2021 I 2022 SEASON

BACH - LISZT

PASSION

DIFFUSIONAPRIL 7 - 18 2022

insulaorchestra.fr

Bach - Liszt : a rare combination but not a first !

In 21-22, accentus, Laurence Equilbey and her Insu-la orchestra on period instruments invite us to join a animated journeys through Franz Liszt and Johann Sebastian Bach’s work.

When he completed his great oratorio Christus in 1866, the composer, Liszt, now known as “Abbé”, emerged from his years of penitence. Distraught from the death of two of his children, the quarrel with his daughter Cosima and the thwarted plan to marry Carolyne zu Sayn-

Wittgenstein, Liszt found in religion a refuge that was both spiritual and artistic. The closing section of the oratorio, Passion and Resurrection, echoes this period in the composer’s life.

For Johann Sebastian Bach, repentance was a recurrent theme, indeed a backbone of Christian life : The cantata “Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht” (Lord, do not pass judgment on Your servant) BWV 105 is a striking illustration. Nearly hundred years after its premiere, Robert Schumann adapted the cantata for a contemporary orchestra, proof of the growing interest among Romantic composers for the work of the cantor of Leipzig.

Through the 19th century instrumentarium, the juxtaposition of works by Liszt and Bach reveals two aesthetic approaches to the Paschal theme, divided between the austere and the sublime.

For these works, Laurence Equilbey conducts the accentus and Insula orchestra ensembles, with four top guest soloists.

Numbers :50 musicians, 40 singers, 3 soloists

Concerts 2022 :

april 13 and 14 : La Seine Musicale

Diffusion : april 7 - 18 2022

BACH - LISZTPASSION

Johan Sébastian Bach (1685 - 1750) orch. Robert Schumann (1810-1856)Cantate BWV 105 “Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Knecht”

Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886)Christus : Passion and Resurrection

accentus Insula orchestraMari Eriksmoen, sopranoMartin Miterrutzner, tenorSamuel Hasselhorn, barytonLaurence Equilbey, conductor

1H45 WITH AN INTERVAL

2

AUDIO / VIDEO RECORD

Insula orchestra, accentus, Laurence Equilbey. Philharmonie de Paris, September 2015. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bacht - Magnificat (n°1)

Sandrine Piau, Insula orchestra, accentus, Laurence Equilbey.Amadeus Mozart - Coronation Mass

IN THE PRESS

The Création - Haydn :

« Yesterday evening, at château Louis XI, the great Austrian composer also inspired the remarkable Insula Orchestra and the impressive Accentus Choir conducted by Laurence Equilbey, in a superbly interpreted score with three featured soloists: soprano Chiara Skerath (as Gabriel and Eve), tenor Martin Mitterrutzner (Uriel) and baritone-bass Rafael Fingerlos (Raphael and Adam). »Jean-Luc Coppi, Le Dauphiné, 25 august 2018

« With a good orchestra and a little restraint we can paint a better world. Proof of the axiom is provided by the Creation, one of the biggest current productions (…). The conductor skilfully depicts chaos, the birth of the stars, birdsong, the bounding tigers. (…) Insula Orchestra, very dynamic, accurate and colourful. »Pierre-Olivier Febvret, La Montagne, 26 august 2018

3

BIOGRAPHIES 

LAURENCE EQUILBEYCONDUCTOR

Conductor and musical director of Insula orchestra and accentus, Laurence Equilbey is acknowledged for her demanding, yet open-minded approach to her art. Her exploration of the symphonic repertory has seen her conducting the orchestras of BBC of Wales, Hessischer Rundfunk, Lyon, Bucarest, Liège, Leipzig, Brussels Philharmonic, Café Zimmermann, Akademie für alte Musik Berlin, Concerto Köln, Camerata Salzburg, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg...

In 2012, with support from the Département des Hauts-de- Seine, she founded Insula orchestra, an ensemble devoted to the classical and pre-Romantic repertory, using period instruments. With accentus, Laurence Equilbey continues to interpret the great vocal music repertoire.

Laurence Equilbey supports contemporary creation and she’s also Artistic Director and Director of Education at the Department for Young Singers at the Paris Conservatory. The extensive recorded work of accentus has received wide critical acclaim. In 2014, she recorded with Insula orchestra Mozart’s Requiem on the naïve label; then Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice with Franco Fagioli, released in September 2015 on the Deutsche Grammophon label (Archiv Produktion). With Warner Classics –Erato, Laurence Equilbey has released Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Schubert’s orchestrated lieder (2017).

INSULA ORCHESTRA

Insula orchestra’s artistic project is built around a repertoire ranging mainly from the Classical to the Romantic eras. Mozart, Schubert or Weber form naturally the core of this repertoire with symphonic programmes as well as programmes with choir and soloists. The orchestra performs on period instruments.

Founded in 2012 by Laurence Equilbey with local government support from the Département des Hauts-de-Seine, Insula orchestra is in residence in a new artistic venue, La Seine Musicale, designed by architects Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines on Ile Seguin, an island in the River Seine just a few miles downstream from Paris. The orchestra is in charge of selecting part of the programme for the 1,100-seater auditorium. It also performs at other major French and international venues and leading festivals. Since its foundation, the orchestra has been invited to play at Philharmonie de Paris, Vienna’s Theater an der Wien, Salzburg Mozart Week, Basel Stadtcasino, Elbphilharmonie, Ludwigsburg Festival and London Barbican Centre.

Insula orchestra has also developed a comprehensive, innovative programme of cultural and educational initiatives across its home base in the Hauts-de-Seine department, notably to foster awareness among potential audiences who have never had the opportunity to approach classical music, as well as participatory classes for young people and schools.

4

ACCENTUS

The choir, founded by current conductor and artistic director Laurence Equilbey, is dedicated to the performance of the major a cappella works as well as to contemporary repertoire. Recently rated by Gramophone Magazine as one of the top ten choirs in the world, today accentus is an ensemble of 32 professional singers performing at the highest artistic level.

The choir appears at the leading French and international festivals and regularly collaborates with prestigious conductors (Pierre Boulez, Anders Nilsson, Eric Ericson, Christoph Eschenbach) and orchestras (Orchestre de Paris, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Orchestre de l’Opéra de Rouen Haute-Normandie, Concerto Köln, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Insula orchestra, etc.). It has participated in a variety of operatic productions ranging from world premieres (Pascal Dusapin’s Perelà, Uomo di fumo and Matthias Pintscher’s L’Espace dernier at the Paris Opera) to standard repertoire such as Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, Léo Delibes’ Lakmé, Reynaldo Hahn’s Ciboulette at Opéra Comique…

DISCOGRAPHY

insulaorchestra.fr 5

SUPPORTERS

David Bodou, External relations managerd.bodou@insulaorchestra.fr06 87 88 26 32

CONTACTS

MAGIC MOZART

Sandrine Piau / Jodie Devos / Loïc Félix / Stanislas de Barbeyrac / Florian Sempey / Laurence Equilbey, Insula orchestra

Warner Classics – EratoOctober 2020

MOZARTMESSE DU COURONNEMENTVÊPRES SOLENNELLES D’UN CONFESSEUR

Sandrine Piau / Renata Pokupić / Benjamin Bruns / Andreas Wolf /Laurence Equilbey, accentus, Insula orchestra

Warner Classics – EratoApril 2017

Samuel Serin, General Manager s.serin@insulaorchestra.fr 06 03 21 13 67