[Artist] 

THÉOTIME LANGLOIS DE SWARTE, Violin

Justin Taylor, Harpsichord
 
[Program] 
 

DuBuisson(Jean Lacquemant) Prelude in g minor
 

François Francœur Violin Sonata in g minor, Op.2 No.6

I. Adagio 

III. Courante 

V. Rondeau 

François Couperin Les Barricades Mystérieuses

François Francœur & François Rebel

‘Le Théâtre s'obscurcit, on entend le Tonnerre’ from Divertissement < Les Augustales >

‘Le Théâtre s’éclaire‘ from Divertissement < Les Augustales >

 
 Louis Francœur Violin Sonata in b minor, Op.1 No.6

I. Largo 

François Francoeur & François Rebel ‘Tambourin’ from Opera < Scanderberg >

Pancrace Royer La Marche des Scythes

François Francoeur & François Rebel 
 ‘Gavotte pour les Muses et les Plaisirs’ from Opera < Le Trophée >

‘Deuxième Air’ from Opera < Le Trophée >
 

François Francœur Violin Sonata in G Major, Op.1 No.10

I. Adagio 

Ⅳ. Presto 

Henry Eccles Violin Sonata No.11 in g minor

I. Largo 

II. Courante 

Henry Purcell Music for a while

Henry Eccles Violin Sonata No.11 in g minor

IV. Presto

Alessandro Marcello Oboe Concerto in d minor, Op.1 (Harpsichord ver.)

II. Adagio

Arcangelo Corelli Violin Sonata in d minor, Op.5 No.12 “La Follia” 

 
 
 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, Le Consort, Orchestre de l’Opera Royal, Holland Baroque, The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Les Ombres, 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 marked 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 North American tours in spring and fall, 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 include 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 and lute player Thomas Dunford, with whom he recorded a much-praised album titled “The Mad Lover”.  Another notable recording, “A Concert at the Time of Proust”, was made on the newly-restored Davidoff Stradivarius at the Philharmonie de Paris Museum.   Forthcoming recordings for harmonia mundi include two major Vivaldi projects, one of which will feature “The Four Seasons” to commemorate the 300^th anniversary of the work’s publication. 

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, and an Allessandro Gagliano from 1700 on loan from the Zylber Association.

 
 Justin Taylor, Harpsichord

 
©Jean-Baptiste Millot
 

Franco-American harpsichordist Justin Taylor was revealed to 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 and hasIn 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) or a solo recital at the Valetta Baroque festival in Malta, to name but a few.  

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, OPUS 1 (Diapason d’Or) and Specchio Veneziano (2021) with works by Reali and Vivaldi.

Ever 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.