Les Passions is a

Baroque orchestra A Baroque orchestra is an ensemble for mixed instruments that existed during the Baroque era of Western Classical music, commonly identified as 1600–1750. Baroque orchestras are typically much smaller, in terms of the number of performers, than ...

. Created in 1986 by the recorder player Jean-Marc Andrieu, the orchestra is in residence in the south-west French town of

Montauban Montauban (, ; ) is a commune in the southern French department of Tarn-et-Garonne. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, and the sixth most populated of Oc ...

. This ensemble specialises in the practice of

period instruments In the historically informed performance movement, musicians perform classical music using restored or replicated versions of the instruments for which it was originally written. Often performances by such musicians are said to be "on authentic ...

. Its artistic approach reconciles two principles: a respect for the musical technique of the period (authentic performance) and a dynamic interpretation of the musical composition. Its vocation is to convince the public that ancient music is as relevant to the present as are the writings of

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

, the paintings of

La Tour La Tour may refer to: Places Canada * Port La Tour, Nova Scotia France * La Tour, Alpes-Maritimes * La Tour, Haute-Savoie * La Tour-Blanche, Dordogne * La Tour-d'Aigues, Vaucluse * La Tour-d'Auvergne, Puy-de-Dôme * La Tour-de-Salvagny, Rhôn ...

or the architecture of Mansart. Its repertoire extends from the beginning of the 17th century (

Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is considere ...

’s ''Vêpres à la Vierge'') to the end of the 18th century (Mozart’s

Requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

) encompassing a large number of the masters of the Baroque era (

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, at least in terms of surviving works. Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to be ...

, Scarlatti,

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...

Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: ; September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer of Baroque music, most remembered for his more than 100 songs; a tragic opera, ''Dido and Aeneas''; and his incidental music to a version of Shakespeare's ...

, Charpentier...). The orchestra is also dedicated to rediscovering the legacy of French music by producing the opera '' Stratonice'' by Méhul, '' Daphnis et Alcimadure'' by Mondonville, and works by Toulouse composers Dupuy, Levens, and Jean Gilles. The orchestra also contributes to the restitution of the musical library of the

Dukes of Aiguillon Duke of Aiguillon ( French: ''duc d'Aiguillon'') was a title of French nobility in the peerage of France, first created in 1599 by Henry IV of France for Henry of Lorraine, son of Charles, Duke of Mayenne. The title takes its name from the town ...

. Formerly the Baroque Orchestra of Montauban, at the end of 2003 Jean-Marc Andrieu renamed the orchestra Les Passions in reference to a musical form and to the philosophical and literary subject very much discussed in the 17th and 18th centuries that influenced lyrical composers during the Baroque and Classical periods.

Residence and support

Les Passions currently resides at the Conservatory of Music of Montauban, France. The orchestra receives support from the city of Montauban, the

Midi-Pyrénées Midi-Pyrénées (; or ; ) is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Occitania. It was the largest region of Metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark. ...

Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

, and the city of

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

. It is also registered with the Ministry of Culture and Communication. The orchestra is recorded and distributed by Ligia Digital and Harmonia Mundi.

Discography

*Cantem Nadal – Noël Baroque Occitan, 2009 *Requiem. Jean Gilles, 2008 *Vêpres Vénitiennes.

Porpora Nicola (or Niccolò) Antonio Giacinto Porpora (17 August 16863 March 1768) was an Italian composer and teacher of singing of the Baroque era, whose most famous singing students were the castrati Farinelli and Caffarelli. Other students included ...

, Vivaldi, 2007 *Con voce Festiva. Scarlatti, 2005 *'' La Passion selon Saint-Matthieu''. J. S. Bach, 2000 *Leclair, Telemann, Vivaldi, Purcell, 1993 *Disque Te Deum de Levens, 2008

External links

*
Journal La TerrasseTrophees des AssociationsResmusicaConcert Classic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Passions, Les Early music orchestras French orchestras Musical groups established in 1986 1986 establishments in France Musical groups from Occitania (administrative region)