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Ensemble Stravaganza
Early music ensemble
Artistic direction : Domitille Gilon & Thomas Soltani
Early music Ensemble
Artistic Direction : Domitille Gilon & Thomas Soltani
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
PARIS | FRANCE — http://.ensemble-stravaganza.com
CONTACT: contact@ensemble-stravaganza.com— +33 6 52 06 84 67
S
travaganza is a baroque formation mainly dedicated to chamber music of the seventeenth and eighteenth century for one or
two high-pitched instruments. Europe in that period was a
breeding ground for talented and virtuoso composers, some of whom
are still unknown today.
Brought together by the violinist Domitille Gilon and the
harpsichordist Thomas Soltani, musicians take part with enthusiasm
and dedication to this musical and human adventure, which makes
each concert a unique and rewarding experience for the audience.
The Stravaganza Ensemble includes various formations, with musicians
coming from the best European conservatories, performing regularly
as soloist in famous orchestras : La Simphonie du Marais (Hugo
Reyne), Ensemble Sagittarius (Michel Laplénie), Opéra Fuoco (Jay
Bernfeld), Gli Incogniti (Amandine Beyer), Les Ambassadeurs (Alexis
Kossenko), Pulcinella (Ophélie Gaillard), Les Talens Lyriques
(Christophe Rousset)...
During the development of their career, members of the Ensemble have benefited from the support of major artists such as Gustav Leonhardt, Christophe Rousset, Lucy van Dael, Jordi Savall - among
others...
The Stravaganza Ensemble is regularly invited to numerous international festivals, in France (Printemps des Arts de Monté-Carlo, Festival
baroque du Pays du Mont Blanc, Festival Jeunes-Talents of Paris...), in
Scotland (Sypert concert series of Edinburg), in the Netherlands (Oude
-Muziek—Utrecht...), in Germany (Tage Alter Musik - Regensburg), in
the United Kingdom, in the Konzerthaus of Vienna, in Poland (Poznan
baroque festival), Switzerland...
The ensemble has been awarded in 2011 bronze medal of the
Academy of Literature and Arts. They also won the third prize and the
special prize of critics and medias at the Premio Bonporti competition
(Italy), the special prize ''De Graaf Unico van Wassenaer Award'' at the
van Wassenaer international early music competition in Amsterdam
(Netherlands), and recently the second prize of the H.I.F.Biber competition in Austria. Stravaganza has been selected to represent the
France for the showcase organized by the R.E.M.A (European network
of early music) and is member of the “Fédération des Ensembles
Vocaux et Instrumentaux spécialisés”.
The recordings of Stravaganza (Aparte label record) are often
applauded by the critics ( **** Classica, Bbc choice, Critics choice
gramophone, recording of the month Musiq 3)…
Stravaganza is in residence in Port-Royal des Champs.
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
PARIS | FRANCE — http://.ensemble-stravaganza.com
CONTACT: contact@ensemble-stravaganza.com— +33 6 52 06 84 67
2
SUMMARY
INSTRUMENTAL PROGRAMS
Concert at the Hapsburg court
5 musicians
Arcangelo Corelli, Angelo di violino
5 musicians
Les Concerts Royaux
New programme
7 musicians
Bach and the north German tradition
6 musicians
La Stravaganza
10 musicians
VOCAL PROGRAMS
Médée furioso
6 musicians
La plainte d’Orphée
6 musicians
Ariane !
New programme - next recording
6 musicians
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
PARIS | FRANCE — http://.ensemble-stravaganza.com
CONTACT: contact@ensemble-stravaganza.com— +33 6 52 06 84 67
3
INSTRUMENTAL
CONCERT AT THE HAPSBURG COURT (released in September 2012. Aparte label record).
5 musicians
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644 – 1704)
Johann Jakob Froberger (1616 – 1667) & Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (1623 – 1680)
Sonatas for violin and basso-continuo
DOMITILLE GILON : violin
RONALD MARTIN ALONSO : viola da gamba
DAMIEN POUVREAU : Théorbo
MATTHIEU BOUTINEAU: organ
THOMAS SOLTANI : hapsichord
CD Aparté (Released: 25th of September 2012)
“Another bright new baroque group takes the stage… Gilon is an authoritative performer and
us very well supported by continuo musicians who offer plenty of variety of texture and attack…
Ensemble Stravaganza are clearly talented musicians “
Gramophone Magazine, February 2013
Music seems to have enlivened the Hapsburg Court since the fifteenth century. The accession
of Ferdinand III to the throne (1637) started a new line of cultivated music-loving emperors, promoting
talented musicians and prolific composers. As generous sponsors of the arts, they became effective
actors of the musical life that punctuated events at the Court.
