the most possible dimensions: vertical, horizontal and depth.
Created by Sébastien Fournier in 2005 Sprezzatura seduced by these innovative and bold concepts. Many artists joined the group and occur regularly around this core. The research and publishing Xavier Janot gives all opportunities to interpret an original repertoire.
In 2010 Sprezzatura is chosen by the government to represent France at the World Expo in Shanghai. Therefore, all regularly invited to China for concerts and master classes, notably at the National Conservatory of Beijing and Xian. The eclecticism and curiosity of artists invite them to occur in equally extraordinary places and participate in Expos Concerts, collaborating with dancers, puppeteers and circus of illusions Nicolas Fayol, Kaori Ito, David Drouard, Paco Dècina Jean Gaudin, Mauro Corda, Florence Guérin … With these artists, every time, all created and produced music in custom soundscapes.
In 2014 Sprezzatura toured throughout China to play and experiment within the Western and Chinese music. Finally, Michel Deneuve, composer and cristaliste, is the guest of the 2015-2016 season to record a CD in a baroque and contemporary repertoire. Together they have already occurred in Venice, Paris and Guadalaraja (Spain).
In 2015 Sprezzatura was the guest of HK French May Festival and Sébastien Fournier participated to the Sacred Music Festival to Macau.
