Photo: Géraldine Aresteanu
The Ensemble Aedes was founded in 2005 by Mathieu Romano and is committed to performing the major works as well as the less known pieces of the choral repertoire of the five latest centuries, including contemporary creation.
The Ensemble brings of seventeen to forty professional singers together. Its repertoire already includes lots of a cappella cycles, oratorios and staged operas, and several programmes for choir and piano, organ or instrumental ensemble.
The Ensemble collaborates on a regular basis with well known ensembles such as Le Cercle de l’Harmonie (conductor Jérémie Rhorer), Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble (conductor Marc Minkowski), the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Latvian Radio Choir and the Maîtrise de Paris.
The Ensemble Aedes is artist in residence at the Théâtre d’Auxerre, the Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne and at the Cité de la Voix de Vézelay. It performed at the Philharmonie de Paris, Salle Pleyel, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Opéra Royal de Versailles, the Opéra de Bordeaux, at the Festivals of Saint Denis, La Chaise-Dieu, Ambronay and at the Festival Radio France de Montpellier, at the Auditorium de Dijon, the Théâtre de Caen, as well as the Abbaye aux Dames of Saintes, the Auditorium du Louvre, the Festival de Pâques of Deauville, the Théâtre de l’Athénée, the Théâtre de Besançon, the Festivals of Auvers-sur-Oise, Beaune and Noirlac, the Auditorium du Musée d’Orsay and other French national scenes (Quimper, Angoulême, La Rochelle). In 2014 it performed in two productions of the Festival d’Art Lyrique d’Aix-en-Provence.
Contemporary creation and 20th century’s music are essential to the ensemble’s repertoire. In 2008 it created a work commissioned to the composer Philippe Hersant. In 2011, it creates an oratorio foir choir composed by Thierry Machuel at the Festival of Clairvaux. In 2012, the Ensemble took part to the French creation of Brice Pauset’s Furcht und Zittern with the Orchestre Dijon Bourgogne. Works from Fénelon, Jonathan Harvey, Aurélien Dumont and Philip Lawson are part of its repertoire.
The Ensemble invites well known conductors and musical personalities on a regular basis to prepare some programmes: Hervé Niquet for French baroque music, Joël Suhubiette for the 20th century’s a cappella repertoire, Catherine Simonpietri for contemporary music, and Dominique Visse for Renaissance repertoire.
The Ensemble Aedes’ first recording « Via Crucis » released in 2007 is dedicated to Franz Liszt. Its first a cappella recording « Ludus Verbalis » dedicated to secular music of the 20th century was released for the label Eloquentia (Harmonia Mundi distribution) in June 2011 and was awarded a Diapason découverte and an award from the deutsche Schallplattenkritik. The second volume was released in November 2012 and was awarded a Diapason d’Or. In September 2013 « Instants Limites » was released (Aeon / Harmonia Mundi), this record was dedicated to the composer Philippe Hersant and awarded a Diapason d’Or. The double recording « Ludus Verbalis Volume 3 and 4 » dedicated to sacred music of the 20th century was released in April 2015 for the label NoMadMusic.
> Visit the ensemble’s website.