Ferdinand III as well as Leopold I and Joseph I contributed especially to the boom of musical production, sacred and profane, in seventeenth-century Austria.
The musical profusion at the Court had such an influence throughout Europe that exchanges began
to take place between Germany and Italy, followed by Spain and France.
Vienna with its Court and musicians became a place for constantly renewed experiences in
musical practice, style, composition and interpretation techniques. Musical aesthetics were profoundly enriched and diversified, incidentally showing the remarkable open-mindedness of the monarch.
23/05/2015 - TAGE ALTER MUZIEK REGENSBURG
21/01/2014 – KONZERTHAUS - VIENNA
26/07/2012 - FESTIVAL EUROPEEN JEUNES TALENTS PARIS
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
PARIS | FRANCE — http://.ensemble-stravaganza.com
CONTACT: contact@ensemble-stravaganza.com— +33 6 52 06 84 67
4
INSTRUMENTAL
ARCANGELO CORELLI, ANGELO DI VIOLINO (Released: 24th of September 2013, Aparté record)
5 musicians
Arcangelo Corelli (1653 – 1713) & Giovanni Reali (1681 – 1751)
Sonatas opus 3 & 4 for two violins and basso continuo
DOMITILLE GILON, LOUIS CREAC’H : violins
DAMIEN POUVREAU : Théorbo & baroque guitar
ROBERT SMITH or GULRIM CHOI cello
THOMAS SOLTANI : Harpsichord & organ
“I was continually made aware what wonderful music I was listening to...within the limits [Corelli] sets
himself, and in Stravanganza's performances, what a wealth of artistry, beauty and variety. They bring
intense expressiveness to the slower movements...Some of the finest music of the Baroque period,
played with real understanding - I warmly recommend it.”
Gramophone, December 2013
“ if music can be immortal, Corelli’s consorts will be so “
Roger North
The appointment in 1689 of Pietro Ottoboni as Cardinal of San Lorenzo in Damaso marked the
beginning of one of the most splendid epochs of patronage of the arts in Rome. A passionate lover
of music, Ottoboni gave his protection to numerous musicians: Handel, Pasquini, Scarlatti and Caldara all at some point worked at the cardinal’s court. A few months after his election, Ottoboni took
into his service the famous violinist Arcangelo Corelli, who was employed not only as first violin and
leader for the instrumental music, but had complete control also over the sumptuous musical events.
Few years later, in the second decade of the eighteenth century, when Roger North penned
the Elder Notes of Comparison between the elder and Later Musick and Somewhat historicall of Both,
Corelli’s compositions had become ‘’ to the musitians like the bread of life ‘’. Indeed in England
Corelli’s ‘’sonatas cleared the ground of all other sorts of musick whatsoever…(and) became the
onely musick relished for a long time, and there seems to be no satiety of them, no ris the virtue of
them yet exhaled, and it is a question of whether it will ever be spent’’.
23/08/2014 – SINFONIA EN PERIGORD
01/08/2013 - FESTIVAL DE MUSIQUE BAROQUE DE LA TARENTAISE
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
PARIS | FRANCE — http://.ensemble-stravaganza.com
CONTACT: contact@ensemble-stravaganza.com— +33 6 52 06 84 67
5
INSTRUMENTAL
LES CONCERTS ROYAUX
New programme for the KonzertHaus - Vienna
7 musicians
François Couperin (1668-1733) : Les concerts royaux
In his biographical notice on François Couperin (Suite du Parnasse français, Paris, 1743), the
French writer Titon du Tillet was the first to mention the fame achieved by the composer of Les Goûts
réunis, not only in France, but also in Italy, England and Germany. François Couperin was one of the
great musical figures at court.
