Biography
The ensemble Les Talens Lyriques, which takes its name from the subtitle of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s opera Les Fêtes d’Hébé (1739), was formed in 1991 by the harpsichordist and conductor Christophe Rousset.
Championing a broad vocal and instrumental repertoire, spanning the period from early Baroque to the beginnings of Romanticism, the musicians of Les Talens Lyriques aim to throw light on the great masterpieces of musical history, while providing perspective with rarer or little known works that are important as missing links in the European musical heritage. This musicological and editorial work, which contributes to its renown, is a priority for the ensemble.
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Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques release world premiere recording of Lully’s Ballet Royal de la Naissance de Vénus
In the first full recording of the 1665 courtly entertainment, Christophe Rousset directs Les Talens Lyriques in Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Ballet Royal de la Naissance de Vénus, a grandiose spectacle of dance, music and poetry which marked a culmination of the ballet genre when it was performed at the court of Louis XIV.
Released on Aparté on 18 June 2021, the Ballet Royal de la Naissance de Vénus is the ninth Lully recording released by Les Talens Lyriques, continuing their highly-renowned survey of the composer’s stage works. The recording was made in January 2021 at the Cité de la Musique-Philharmonie de Paris, following cancelled performances in Paris and Vienna due to the pandemic.
A distinguished cast includes Deborah Cachet as Ariana, Cyril Auvity as Orpheus, with Guillaume Andrieux and Bénédicte Tauran as Neptune and Thétis.
250 years after the premiere of Salieri’s Armida, Les Talens Lyriques release first full recording and give first modern performances
250 years after its first performance at Vienna’s Burgtheater in 1771, Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques revive Salieri’s Armida with a new recording and the first modern performances of the composer’s first breakthrough success.
Armida is released on disc on 22 January 2021 on Aparté, following recording sessions in July 2020. In concert, Les Talens Lyriques return Armida to Vienna (Theater an der Wien) on 19 February 2021, following performances at the Paris Philharmonie (2 February 2021) and in Caen (30 January 2021).
Les Talens Lyriques release two new recordings of Mozart’s Betulia liberata and Armand-Louis Couperin’s harpsichord music
In two new discs released on Aparté on Friday 25 September 2020, Les Talens Lyriques champion Mozart’s electrifying Betulia liberata on disc while their director Christophe Rousset releases a selection of harpsichord works by Armand-Louis Couperin.
Composed in 1771 to a libretto by Metastasio tracing the well-known biblical story of Judith and Holofernes, Betulia liberata was Mozart’s first oratorio. Often described as a stroke of genius, this recording by Les Talens Lyriques shows the dramatic intensity which he was already capable of at the age of just fifteen, and the influence of his early experiences with opera. The highly virtuosic arias feature Sandrine Piau, Teresa Iervolino, Amanda Forsythe, Pablo Bemsch and Nahuel di Pierro.
Les Talens Lyriques announces 20-21 season with first modern performances of Salieri’s Armida
Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques announce their 2020-21 season championing heroines, with the first modern performances of Salieri’s breakthrough success Armida, 250 years after the work’s premiere. A recording of Armida to be made during the season is complemented by the release of Mozart’s Betulia liberata on Aparté this autumn. In June 2021, Les Talens Lyriques join the centennial Mozartfest Würzburg with performances of Idomeneo.
Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques express their love of the French Baroque, pairing ballets by Lully and Pascal Collasse to tell of the birth and life of Venus. On tour in Europe, Les Talens Lyriques make multiple visits to Germany and Austria, and give three concerts at London’s Wigmore Hall in Spring 2021. At home in Paris, Les Talens Lyriques are joined by Calixto Bieito for a staged production of Bach’s St. John Passion at the Théâtre du Châtelet.
Your chance to perform at home with Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques with NomadPlay
A new venture between Les Talens Lyriques and mobile application NomadPlay lets music-makers pick up our instruments and become members of Les Talens Lyriques from the comfort of our own homes. Through the innovative app, Les Talens Lyriques transform into your own sophisticated instrumental backing track.
With founder Christophe Rousset, the period ensemble have recorded instrumental Sinfonias to many of Bach’s Cantatas. Thirteen recordings are available now through the app, recorded at Baroque pitch, with regular new releases.
