28 Nov 2024
Ahead of his performances of Bach & Charpentier: Baroque Christmas in Milan, Frankfurt, Hamburg and London this month, meet renowned French conductor and harpsichord player Christophe Rousset.
When did you first hear the Monteverdi Choir?
I first heard MCO in Aix en Provence when they performed Rameau's Les Boréades. Then I saw a few staged operas, and bought recordings, when I still was a student. Precision, style and taste were the qualities I found and I adopted in my whole career!
What excites you about working with the Monteverdi Choir & EBS?
Discovering a different group, new singers, a choir amongst the best in the world specifically for baroque music is very exciting. You never know what makes a perfect alchemy but I have got a good feeling about it!
What makes this repertoire of Bach and Charpentier special to you?
As a harpsichord player Bach is an everyday practice. I feel very close to him, especially after having concluded the recording of his complete works for harpsichord. Charpentier is a very special composer, a genius of sacred music; his harmonic language is quite specific and always rich. With these two composers we are in the peak of what has been conceived in the first decades of the 18th Century.
What can the audience expect from this concert?
The best! The programme is made for Christmastime, but unusual and more fancy than a Magnificat or a Messiah. From the expressive intensity of the male trios in Charpentier to the exulting choruses with trumpets and drums in Bach, the palette is quite wide.
What are you experiences of performing in London?
Having performed with my orchestra Les Talens Lyriques but also with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment I always enjoyed a lot the London audience – London is one of the most important scenes of the world.
What are your thoughts about committing the Charpentier to record for the MCO’s label, SDG?
It will be a new and exciting experience for all of us. I love this music, I feel home in this rhetoric. With wonderful singers and performers I am convinced we will reach a high level of quality!
