Les Talens Lyriques

From: Avignon, France. LA Opera: From Light to Darkness concert (2018); The Sound of Music in Versailles concert (2024)

Founder of the ensemble Les Talens Lyriques and an internationally acclaimed harpsichordist, Christophe Rousset is a musician and conductor inspired by his passion for opera and the rediscovery of Europe's musical heritage.

Studying the harpsichord at the Schola Cantorum in Paris with Huguette Dreyfus, then at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague with Bob van Asperen (at the age of 22 he won the prestigious first prize at the 7th Bruges Harpsichord Competition), followed by the creation of his own ensemble, Les Talens Lyriques, in 1991, gave Christophe Rousset a perfect grasp of the richness and diversity of the Baroque, Classical and pre-romantic repertoires.

Christophe Rousset is now regularly invited to perform with Les Talens Lyriques throughout Europe: Opéra National de Paris, Opéra-Comique, Théâtre du Châtelet, Netherlands National Opera, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Philharmonie de Paris, Opéra de Lausanne, Theater an der Wien, Staatsoper de Vienne, Opéra Royal de Versailles, La Monnaie de Bruxelles, Wigmore Hall and Barbican Center in London, Bozar Brussels. ...as well as tours all over the world to Mexico, New Zealand, Canada, the USA, etc.

At the same time, he pursues an active career as a harpsichordist and chamber musician, performing and recording on the finest historical instruments. His recordings of works for harpsichord by Louis and François Couperin, Rameau, D'Anglebert, Royer, Duphly, Forqueray, Balbastre, Scarlatti and the various recordings devoted to works by J. S. Bach (partitas, Goldberg Variations, harpsichord concertos, English Suites, French Suites, Klavierbüchlein, Well-Tempered Clavier) are considered to be benchmarks.

The educational dimension is of paramount importance to Christophe Rousset, who conducts and leads masterclasses and academies: CNSMDP in Paris, Académie d'Ambronay, Fondation Royaumont, Opera Studio in Ghent, OFJ Baroque, Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Amici della Musica in Florence, Piccola Accademia in Montisi, and the Britten-Pears Orchestra. 

Christophe Rousset also pursues a career as a guest conductor: Liceu de Barcelona, San Carlo de Naples, Scala de Milan, Opéra Royal de Wallonie, London's Royal Opera House, the Spanish National Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre du Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and others.

He also devotes himself to musical research and writing, through critical editions and the publication of monographs devoted to Rameau (2007, Actes Sud) and François Couperin (2016, Actes Sud). His book of interviews on music conducted by Camille de Rijck (2017, La Rue Musicale / Philharmonie de Paris) was published under the title L'impression que l'instrument chante.

One of his latest recordings, L'art de la Fugue (Aparté, 2023), was hailed by the critics: " Rousset, who has already recorded large parts of Bach's piano works, masters this pinnaclework of polyphonic art with astonishing aplomb." (Concerti, January 2024).

Other recent Aparté releases include Le manuscrit de Madame Théobon (Lully and others), Pièces de Viole with Atsushi Sakai and Marion Martineau (Marin Marais), and The Sphere of Intimacy with Cyrille Dubois (François Couperin and others).

The 2024/25 season will see the release of a superb digital reissue of the complete François Couperin harpsichord works (Harmonia Mundi - August 2024), and Christophe Rousset will conclude his exploration of J.S. Bach's keyboard corpus with the Complete Toccatas (Aparté - October 2024).

Christophe Rousset is a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres and Officier de l'Ordre national du Mérite.


Photo:  Eric Larrayadieu

The ensemble Les Talens Lyriques, which takes its name from the subtitle of Rameau's opera Les Fêtes d’Hébé (1739), was founded in 1991 by the harpsichordist and conductor Christophe Rousset. 

Championing a wide lyrical and instrumental repertoire that spans from early Baroque to early Romanticism, Les Talens Lyriques aim to shed light on the great masterpieces of music history through the lens of rarer or unpublished works, true missing links in the European musical heritage. This musicological and editorial work is a priority for the Ensemble and contributes to its renown. 