Les Talens Lyriques release new recording of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with Sandrine Piau and Christopher Lowrey
In the approach to Easter, Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques release a new recording of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, featuring soloists Sandrine Piau and Christopher Lowrey. The disc is released on Alpha on Friday 13 March alongside two unpublished motets by Neapolitan compatriots Leonardo Leo and Nicola Porpora, presented here in their first recordings. The Neapolitan school is one of Christophe Rousset’s first musical loves, and the Pergolesi Stabat Mater is a work that has long been in Les Talens Lyriques’ repertoire.
Read moreLes Talens Lyriques release new recording of Lully’s Isis: the opera behind a royal scandal
Revisiting the opera which caused a royal scandal at the Court of Louis XIV, Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques release Lully’s Isis on disc with Aparté on 15 November. Isis is the eighth Lully opera released by Les Talens Lyriques, continuing their highly-renowned survey of the composer’s operas. The disc was recorded in Beaune in July 2019.
A distinguished cast includes Ève-Maud Hubeaux and Bénédicte Tauran as Io and Juno, and Edwin Crossley-Mercer as Jupiter. The CD release precedes performances in Paris (Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, 6 December), Versailles (Opéra Royal, 10 December) and Vienna (Theater an der Wien, 22 February).
Christophe Rousset & Les Talens Lyriques announce a very European 2019-20 season: Les Nations
Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques announce their 2019-20 season exploring nationhood and what it meant – and means – to be European.
Les Talens Lyriques’ new season is a sweepingly European venture that sees the ensemble take Bach to the Thomaskirche for the first time in June, the same month a new production of Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea directed by Stephen Langridge premieres at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. Rousset and his group revel in the drama of four Handelian operas over the season, with staged productions of David McVicar’s Ariodante at the Wiener Staatsoper in November and Barrie Kosky’s Saul performed at the Théâtre du Châtelet in January – the first staged operatic production on the refurbished stage.
Christophe Rousset & Les Talens Lyriques release Salieri’s blood-thirsty Tarare, the final recording from the composer’s trilogy of French operas
Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques complete Salieri’s trilogy of blood-thirsty French operas with the release of Tarare on Aparté on 7 June, recorded live following performances in Versailles, Paris, and Vienna. The release of Tarare follows high praise for the ensemble’s recordings of Salieri’s Les Danaïdes and Les Horaces, and features a starry cast including Cyrille Dubois in the titular role and Karine Deshayes as Astaire alongside Jean-Sébastien Bou, Judith van Wanroij, and Tassis Christoyannis. All three operas were composed in the looming shadow of the French Revolution, and their gory political intrigues hint at the growing dissidence prior to the Terror.
Read moreChristophe Rousset & Les Talens Lyriques indulge in Handel’s operatic masterworks
Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques embark on a ravishing season of Handel operas as they trace the composer from his first great success, Ariodante, to the dramatic oratorio Saul composed at the other end of the composer’s life. Their journey takes them from Dortmund and Halle with mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg in June to Bucharest’s Enescu Festival in September for back-to-back concert performances of Giulio Cesare and Agrippina with Christopher Lowrey and Karina Gauvin. Giulio Cesare is repeated at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées on 24 September.
Read moreChristophe Rousset records the first book of toccatas by Girolamo Frescobaldi, the first great composer for the harpsichord
In a new recording released by Aparté on 29 March, harpsichordist Christophe Rousset turns towards the first published music of the early seventeenth century composer Girolamo Frescobaldi. A keen musical archaeologist, Rousset unearths the treasures of the early harpsichord repertoire under a composer renowned as the first great composer for the instrument.
Read moreLes Talens Lyriques return to the Wigmore Hall following the release of their two latest CDs
Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques return to the Wigmore Hall on 21 February to present a special programme, Warriors and Lovers, exploring musical depictions of Italian literature in Monteverdi’s madrigals. The group continues its survey of Couperin’s works with two new discs: a new recording of his instrumental chamber collection – Les Nations – and a compilation from Les Talens Lyriques’ twenty-five years of recordings – Couperin & Moi – both released on Aparté.
