Going for the Baroque

• Source: Global Times
• [13:22 June 21 2010]
• Comments

Some of the talented musicians from the Le Concert Spirituel.

By Yang Ruoyu

Le Concert Spirituel, a world-famous Baroque orchestra, will be performing classical music tonight to mark the end of the Festival Coisements 2010, but it's not just the music that matters.

A lifetime of research from men like Hervé Niquet goes into the preparation and instrumentation in performing original and authentic masterpieces.

Le Concert Spirituel is as a specialist in this particular type of music. Since its foundation in 1987, the orchestra has amassed more than 80 talented musicians, made over 50 recordings and has played music around the world.

Hervé Niquet, the conductor and the founder of the Le Concert Spirituel, is well-known for his achievements in Baroque music.

Niquet developed his taste for the music when he was 15, studying piano and singing.

And for him, with Baroque music, it was love at first note, providing him with inspiration for his lifelong studies.

"When I heard the sound of a harpsichord for the first time during a concert, I was seduced. Since that day I haven't stopped studying this world of music, while carrying on with my other musical passions," Niquet told the Global Times.

Le Concert Spirituel will hit the Shanghai stage with 80 skilled musicians and period instruments.

"Compared to a modern orchestra, we can say that the sound of early instruments is softer, less powerful, but has more possibility for dynamics and articulation," Niquet said.

"For instance, this time you will see and hear two Baroque contrabassoons more than two meters tall. I think it will be a surprise for Shanghai audiences," he added.

As well as the special instruments, the repertoire they have planned for local audiences is also impressive, including the Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks by George Frideric Handel, which helped Le Concert Spirituel win the Edison Prize.

In his extensive experience, Niquet has had the opportunity to work as the vocal director at the Paris Opera. And he believes this was the big change in his career.

"That experience was a major influence in my musical life. I met many instrumentalists and singers with whom I pursued my Baroque journey," said Niquet.

In this spirit of reviving Baroque music, Niquet created Le Concert Spirituel in 1987 and has devoted the past two decades to applying the latest technical research on period instruments to find a sound faithful to the original music.