Les Talens Lyriques journey from Monteverdi (L’Incoronazione di Poppea, Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, L’Orfeo), Cavalli (La Didone, La Calisto), Landi (La Morte d’Orfeo), Pallavicino (Le amazzoni nell’isole fortunate), Legrenzi (La divisione del Mondo) to Handel (Scipione, Riccardo Primo, Rinaldo, Admeto, Giulio Cesare, Serse, Arianna in Creta, Tamerlano, Ariodante, Semele, Alcina, Agrippina, Saul, Messiah, Jephtha, Orlando), passing through Lully (Persée, Roland, Bellérophon, Phaéton, Amadis, Armide, Alceste, Isis, Thésée, Atys, Proserpine), Desmarest (Didon, Vénus et Adonis), Mondonville (Les Fêtes de Paphos), Cimarosa (Il Mercato di Malmantile, Il Matrimonio segreto, L’Olimpiade), Traetta (Antigona, Ippolito ed Aricia), Jommelli (Armida abbandonata), Martin y Soler (La Capricciosa corretta, Il Tutore burlato), Mozart (Mitridate, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Così fan tutte, Die Zauberflöte), Salieri (La Grotta di Trofonio, Les Danaïdes, Les Horaces, Tarare, Armida, Cublai gran Kan de’ Tartari), Rameau (Zoroastre, Castor et Pollux, Les Indes galantes, Platée, Pygmalion), Gluck (Bauci e Filemone, Alceste, Orphée et Eurydice, Armide), Beethoven, and finally Cherubini (Médée), García (Il Califfo di Bagdad), Berlioz, Massenet, Gounod (Faust), Spontini (La Vestale), Saint-Saëns, Louise Bertin (Fausto), and Schubert (complete symphonies). 

The recreation of these works goes hand in hand with close collaboration with directors and choreographers such as Pierre Audi, Jean-Marie Villégier, David McVicar, Eric Vigner, Ludovic Lagarde, Mariame Clément, Jean-Pierre Vincent, Macha Makeïeff, Laura Scozzi, Natalie van Parys, Marcial di Fonzo Bo, Claus Guth, Robert Carsen, David Hermann, Christof Loy, Jetske Mijnssen, Alban Richard, David Lescot, Phia Ménard, Calixto Bieito, Laurent Pelly, Jeanne Desoubeaux, Damiano Michieletto, or Dmitri Tcherniakov. 

Besides the lyrical repertoire, the ensemble explores other musical genres such as the madrigal, cantata, air de cour, symphony, and the vast sacred repertoire (mass, motet, oratorio, leçons de ténèbres...). From season to season, Les Talens Lyriques perform worldwide, with ensembles ranging from a few musicians to over 60 performers of all generations. The new season of Les Talens Lyriques for 2024/25, titled "Myths and Stories," will be rich in emblematic works and rediscoveries. Under the direction of Christophe Rousset, the ensemble will explore mythological and legendary stories through six operas and an oratorio. The season will begin with Ifigenia in Aulide by Nicola Porpora, followed by Handel's Orlando and Giulio Cesare, Mozart's Mitridate, Gassmann's L’Opera seria, J.S. Bach's Easter Oratorio, and Lully's Proserpine. Concurrently, Les Talens Lyriques will offer a series of concerts and recitals highlighting notably a young generation of soloists: Paul Figuier and Zoltan Darago (alto), Ambroisine Bré (mezzo-soprano), Lysandre Châlon (bass-baritone), as well as loyal interpreters who will participate in the European and North American tours of the season. The rich discography of Les Talens Lyriques today includes over 100 recordings, published by Erato, Fnac Music, Auvidis, Decca, Naïve, Ambroisie, Virgin Classics, Ediciones Singulares (PBZ), Outhere, Château Versailles Spectacles (CVS), and Aparté. The ensemble also produced the famous soundtrack for Gérard Corbiau's film Farinelli (1994), which sold over a million copies. 

The new season will see the release of four albums for Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques: Airs de Cantates pour alto with Zoltan Darago (Aparté – September 2024) and the world premiere recreation of Antonio Salieri's Cublai, gran Kan de’ Tartari (Aparté – April 2025). The complete harpsichord pieces by François Couperin, recorded by Christophe Rousset, will finally be reissued in digital format (Harmonia Mundi – August 2024), followed by the release of The Complete Toccatas, magnificently concluding Christophe Rousset's exploration of J.S. Bach's keyboard corpus (Aparté - 4 October 2024). 

