“The flamboyant baroque – 18th century music for violin and harpsichord”
Music and sound are surely the most universal language, and are especially effective in helping us travel through time. With a few strokes of the violin’s bow and animation of the harpsichord’s keys, let yourself be teleported from the London of Purcell to the Rome of Corelli, with a visit to J.S. Bach in Cöthen. Alongside monuments of the repertory, you will discover forgotten gems, rarities unearthed by the musicians from old libraries, and transcriptions of opera arias in the taste of the era. A great journey awaits you!
NICOLA MATTEIS (1690–1749)
Fantasia for solo violin
JOHN ECCLES (1668–1735)
“The mad lover”
HENRY PURCELL (1659–1695)
Prelude in G Minor
ECCLES
Grave and Courante from Sonata in G Minor
PURCELL, transcribed by Langlois de Swarte and Taylor
“Music for a while”
ECCLES
Vivace from Sonata in G Minor
FRANÇOIS FRANCOEUR (1698–1787)
Gavotte pour les Muses et les plaisirs (Le Trophée)
Second air (from Tarcis et Zélie)
FRANCOEUR
Adagio and Presto from Sonata for Violin No. 10 in G Major (Book 1)
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685–1750)
Largo and Allegro from Sonata in C Minor, BWV 1017
BACH
Andante, BWV 974 (after Marcello)
ARCHANGELO CORELLI (1653–1713)
Sonata in D Minor, Op. 5, No. 12 (“Follia”)
ABOUT THÉOTIME LANGLOIS DE SWARTE, violin
“Performances so special that I feel a changed man from listening” [Gramophone]; “A stunner by any standard” [The Strad]; and “Mesmerizing” [The New Yorker] – these represent common reactions upon encountering violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte who is rapidly emerging as a much sought-after violin soloist (on both baroque and modern instruments), chamber musician, recitalist, and conductor.
Recognition has come in the form of major awards, including the 2022 “Diapason d’Or of the year” for his recording of Vivaldi, Locatelli, and Leclair concertos (Harmonia Mundi), and the 2022 “Ambassador of the Year” award from the European Early Music Network (REMA), along with multiple additional recording awards and a February, 2022 cover story in The Strad magazine.
In solo appearances on both baroque and modern violin, de Swarte regularly offers concertos by all of the baroque masters, along with those of Haydn and Mozart. He has appeared with Les Arts Florissants, Holland Baroque, Les Ombres, Le Consort, and Orchestre National de Lorraine. His engagements have brought him to prestigious venues such as the Philharmonie de Paris, Vienna’s Musikverein, Elbphilharmonie, Berlin’s Philharmonie, Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Hall, and the Shanghai National Art Center. 2023 marks debuts at Carnegie Hall, at Wigmore Hall, and his first tour of Australia.
Théotime Langlois de Swarte studied at the Paris Conservatory under Michael Hentz, and became a regular member of Les Arts Florissants at William Christie’s invitation in 2014, while still a student. He has since appeared as soloist with the ensemble, and will perform Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” with them on a North American tour in spring 2025. He has also appeared in recital with William Christie, including a 2021 recording of sonatas by Leclair and Senaille (“Generations” on Harmonia Mundi).
As co-founder – with harpsichordist Justin Taylor – of the baroque ensemble Le Consort, de Swarte can be heard on numerous highly-acclaimed recordings including “Specchio Veneziano,” “Opus 1,” and “Royal Handel,” all on Alpha Classics. Le Consort has performed widely throughout Europe, and their debut North American tours in 23/24 will take them to (among others) Montreal, Boston, Washington, Kansas City, Berkeley, Chicago, St. Paul, Louisville, New Orleans, Vancouver, and Ottawa.