He is, nowadays, very well known for his harpsichord suites and his Concert Royaux. He published five collections between 1722 and 1728. The concert royaux are printed at the end of the third
book of harpsichord pieces (Paris, 1722), and constitute the earliest set of chamber pieces he published. Couperin reveals the circumstances in which the pieces were composed and originally performed: ‘’ I produced them for the small chamber concerts to which Louis XIV summoned me almost
every Sunday in the year’’. Several musicians as celebrated as the composer himself joined him to
play these works which delighted the ageing monarch: François Duval on the violin, André Danican
Philidor on the flute and the oboe, Hilaire Veloge on the viol, Pierre Dubois on the bassoon.
This publication received such a great succes that Couperin published two years later ten new
concerts, with the addition of a grand trio sonata entitled Le Parnasse, or l’Apothéose de Corelli.
DOMITILLE GILON: violin
ANTOINE TORUNCZYK: oboe
GEORGES BARTHEL: traverso
THOMAS SOLTANI : harpsichord
JAVIER ZAFRA: bassoon
RONALD MARTIN ALONSO : viola da gamba
VINCENT FLUCKIGER: théorbo
23/01/2015 – KONZERTHAUS - VIENNA
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
PARIS | FRANCE — http://.ensemble-stravaganza.com
CONTACT: contact@ensemble-stravaganza.com— +33 6 52 06 84 67
6
INSTRUMENTAL
BACH AND THE NORTH GERMAN TRADITION
6 musicians
Johann- Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)
Dietrich Buxtehude (1637 – 1707) & Johann Adam Reinken (1623 – 1722)
Sonatas for two violins, viola da gamba and basso-continuo
Dietrich Buxtehude and Johann Adam Reinken were two of the most famous musicians in the
century. They were friends and had a strong influence on Johann - Sebastian Bach. At the age
of 20, in 1705, Johann - Sebastian Bach travelled to study with Dietrich Buxtehude, the greatest German musician of the day, to complete his training. He left Arnstadt to travel to Lübeck, a journey of
more than 400km, which he made on foot. He had only asked for a leave of one month from his
church. He would be absent four months. Upon his return, the parishioners no longer recognized him.
He was reproached for playing too long, and above all for disturbing the audience with strange
modulations. Dietrich Buxtehude’s influence on Johann - Sebastian Bach, the greatest musician of all
time, had been decisive.
XVIIth
Reinken, with his stylus phantasticus, has been also of a major influence on Bach, who made
beautiful transcriptions of his works. It is a real travel in north Germany that Stravaganza is offering
with this fantastic program!
DOMITILLE GILON, ZEFIRA VALOVA : violins
RONALD MARTIN ALONSO : viola da gamba
ETIENNE GALLETIER : théorbo
MATTHIEU BOUTINEAU: organ
THOMAS SOLTANI : harpsichord
11/06/2016 – MAGDEBURG (GERMANY)
22/03/2015 - PRINTEMPS DES ARTS DE MONACO
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
PARIS | FRANCE — http://.ensemble-stravaganza.com
CONTACT: contact@ensemble-stravaganza.com— +33 6 52 06 84 67
7
INSTRUMENTAL
LA STRAVAGANZA !
New programme
10 musicians
DOMITILLE GILON : violin
RONALD MARTIN ALONSO : viola da gamba
DAMIEN POUVREAU : théorbo & baroque guitar
THOMAS SOLTANI : harpsichord
Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741)
Concertos La Stravaganza, opus 4, for violin, strings and basso-continuo
La Stravaganza was Vivaldi’s second published set of concertos and was issued sometimes
between 1712 and 1715. La Stravaganza or ‘’ Extravagance ‘’ should be understood as wandering
outsied the boundaries of convention in respect both of melody and harmony. By the standards of the
average Vivaldi violin concerto, the La stravaganza set is quite extravagant stuff, full of fantasy and
experiment – novel sounds, ingenious textures, exploratory melodic lines, original types of figuration,
unorthodox forms.
The concertos La Stravaganza may not be as well known as the four seasons but they display
remarkable compositional inventiveness within what is a limited three movement template.
This concert is an unexpected experience for the audiance!
The number of musicians can be reduced if necessary.
