Les Paladins

In the Middle Ages, paladins were knights who roamed in search of adventure.

In 1760, Rameau composed Les Paladins, considered as the ultimate masterpiece of the French Baroque genre, characterized by fantasy and imagination.

Taking their name from this work, Les Paladins explore the neglected repertoire, as well as the greatest works, of the Baroque musical period. The ensemble is associated with the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, where they have given performances of previously unperformed works such as Iphigénie en Tauride by Desmarets and The Elements by Destouches. They are also regularly invited at the Ambronay Festival, where they have performed Histoires Sacrées by Carissimi, and Serpentes in Deserto by Hasse; at the Jean de la Fontaine Festival, where they sang Actéon by Charpentier and The Bourgeois Gentilhomme by Lully; and at Musiques d'Automne in St-Genest Lerpt. They also participate in the Semaines Musicales de Quimper where they have performed Dido and Aeneas and the Ode to Santa Cecilia by Purcell. They were at the Sully-sur-Loire festival with their program Lamentazione per la Settimana Santa by Nicola Porpora, at the Auvers-sur-Oise festival, and at the Music and Memory Festival with a Domenico Mazzochi program: Music for the Sistine Chapel. They performed the Ode to Santa Cecilia by Handel at the Sacred Music Festival of Lourdes and at the Evian Festival, and also gave several performances of the Great Dramatic Cantatas by Handel at the Picardie Cathedrals Festival. They also perform in Paris at the Invalides, and during the Grands Concerts at the Palais Royal where they last presented David and Jonathas by Charpentier and Apollo and Daphnée by Handel. They are regularly invited to perform on Radio France, in Metz on the Arsenal stage, and also in London, Geneva, Utrecht, Rome, Milan, and Prague.

Les Paladins have undertaken a renaissance of the Italian dramatic musical repertoire, both secular and sacred. After having performed the works of Carissimi, they are now turning to Porpora, Hasse, Albinoni and Mazzocchi, who still offer a great number of works to be performed.