Read moreChristophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques unearth the impropriety of the Gods in a staging of Legrenzi’s La Divisione del Mondo
Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques tour Giovanni Legrenzi’s rarely-performed La Divisione del Mondo in France from 8 February to 14 April. Directed by Jetske Mijnssen, fifteen performances will be given from Strasbourg to Versailles, via Mulhouse, Colmar, and Nancy, in a co-production with the Opéra national du Rhin and the Opéra national de Lorraine.
Read moreChristophe Rousset & Les Talens Lyriques complete their trilogy of Salieri’s gory French operas composed in the looming shadow of the French Revolution
Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques complete Salieri’s trilogy of blood-thirsty operas written in French with a recording and performances of Tarare opening in Versailles on 22 November and continuing on tour to Vienna, Paris and Caen. On 31 August, their CD of Salieri’s Les Horaces recorded during highly-acclaimed performances in 2016, was released on Aparté, following their earlier recording of Les Danaides. All three operas were composed in the looming shadow of the French Revolution, and their gory political intrigues hint at the growing dissidence prior to the Terror.
Read moreChristophe Rousset & Les Talens Lyriques celebrate Couperin’s 350th anniversary with a tour of North America, Canada, and Mexico
Marking François Couperin’s 350th anniversary, Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques celebrate the music of the royal court of Versailles with a tour of the US, Mexico and Canada in October 2019. Christophe Rousset is a leading figure in performances of music of the French Court, and has frequently championed the work of Lully, Couperin, and Rameau, with 25 years of critically-acclaimed performances and recordings.
Read moreChristophe Rousset & Les Talens Lyriques announce their 2018/2019 season
Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques launch their 2018/19 season on the theme of ‘the temptation of Italy’, exploring Rousset’s personal musical loves which leave him torn between Italy and France.
Read moreChristophe Rousset & Les Talens Lyriques join Pierre Audi to mark his final production as Artistic Director of the Dutch National Opera
Pierre Audi joins Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques to direct Stefano Landi’s La Morte d’Orfeo from 23 to 26 March, marking his last production in Amsterdam as Artistic Director of the Dutch National Opera, and celebrating two decades of collaboration with Rousset.
Read moreChristophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques celebrate Couperin Le Grand’s 350th anniversary at the Barbican Centre
Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques will celebrate the 350th anniversary of Francois Couperin’s birth with a half-day exploration of his music at the Barbican Centre’s Milton Court on 14 January 2018. Titled Lumiere et Ombre, these two programmes explore the dualities of light and dark in Couperin’s works, and evoke the splendor and colour of the court of King Louis XIV. This year Rousset plans to release the complete chamber works of Couperin.
Read moreChristophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques launch their latest Lully opera recording
Christophe Russet and Les Talens Lyriques return Lully’s opera Alceste to the Palace of Versailles in a performance at the Opéra Royale on Sunday 10 December. This coincides will the release of Les Talens Lyriques’ recording of Alceste – the seventh in their series of Lully operas. The all-star cast includes Judith van Wanroij in the title role, Edwin Crossley-Mercer as Alcide and Emiliano Gonzalez Toro as Admète.
Read moreChristophe Rousset makes his debut at the Royal Festival Hall and Musikverein conducting the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in Handel’s Semele
Christophe Rousset makes his debut at the Musikverein and Royal Festival Hall conducting the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in Handel’s Semele with the award winning young soprano star Louise Alder in the title role alongside Brindley Sherratt and Catherine Wyn-Rogers. This follows Rousset’s stunning debut at the Royal Opera House early in June in Mozart’s Mitridate. With his forthcoming debut at the Berlin Philharmonie with Les Talens Lyriques and Anne Hallenberg (‘Telemann et la France’) this
season marks many new ventures.