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
PARIS | FRANCE — http://.ensemble-stravaganza.com
CONTACT: contact@ensemble-stravaganza.com— +33 6 52 06 84 67
8
VOCAL | HASNAA BENNANI
MEDEE FURIOSO
5 musicians
Michel De la Barre (1675 – 1745) ; Nicolas Bernier (1665 – 1734)
Louis – Nicolas Clérambault (1676 – 1749) & Jean – Philippe Rameau (1683 – 1764)
Cantatas, Arias, Instrumental works
Magic, humanity, barbarity and a rich array of feelings are the common ingredients of the
Greek myths, which have constantly been illustrated by music in all its forms. While being close to us,
these myths also take us into another world. One of the most famous is certainly Medea, appearing in
many cantatas from Bernier, Clerambault, Charpentier or Lully…The fascination with this character
persisted after the end of the baroque era, as Cherubini's opera Médée testifies.
Medea appears in a play by the Greek author Euripides. She was the princess of Colchis and
the granddaughter of the sun. She is married to Jason, whom she helped to steal the Golden Fleece.
But Jason leaves her for Glauce, and this leads to Medea's fury which is so often portrayed in operas
and cantatas. That is also the case in the compositions chosen for the program of this concert. It is a
combination of rather well-known pieces - in particular Clérambault's cantata - and unknown
material.
The text of these cantatas of the golden age are only written in relation with music, the rhetoric is very important, music and affect are very close. The court of Versailles, from Louis XIV to Louis XV
become the center of this beautiful art.
HASNAA BENNANI : mezzo-soprano
DOMITILLE GILON : violin
RONALD MARTIN ALONSO : viola da gamba
GEORGES BARTHEL : traverso
THOMAS SOLTANI : harpsichord
04/08/2014 - FESTIVAL VOIX D’ÉTÉ EN CREUSE
29/01/2013 – LES CONCERTS D’ANACREON, ANGERS
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
PARIS | FRANCE — http://.ensemble-stravaganza.com
CONTACT: contact@ensemble-stravaganza.com— +33 6 52 06 84 67
9
VOCAL
LA PLAINTE D’ORPHEE
6 musicians
Jean – Philippe Rameau (1683 – 1764) & Michel Lambert (1610 - 1696)
François Couperin ( 1668 - 1733)
Cantatas, Instrumental works
At the court of the Sun king, music was highly important, and even used sometimes in a political
way. This concert is made of composers working under the protection of Louis XIV, violinist or gamba
player, with special attention to one of the greatest composer in France, Jean-Philippe Rameau.
The episode of Orpeu’s descent to the Underworld to rescue Eurydicie is the part of the story
most often set to music. In the XVI th and XVIIth centuries, the Italian musicians who wished to reconstruct
the music of the ancients quiete naturally turned to Mount Parnassus, the Muses, Apollo, Orpheus. In
France, Clerambault, Charpentier, Rameau or Lully were to take up this theme, which persisted to the
time of Gluck, Offenbach…
Orpheu’s challenge to the infernal deities, the transgression he dares to commit through the
medium of his art, are still present in the human imagination and have ensured the survival of this myth
with undiminished force right down to the present day.
CHANTAL SANTON JEFFERY or HASNAA BENNANI : soprano
DOMITILLE GILON : violin
RONALD MARTIN ALONSO : viola da gamba
GEORGES BARTHEL: traverso
VINCENT FLUCKIGER: theorbo
THOMAS SOLTANI : harpsichord
12/07/2014 – FESTIVAL BAROQUE DU PAYS DU MONT-BLANC
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
PARIS | FRANCE — http://.ensemble-stravaganza.com
CONTACT: contact@ensemble-stravaganza.com— +33 6 52 06 84 67
10
VOCAL | HASNAA BENNANI
ARIANE ! (to be released in October 2015)
NEW RECORDING!
6 musicians
Michel Lambert (1710 - 1728) - Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665 - 1729)
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683 - 1764) & Phlippe Courbois (fl. 1710-1728)
In the first half of the XVII th century, french composers tried a new genre, composing cantatas. Nowadays, more than 800 cantatas survived, proof that this style has been one of the most important genre of the baroque period.
The multiple facets of the loving adventures of these mythical persons held attention of numerous poets and musicians. The essential aesthetics of the baroque period was to report the widest
possible palette of the human passions. So, the opera and the cantata were the perfect choice to
transpose, make relive or illustrate the mostly tragic episodes told by the mythology as well as the
feelings which are connected with it.