Since 2007, the ensemble has been committed to introducing students to music through an ambitious program of artistic activities and innovative educational initiatives. They are in residence in schools in Paris and Île-de-France, where they have notably created an orchestra class and a small Talens choir. The three educational apps t@lenschool, available for free download, are very popular and have won numerous French and international awards. Les Talens Lyriques have also launched a music project in palliative care at the Clinique de la Toussaint in Strasbourg. 

Les Talens Lyriques are supported by the Ministry of Culture-Drac Île-de-France, the City of Paris, and the Circle of Patrons. The ensemble thanks its Major Patrons: the Annenberg Foundation / GRoW – Gregory and Regina Annenberg Weingarten, Madame Aline Foriel-Destezet, and the Société Générale Corporate Foundation. 

The ensemble is regularly supported for its national and international outreach and its recording productions by the National Music Centre. Les Talens Lyriques have been associated artists in residence at the Singer-Polignac Foundation since 2011. Les Talens Lyriques are founding members of FEVIS (Federation of Specialized Vocal and Instrumental Ensembles) and PROFEDIM (Professional Union of Producers, Festivals, Ensembles, Independent Music Distributors). 

www.lestalenslyriques.com

Soprano Apolline Raï-Westphal made her debut at the Opéra-Comique in Glück's Armide in 2022. Since then, Apolline's career has developed on a number of leading stages, including the Wiener Konzerthaus, the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, the Opéra Royal de Versailles, the Opéra d'Avignon, the Opéra de Rennes, the Capitole de Toulouse and the Opéra de Nice. Already highly regarded in the baroque repertoire, she has collaborated with conductors such as Christophe Rousset, Leonardo García Alarcón, Alexis Kossenko, Camille Delaforge and Johannes Pramsohler. Her young career has already seen her perform in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées (Belinda), Glück's Armide at the Opéra-Comique (Phénice and Lucinde), Lully's Atys at the Vienna Konzerthaus and the Opéra Royal de Versailles (Melpomène and Mélisse), Joséphine Stepheson's Narcisse (Chloé) and the title role in Régis Campo's La petite sirène.

In concert, she has appeared under the baton of Jean-Claude Casadesus alongside Karine Deshayes as part of the festival Les Etoiles du Classique, in recital with Bertrand Chamayou in a programme of French mélodies, in Bach cantatas with Les Ambassadeurs conducted by Alexis Kossenko, in the Tragic Handelian Figures programme with the Talens lyriques conducted by Christophe Rousset, in recital at the Capitole de Toulouse alongside the pianist Anne Le Bozec, and at the Présence Compositrice festival accompanied by the guitarist Antonin Vercellino, in recital with the duo she forms with the pianist Paul Coispeau. ..

Upcoming projects include Honneger's Danse des morts and Hindemith's Santa Susanna at the Opéra de Nancy, a recital at the Opéra de Massy alongside Nathalie Dessay, the Saint Matthew Passion in Aix-en-Provence, at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées and at the Atelier Lyrique in Tourcoing, a program of 17th-century Italian music with Les Talens Lyriques in a duet with her sister Thaïs Raï-Westphal, Rameau's Les Fêtes de Ramire with La Chapelle Harmonique, and the role of Minerva in Campra's Carnaval de Venise on a national tour with the ensemble Il Caravaggio.

She recently recorded the roles of Melpomène and Mélisse in Lully's Atys conducted by Christophe Rousset and Les Talens lyriques, released in January 2024 on the Château de Versailles label.

Soprano Thaïs Raï-Westphal has performed the roles of Ida in Strauss's Die Fledermaus under the direction of Lucie Leguay and Nicola Raab; Pamina in Mozart's The Magic Flute, directed by Jean-François Sivadier; a captive in Charpentier's David et Jonathas under the direction of Sébastien Daucé and Jean Bellorini; Amor in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice in Strasbourg; and Venus and Dorine in Lully's Thésée with Les Talens Lyriques under the direction of Christophe Rousset in Vienna, Brussels, and at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, a performance which she also recorded.

