A Handel aria remains forever a model of its kind – through its form, its expressive substance, and the unique space it offers to the voice. Some of his most beautiful arias, even the most frequently performed, continue to exert an incomparable emotional power over me. I believe I shall never tire of them – nor ever be without them.
Les Talens Lyriques, named after the subtitle of Rameau’s 1739 opera Les Fêtes d’Hébé, was founded in 1991 by harpsichordist and conductor Christophe Rousset.
Spanning a wide vocal and instrumental repertoire from the early Baroque to the dawn of Romanticism, the ensemble seeks to shed new light on music history’s great masterpieces—viewed through the prism of rare or previously unperformed works that often serve as the missing links in Europe’s musical heritage. Musicological research and editorial work are central to the ensemble’s mission, playing a vital role in its artistic identity and international reputation.
By becoming a patron of Les Talens, you’ll be supporting an initiative focused on excellence, innovation and sharing!
The cultural outreach of The Talens Lyriques is built around artistic and educational residencies in schools, as well as visits by the ensemble’s musicians to the palliative care units of Strasbourg’s Clinique de la Toussaint.
Founder of Les Talens Lyriques and an internationally acclaimed harpsichordist, Christophe Rousset is a musician and conductor driven by his passion for opera and the rediscovery of Europe’s musical heritage.