This program presents the fate of loving, deceived men or women, abandoned or taken by
the despair, and who fight at the same moment against their own passion and against people who
betrayed them. Already fashionable in the baroque period, this theme is more than ever current.
The deepest human passions are represented in these cantatas, the composers playing with
all the subtleties of the french text, using magnificent colors to highlight the text.
HASNAA BENNANI : soprano
DOMITILLE GILON : violin
ANNA BESSON: traverso
RONALD MARTIN ALONSO : viola da gamba
VINCENT FLUCKIGER : théorbo
THOMAS SOLTANI : harpsichord
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
PARIS | FRANCE — http://.ensemble-stravaganza.com
CONTACT: contact@ensemble-stravaganza.com— +33 6 52 06 84 67
11
PRESS |STRAVAGANZA
“Another bright new Baroque group takes the stage...Gilon is an authoritative performer and is well supported by continuo musicians who offer plenty of variety of texture and attack... Ensemble Stravaganza are clearly talented musicians.”
Gramophone Magazine, February 2013
In Stravanganza's performances, what a wealth of artistry, beauty and variety. They bring intense expressiveness to the
slower movements...Some of the finest music of the Baroque period, played with real understanding - I warmly recommend it”
Gramophone, December 2013
(4/5) ****
“Bookended between rarities by Reali (including his ‘Follia’) trio sonatas by Corelli receive urbane eloquent, fastidiously
considered performances.”
Paul Riley, BBC Music Magazine – January 2013
‘’ Cette mise en bouche achevée, on retrouve avec le même bonheur les rivages corelliens, alanguis et solaires, nimbés de
cette douceur à la fois sensuelle et nostalgique dans laquelle on aime se lover. A la manière d’un Enrico Gatti (Arcana) –
et cela n’est pas un mince compliment que d’avancer une telle comparaison – l’Ensemble Stravaganza progresse avec la
certitude de l’écume, ce bouillonnement doux et inéluctable.’’
Muse du mois de décembre – muse baroque
"L'écoute de l'enregistrement dévoile une interprétation engagée, un instrumentarium aux sonorités limpides porté par
un continuo mobile et attractif, qui plus est, on sent une certaine verdeur exaltant un Corelli bondissant, plein de sève...
On terminera sur un feu d'artifice, La Folia du même Reali... dont nos jeunes musiciens donnent une ébouriffante exécution. "
Jérémie Bigorie, Classica - November 2013
"Ed ecco che questo disco dell'ensemble Stravaganza, mi riconcilia, in qualche modo, col divino Corelli, in qualche modo
umanizzato, non più congelato nella sua ingualcibile eleganza. E questo anche grazie all'idea geniale di associarlo ad un
altro compositore suo contemporaneo, Giovanni Reali, attivo a Venezia e a Guastalla all'inizio del '700 – di cui ben poco
si sa ed ancor meno si dice nell'interessante libretto che accompagna il disco, libretto peraltro ricco di interessanti notizie
sugli aspetti più umani della vita di Corelli"
Ferruccio Nuzzo, Grey Panthers - November 2013
‘’Sous l'impulsion du claveciniste Thomas Soltani (entre autres), le jeune ensemble français Stravaganza éblouit littéralement dans ce programme audacieux, exigeant, musicalement virtuose...’’
Carl Fisher - classiquenews.com
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
PARIS | FRANCE — http://.ensemble-stravaganza.com
CONTACT: contact@ensemble-stravaganza.com— +33 6 52 06 84 67
12
‘’ Un premier CD très réussi pour l'Ensemble Stravaganza, qui signe ici un très bel hommage à un continent presque inconnu de l'Europe du Nord : l'Allemagne du 17e siècle...”
Michel Jakubowicz - On-Mag.fr
“Leur premier CD vient ponctuer un début de parcours plus que prometteur ! Ils nous emmènent à Vienne, à la cour des
Habsbourg au XVIIe siècle. Biber, Froberger, Schmelzer et Walther sont de la partie. Le violon revêt ses plus beaux
atours et la musique brille de tous ses feux !”
CD of the week, Musiq 3
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
PARIS | FRANCE — http://.ensemble-stravaganza.com
CONTACT: contact@ensemble-stravaganza.com— +33 6 52 06 84 67
13
DOMITILLE GILON
Domitille Gilon, considerd as one of the
best violonist of the young generation, got a first
prize at the "Conservatoire National de Région" of
Boulogne-Billancourt in violin and chamber music.