Christophe Rousset & Les Talens Lyriques announce a celebration of the senses for their 2017/2018 Season
Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques launch their new 2017/2018 season glorifying the senses with music by Lully and Couperin evoking the aromas of French Royal Court under Louis XIV. Marking Couperin Le Grand’s 350th anniversary, Rousset will complete the discography of the composer’s chamber music, which he will tour to Genoa’s Teatro Carlo Felice, Reggio Emilia’s Teatro Valli and the Barbican. The dualities of light and dark, scent and sound, life and death take centre stage throughout the season, not least through the many renditions of the Orpheus tale. Lully’s opera Alceste and Gounod’s Faust carry the ever-present whiff of the underworld whether in Versailles or at the Theatre des Champs- Elysées, while their Wigmore recital entitled Love and Death in Venice will be no less redolent of the stench of decay and the perfume of youth. Also, before his return to the UK in January, Christophe Rousset replaces Ivor Bolton for two performances of Handel’s Semele at the Musikverein on the 11 October 2017 and at Royal Festival Hall on the 18 October 2017 with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Louise Alder as the title role.
Read moreMarking Les Talens Lyriques’s 25th anniversary, Christophe Rousset conducts three new productions
Marking Les Talens Lyriques' 25th anniversary, Christophe Rousset conducts three new productions across Europe in the first months of 2017. Following the modern premiere of Salieri's Les Horaces in Vienna earlier this season, Rousset returns to Theater an der Wien for a new production of Purcell's Fairy Queen directed by Mariame Clément from 19 January. Successful previous collaborations on Rameau's Platée and Castor & Pollux see Clément and Rousset reunite a second time this season in Strasbourg for Cavalli's Calisto in April. Prior to that, Rousset will conduct Mozart's Magic Flute for the first time in a new production by David Lescot. Their 25th anniversary celebrations continue in Holland with a revival of Pierre Audi's Monteverdi Madrigals in Amsterdam, which will tour to Brighton Festival as part of Les Talens Lyriques' multiple visits to the UK this year. The season culminates in Christophe Rousset's debut at London's Royal Opera House for Mozart's Mitridate in June.
Read moreFarinelli CD featuring Ann Hallenberg out now with exclusive anniversary sampler to mark Les Talens Lyriques’ 25th anniversary
Following their sell-out Farinelli concerts, Christophe Rousset and the Swedish mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenburg release their much-anticipated recording: Farinelli – A Portrait, out now on Aparté. The recording, made from a live radio broadcast in Norway, includes works by composers Broschi, J.C Bach, Giacomelli, Porpora, Hasse and Leo that were sung by the world’s most famous 18th century castrato. The success of the soundtrack to the film Farinelli (1994), which sold more than a million discs worldwide, firmly established Les Talens Lyriques on the international Baroque scene two decades ago. To mark the ensemble’s 25th anniversary, an exclusive sampler of 25 tracks accompanies the Farinelli disc, with music from Les Talens Lyriques’ rich collection of recordings. The Farinelli disc coincides with the release of the Handelian diptych Alcina/Tamerlano by Les Talens Lyriques and Rousset with Outhere.
2016 – 2017 season marks Les Talens Lyriques’ 25th anniversary – Operas by Purcell, Cavalli, Charpentier, Salieri, Mozart, Handel & Monteverdi
Culminating in his debut at London’s Royal Opera House for Mozart’s Mitridate in June next year, Christophe Rousset embarks on a rich season of opera with Les Talens Lyriques - from Purcell, Cavalli, Handel, Monteverdi and Mozart to forgotten masterpieces by Charpentier, Salieri and Pergolesi, to mark their 25th anniversary. From Israel to Italy, Spain to Lithuania, Rousset’s infectious enthusiasm for the baroque is in high demand.
Read moreChristophe Rousset revisits Mozart’s early opera Mitridate in a new production at La Monnaie
Christophe Rousset revisits Mozart's early opera Mitridate in a new production by Jean-Philippe Clarac and Olivier Deloeuil at La Monnaie, 18 years after his recording with a stellar cast including Cecilia Bartoli, Natalie Dessay and Brian Asawa. This recording followed on from the success of Rousset's soundtrack to the film Farinelli, which sold more than a million discs worldwide. The artistic duo Clarac and Deloeuil from Bordeaux won La Monnaie's competition to stage Mitridate with the idea of setting the opera at a EU summit in the Belgian capital. From the podium, Rousset leads an outstanding cast including Michael Spyres in the title role, Lenneke Ruiten, Myrtò Papatanasiu, David Hansen, Simona Saturová, Sergey Romanovsky and Yves Saelens.
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