Thaïs Raï-Westphal has won several prizes at singing competitions in Canari, Nîmes, Béziers, Arles, Marmande, and Gordes. She has recently joined the 6th generation of the Opéra Fuoco Young Artists Program, as well as the Lili and Nadia Boulanger class at the Jaroussky Academy.

Upcoming engagements include the roles of Susanna in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro under the direction of Mariame Clément and Paul Daniel; Servilia in Mozart's La clemenza di Tito at the Massy Opera; and recitals with her sister, Apolline Raï-Westphal, and Les Talens Lyriques in France and Italy, among others.

Her recordings include Yves Castagnet's Magnificat, accompanied by the Maîtrise de Notre-Dame de Paris.

A graduate of the Bordeaux Regional Conservatory, Gilone Gaubert studied the violin with Robert Papavrami, and subsequently studied with Maryvonne Le Dizès at the Boulogne-Billancourt Regional Conservatory. To complete her musical studies, she also joined Solange Chiapparin's piano accompaniment class at the Fontenay-sous-Bois Conservatory.

Admitted to Devy Erlih's violin class at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris (CNSM), she left in 1995 rewarded with the Higher Training diploma.

Passionate about the interpretation of the early music repertoire on period instruments, she deepened this specialization with Patrick Bismuth and Christophe Rousset at the CNSM in Paris and obtained the Higher Training diploma there in 1998.

Since 2005 she has been concertmaster of the ensemble Les Talens Lyriques directed by Christophe Rousset, with whom she collaborates regularly. She has also been concertmaster for Le Parlement de Musique, led by Martin Gester, and plays regularly with La Petite Simphonie led by Daniel Isoir and Les Passions led by Jean-Marc Andrieu.

After studying violin in Aix en Provence, Benjamin Chénier turned to practicing the early repertoire at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Lyon (CNSMD) with Odile Edouard and in Barcelona in the class of Manfred Kramer.

Called by many French and foreign ensembles such as Le Concert Spirituel (H. Niquet), Les Talens Lyriques (C. Rousset), Gli Incogniti (A. Beyer), Le Concert d'Astrée (E. Haim), Les Ombres, Le Poème Harmonique (V. Dumestre), Les Folies Françoises (P. Cohen-Akenine), Les Nouveaux Caractères (S. d'Hérin), Le Center de Musique Baroque de Versailles, La Fenice (J. Tubery), Elyma (G . Garrido), Cappella Mediterranea (L. Alarcon) etc……, he also holds the Teaching Certificate, and currently teaches at the CRR in Paris and at the CRR in St-Maur. Driven by the desire to transmit, he regularly directs orchestral academies (Orchestra Barroca de Malaga, Orchestra of the higher schools of Porto, Lisbon, Paris, at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Young European Baroque Orchestra, etc.)

Passionate about 17th century music, he invested himself in a cycle of research and experience about the practice of diminution, “ornamental instruments” in the basso continuo and Italian sacred vocal music and Venetian in particular.

Thus, with his rich experience of playing with most French baroque ensembles and his stylistic research, Benjamin Chénier decided to found the Galilei Consort, an ensemble dedicated to the expression of a certain idea of ​​humanism in music, with whom he recorded, among others, the Ceremonial Masses of Rovetta and Cavalli.

Born in 1974, Emmanuel Jacques gained a premier prix in Baroque cello in Christophe Coin’s class at the Conservatoire national Supérieur de Musique in Paris. He is now principal cellist of Christophe Rousset’s ensemble Les Talens Lyriques, and is a frequent guest with Café Zimmermann (Céline Frisch/Pablo Valetti), Le Concert des nations (Jordi Savall), Les Basses Réunies (Bruno Cocset), Accademia Bizantina (Ottavio Dantone), Stradivaria (Daniel Cuiller), Le Parlement de Musique (Martin Gester), and La Petite Symphonie (Daniel Isoir).

Since 2012 he has also been principal cellist of Insula Orchestra, conducted by Laurence Equilbey. His repertoire ranges from the music of the seventeenth century to that of the Romantic era, all played on gut strings. He is a founder member of the Quatuor Ruggieri, formed in 2007, which made its first recording, of quartets by George Onslow, in 2012 (released on the agOgique label).

Emmanuel Jacques plays a cello by Jacques Boquay made in 1726 and a bow by Alexandre Aumont after François Xavier Tourte.