She completed her violin studies with Christophe
Poiget and Nicolas Gourbeix in violin, Zoltan Toth
and Reiko Kitahama in string quartet at the
"Conservatoire National et Supérieur de Musique"
of Lyon, where she was awarded first prize.
Domitille has appeared in concerts with
musicians like Jerôme Pernoo, Bruno Pasquier, Roland Pidoux and was doing regularly the masterclass of the Danel string quartet. In the meantime,
she had master-classes with other artists, Debussy
and Tokyo string quartet, Gérard Poulet, JeanJacques Kantorov and Jacques Ghestem.
Member of the "Orchestre-à-Cordes-des-Jeunes-d'Ile-de-France", she did several tours and
was recording with the Harpist Françoise Demaubus in 1995. Domitille is actually member of the
"Orchestre National D'Ile-de-France", and plays very often as a soloist with the main baroque orchestras such as Gli Incogniti (Amandine Beyer), Les Ambassadeurs (Alexis Kossenko), Pulcinella (Ophélie
Gaillard), Ensemble baroque de Limoges (Christophe Coin), Pygmalion (Raphael Pichon), Les
Musiciens de Saint-Julien (François Lazarevich)…in the main festivals, all around the world: Festival
international de la Roque d'Anthéron, Festival de la Chaise - Dieu, Saint Cecilia Hall - Edinburgh, in
the "Salle Pleyel', "Théâtre des Champs-Elysées", in England, Brazil…
She was studying baroque violin with Lucy van Dael in the Conservatory of Amsterdam. The
violinist also did several master-class with Hélène Schmitt, Patrick Bismuth, Amandine Beyer…
Domitille is artistic director of the ensemble Stravaganza, with the harpsichordist Thomas Soltani. She won in October 2011 the third prize and the prize of the critics and medias at the international
chamber music competition Premio Bonporti (Italy) with Ensemble Stravaganza, and also the special
prize ''De Graaf Unico van Wassenaer award'' at the van Wassenaer early music competition in Amsterdam (Netherlands). She was awarded bronze medal by the "Académie Arts Sciences et Lettres".
Recently, she was awarded during the H.I.F. Biber competition, with Stravaganza (F.J. Aumann Prize).
She did several recordings in orchestras and as a soloist, which received a lot of awards.
‘’ Gilon is an authoritative performer and is well supported by continuo musicians who offer plenty of
variety of texture and attack’’… Gramophone
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
PARIS | FRANCE — http://.ensemble-stravaganza.com
CONTACT: contact@ensemble-stravaganza.com— +33 6 52 06 84 67
14
HASNAA BENNANI
Hasnaa Bennani started her musical upbringing with her
sister Jalila Bennani and her violin teacher Laszlo Fodor. A
graduate of the National Conservatory of Music and Dance of
Paris (CNSMDP), where she studied voice in the class of Glenn
Chambers, she futhured her voice studies, perfecting her skills
regarding early music with Howard Crook and Isabelle Poulenard.
In 2011, Hasnaa Bennani won the first prize at the Concours de Chant Baroque de Froville (France). She excels in the
sacred Baroque music repertoire, especially under the direction
of Jurjen Hempel (Orchestre d'Auvergne), Patrick Ayrton
(Opera de Dijon), Michel Piquenal (Festival des Alizés d'Essaouira), Joël Suhubiette (Festival of Saint-Céré) and Michel Laplénie. Cohën-Akenine.
She collaborates with the Ensemble Pierre Robert led by Frédéric Desenclos, Le Lorrain Concert
conducted by Stéphane Shultz and Anne-Catherine Bucher, Akadêmia under the direction of Françoise Lasserre and with Les Folies Françoises under the direction of Patrick Cohën-Akenine.