Besides William Christie, frequent recital collaborators include harpsichordist Justin Taylor, lute player Thomas Dunford, and pianist Tanguy de Willencourt, with whom he recorded “A concert at the time of Proust” (Harmonia Mundi) playing the newly-restored Davidoff Stradivarius of the Philharmonie de Paris Museum. De Swarte’s other chamber music ensemble is Trio Eluard, with whom he has recorded “An invitation at the Schumann’s” (Harmonia Mundi) presenting intimate performances of music by Robert and Clara.
Forthcoming recordings include an album of Haydn concertos (with Les Arts Florissants), and two major Vivaldi projects, including “The Four Seasons,” all on harmonia mundi.
Alongside his instrumental work, de Swarte is emerging as a conductor. In 2023 he led performances at l’Opera Comique of Lully’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (with Les Musiciens du Louvre at Marc Minkowski’s invitation) and Gretry’s Zemire et Azor (at Louis Langrée’s invitation).
Théotime Langlois de Swarte is a laureate of the Banque Populaire Foundation. He plays on a Jacob Stainer violin of 1665 loaned by the Jumpstart Foundation.
ABOUT JUSTIN TAYLOR, harpsichord
Franco-American harpsichordist Justin Taylor entered the international scene at the age of 23 winning First Prize at the prestigious and much-coveted International Musica Antiqua Competition in Bruges in 2015. He also won the Audience Prize, the Alpha Prize, and the EUBO Developing Trust Prize awarded to the most promising young European musician. That same year, he founded Le Consort with violinists Sophie de Bardonnèche and Théotime Langlois de Swarte, dedicated to the trio sonata genre. The ensemble tours extensively worldwide. In 2017 Justin was nominated in the Young Soloist category at the French Victoires de la Musique and was awarded the Musical Revelation of the Year Prize by the Professional Critics Association.
Justin is the guest of such venues and festivals as the Philharmonie de Paris, BOZAR Brussels, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Kölner Philharmonie, LSO St Luke’s London for the BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Series, KKL Luzern, De Bijloke Gent, Auditori Barcelona, Auditorio Nacional Madrid, Auditorium du Louvre Paris, Washington DC’s Library of Congress, Oji Hall Tokyo, Seoul Arts Center, La Roque d’Anthéron International Festival, Innsbrucker Festwochen, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheingau Musik Festival, Festival de Saint-Denis, Radio France Montpellier Festival, Sintra festival, Festival de Saintes. He also performed as a soloist with Concerto Köln, the Orchestre National de Lille, Orchestre National d’Île-de-France, Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, Orchestre de Picardie, Mannheimer Philharmoniker, Duisburger Philharmoniker.
Upcoming highlights include a tour in North America with recitals in Montreal (Salle Bourgie), Washington DC for Capriccio Baroque and Philadelphia’s Ravensong, concerts at the Cologne Philharmonie, Rheingau and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festivals with Le Consort, a performance with William Christie and Jordi Savall at the Philharmonie de Paris, a Vivaldi week-end at Radio France (following the success of the Bach harpsichord concertos series in 2020) and a solo recital at the Valetta Baroque festival in Malta.
Justin Taylor already has a comprehensive discography on ALPHA Classics with a recent addition in the internationally praised album “La Famille Rameau” (Choc de l’année from Classica magazine, E by Scherzo Magazine), an echo to his first solo disc, “La Famille Forqueray: Portrait(s)” which received international acclaim and was awarded a Gramophone Editor’s Choice and a “Choc de l’année” from Classica magazine. His second solo album “Continuum” is devoted to Scarlatti and Ligeti. As gifted on fortepiano as harpsichord, Justin has recorded Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17, K. 453. In 2018 he recorded a double album for Deutsche Grammophon’s BACH 333 project. With Le Consort, Justin recorded four albums on ALPHA Classics: “Venez, chère Ombre” and “Royal Handel,” both with mezzo-soprano Eva Zaïcik.
Since childhood Justin Taylor has played both the piano and the harpsichord with passion, and studied in Angers and Paris, at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris with Roger Muraro, Olivier Baumont and Blandine Rannou.