She sings regularly with La Grande Ecurie du Roy and la Chambre du Roy under the direction
of Jean-Claude Malgoire (Handel's Messiah, the title-role in Blow's Venus and Adonis at the Théâtre
des Champs-Elysées...), Le Palais Royal conducted by Jean-Philippe Sarcos, Le Poème Harmonique
conducted by Vincent Dumestre (Teosena in Caligula Delirante by Pagliari), La Rêveuse by Benjamin
Perrot and Florence Bolton, The Muffatti conducted by Peter Van Heyghen…
She has sung the roles of l'Enfant in L'Enfant et les sortilèges by Ravel at the Dominicains de
Haute-Alsace, the role of Gretel in Hansel und Gretelby Humperdinck, Barbarina in Le Nozze di
Figaro by Mozart with the Opéra Eclaté directed by Olivier Desbordes, the role of Maguelonne in La
Cendrillon by Viardot at the Musée d'Orsay conducted by Emmanuel Olivier and staged by Emmanuelle Cordoliani, La Neige et Le Printemps in La Chouette Enrhumée, a lyrical work by Gérard Condé
at the Opéra de Metz.
Among many projects, Hasnaa Bennani has been invited to sing a vast and various repertoire
in many recitals, in collaboration with the harpsichordists Lawrence Stewart and Kenneth Weiss (Early
Music Festival of the Abbey of Saint-Michel-en-Thiérache, Musicales de Normandie, Festival Sinfonia
en Périgord, Eglise des Billettes in Paris, Bijloke Muziekcentrum in Gent...). She made her debuts at the
the Early Music Festival in Utrecht in motets by Lully and Clérambault with Le Parnasse Français
conducted by Louis Castelain.
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
PARIS | FRANCE — http://.ensemble-stravaganza.com
CONTACT: contact@ensemble-stravaganza.com— +33 6 52 06 84 67
15
In the next seasons, she will sing in concert Mozart's David Penitente andCoronation Mass with
Jean-Claude Malgoire ; the cantata Ino by Telemann with The Muffatti in Belgium ; the Leçons des
Ténèbres by Couperin at the Royal Chapel of Versailles with Vincent Dumestre ; Bach and Telemann
with La Rêveuse in Friburg (Switzerland) and at the Théâtre d'Orléans ; Bach’s Mass in B minor and Saint
John Passion with Les Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble and Marc Minkowski. Hasnaa Bennani will
sing Castor et Pollux in two full-staged productions : with Les Talens Lyriques and Christophe Rousset at
the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse (directed by Mariame Clément) and with Le Concert Spirituel at
the Théâtre des Champ-Elysées in Paris (directed by Christian Schiaretti).
‘
’ The very sweet singing of Hasnaa Bennani, unexpected in her lesser roles ’’
Npw concerts
"Au sein de la jeune distribution, ce sont les deux rivales que l'on remarque surtout – l'angélique et virtuose Teosona de Hasnaa Bennani...".
Olivier Rouvière|magazine Diapason
"Côté femme, c'est le bonheur complet, avec les deux voix argentines et délicieuses : celles des sopranos Caroline Meng (Cesonia, l'épouse de Caligula) et Hasnaa Bennani (Teosona, la fameuse jeune
première) ".
Jérémy Szpirglas|mouvement.net
"Concert choral et instrumental inattaquable d'où se détache le soprano de l'aérienne Hasnaa Bennani qui a tout reçu en partage : le timbre, le style et le don oratoire à l'aube d'une carrière qui s'annonce plus que prometteuse".
Roger Tellart|concertclassic.com
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
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CHANTAL SANTON JEFFERY
French soprano Chantal Santon Jeffery made her
stage debut in 1999 in Der Freischütz (a bridesmaid) conducted by Myung-Whun Chung in the Théâtre des
Champs-Elysées, where she has since performed in The
Cunning Little Vixen conducted by Jonathan Darlington
and
L'occasione
Fa
Il
Ladro
conducted
by
Jean-
Christophe Spinosi. Since 2001, she has regularly worked
with the French national opera company ARCAL performing major roles in various productions. She also sang on
stage Metella in La Vie Parisienne, Nérine in Charpentier’s Medee (conducted by Hervé Niquet), the title-role
in La Finta Giardiniera conducted by David Stern, Donna
Anna in Don Giovanni …
With the internationally acclaimed Il Seminario Musicale directed by Gérard Lesne, she has
sung in numerous baroque festivals. She recently sang the four soprano solo parts in
Telemann’s Der Tag des Gerichts with Opera Fuoco in the Théâtre des Champs Elysées; a classical
French
opera
recital
with
Martin
Gester's
Parlement
de
Musique;
Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem and Haydn’s Nelson Mass in Paris; Boccherini’s Stabat Mater and
various Bach’s cantatas in the Cité de la Musique.
Her performances include Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Requiem at the
Limoges operahouse; Donna Elvira in a touring production of Don Giovanni conducted by David
Stern with whom she also sang Contessa in Le Nozze Di Figaro, Eleonora in Salieri's Prima La Musica,
Poi Le Parole and the title role in Dido And Aeneas; the lead soprano role in King Arthur by Purcell
at the Montpellier Opera with Le Concert Spirituel conducted by Hervé Niquet.
She also gives a number of regular recitals with pianist Ivan Coueffe singing Strauss,
Wagner, Berg, Liszt, Debussy and Britten.
Recent recordings include La Dafne by Da Gagliano (title role) with Fuoco E Cenere, a
French baroque recital recorded live in Versailles with Gérard Lesne and Kraus’ Amphitryon under
the baton of Werner Ehrhardt and the Missa Assumpta est with Le Concert Spirituel and Hervé
Niquet
After graduating with a degree in political science, Chantal Santon Jeffery studied singing
at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris with renowned teachers such as Margreet Honig, Noelle
Barker, Udo Reinemann and Ruben Lifschitz.
ENSEMBLE STRAVAGANZA— ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Thomas Soltani
PARIS | FRANCE — http://.ensemble-stravaganza.com
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« The cast is led by the piping, crystalline soprano of Chantal Santon-Jeffery, who takes the parts of
both the Amazon princess Orthésie, who leads that birdsong scene, and the triumphant Orie in the final
entrée. »
Charles T. Downey, Ionarts
October 14
« The soloists, many of them playing multiple roles, are for the most part outstanding. Listen out, above
all, for Reinoud Van Mechelen’s handsome-sounding Osiris, Tassis Christoyannis’s charismatic Canope
and Chantal Santon-Jeffrey, exquisite as both Orthésie and Orie. »
Tim Ashley, The Guardian
October 14
Here is certainely one of the most interesting personnality of today's operatic scene... Chantal Santon:
remember this name, she is a blossoming diva whose simplicity and sincerity announce future fulfilments, from now on to be followed attentively."
Alexandre Pham
“C’est d’abord la prestation de deux jeunes artistes, que nous suivons depuis leurs débuts et que nous
souhaitons souligner : le ténor Reinoud Van Mechelen et la soprano Chantal Santon. Cette dernière est
une reine des Amazones d’une grande noblesse qui vocalise avec légèreté et raffinement dans « Volez
plaisir », ne perdant par ailleurs jamais cette énergie scénique virevoltante qui la caractérise”
Les Fêtes de l'Hymen de Rameau | Versailles
Classiquenews | February 2014
"L'engagement d'Hervé Niquet à la tête du Concert spirituel, une distribution ad hoc dominée par le
soprano de Chantal Santon ont redonné lustre et vie à ces Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour (...)."
Les Fêtes de l'Hymen de Rameau | Versailles
Le Monde | February 2014
"les jeunes instrumentistes ne convainquent pas moins qu’un homogène quatuor vocal où l’on salue
(...) la fraîcheur et la poésie de Chantal Santon (Sangaride).
Atys de Piccini | Sinfonia en Périgord
Concertclassic | September 2013
"Surtout, (...) la distribution vocale s’avère éblouissante. Qui pourrait croire que Chantal Santon Jeffery
n’est arrivée qu’une semaine auparavant ? Cette soprano au répertoire éclectique (bien connue des
amateurs de musique baroque ou contemporaine, elle abordera la saison prochaine le rôle de Senta)
interprète quatre personnages avec un aplomb renversant. (...) son aisance dans les notes les plus
hautes ne le cède en rien à ce qu’ont pu faire en Zima les reines du suraigu ; même maîtrise confondante dans la virtuosité de « Papillon inconstant ». Infiniment touchante dans l’air « Hymen » de Phani,
elle est aussi un Amour au caractère bien trempé, avec un timbre toujours charnu qui nous change
agréablement des soubrettes parfois distribuées en Cupidon."
Les Indes Galantes avec La Simphonie du Marais
Forum Opéra | July 2013
More information: http://www.chantalsanton.com/
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PARTNERS
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