Accentus is a French chamber choir founded by

Laurence Equilbey Laurence Equilbey (born 6 March 1962) is a French conductor, known for her work in the choral repertoire, and more recently as the founder and music director of the Insula Orchestra. Equilbey studied piano and flute in her early life. She under ...

in 1991. The ensemble has been in residence at the

Opéra de Rouen The Rouen Opera House, formally known as Rouen Normandy Opera House -Theatre of Arts (French: ''Opéra de Rouen Normandie - Théâtre des arts'') is a French opera house located in Rouen, Normandy. It is home to the Rouen Philharmonic Orchestra. ...

since 1998.Le Spectacle du monde -2004 Issues 504-507 "Figure de proue des musiciens français, Laurence Equilbey a hissé le chœur de chambre Accentus dans la cour des grands. Aujourd'hui, Accentus, en résidence à l'opéra de Rouen depuis 1998, donne ..." When in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

, the choir usually holds concerts at the '' Théâtre des Arts'' or the recently reopened '' Chapelle Corneille''.

History

Founded in 1991, the ensemble received the support of the '' Fondation France Telecom'' in 1993. Performing mostly contemporary compositions, the choir has collaborated with conductor

Eric Ericson Eric Gustaf Ericson (26 October 1918 – 16 February 2013) was a Swedish choral conductor and influential choral teacher. Life and career He graduated from the Royal College of Music (''Kungl. Musikhögskolan'') in Stockholm in 1943 and we ...

since 1996, and has been in '' résidence'' at the

Rouen Opera House The Rouen Opera House, formally known as Rouen Normandy Opera House -Theatre of Arts (French: ''Opéra de Rouen Normandie - Théâtre des arts'') is a French opera house located in Rouen, Normandy. It is home to the Rouen Philharmonic Orchestra. ...

since 1998. Following the world success of

Pascal Dusapin Pascal Georges Dusapin (born 29 May 1955) is a French composer. His music is marked by its microtonality, tension, and energy. A pupil of Iannis Xenakis and Franco Donatoni and an admirer of Varèse, Dusapin studied at the University of Paris I ...

's creations ''Granum sinapis'' (1998) and ''Dona eis'' (1998) and the French creation ''

Outis Outis (a transliteration of the Ancient Greek pronoun = "nobody" or "no one") is an often used pseudonym that appeared famously in Classical Greek legends. Modern artists, writers, and others in public life have adopted the use of this pseudonym in ...

'' (1999) by

Luciano Berio Luciano Berio (24 October 1925 – 27 May 2003) was an Italian composer noted for his experimental work (in particular his 1968 composition ''Sinfonia'' and his series of virtuosic solo pieces titled ''Sequenza''), and for his pioneering work ...

, Accentus went on a world tour accompanied by the

Ensemble InterContemporain The Ensemble intercontemporain (EIC) is a French music ensemble, based in Paris, that is dedicated to contemporary music. Pierre Boulez founded the EIC in 1976 for this purpose, the first permanent organization of its type in the world. Organi ...

founded by

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Mont ...

, which took them to different countries including the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Repertoire

Founded by

, the choir is made up of 32 singers, all professionals. The scope of the ensemble ranges from the 17th century compositions to contemporary creations. The choir also accompanies large

symphonic orchestra A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

s, under the direction of

Jonathan Nott Jonathan Nott (born 25 December 1962, in Solihull, England) is an English conductor. Biography The son of a priest at Worcester Cathedral, Nott was a music student and choral scholar at St John's College, Cambridge, and also studied singing a ...

and

Christoph Eschenbach Christoph Eschenbach (; born 20 February 1940) is a German pianist and conductor. Early life Eschenbach was born in Breslau, Germany (now Wrocław, Poland). His parents were Margarethe (née Jaross) and Heribert Ringmann. He was orphaned durin ...

, as well as the

Orchestre de Paris The Orchestre de Paris () is a French orchestra based in Paris. The orchestra currently performs most of its concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris. History In 1967, following the dissolution of the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Co ...

, the

and the

Rouen Philharmonic Orchestra The Rouen Philharmonic Orchestra, officially the Orchestra of the Opera of Rouen Normandy (French: ''Orchestre de l'Opéra de Rouen Normandie''), is a symphony orchestra based in Rouen in Normandy, France. It is housed in the Rouen Opera House. ...

. The ensemble also takes part in lyrical concerts.

Discography

* 1994 :

Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among the best-kno ...

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

- Chœurs profanes / Secular Choral Works * 1997 :

* 1998 :

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...

- Psalms & Motets - Hora Est * 1998 :

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

* 2000 : Antigona (Decca) * 2000 : North * 2000 :

- Requiem(s) * 2001 :

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

- Chœurs profanes * 2001 :

- ''

Figure humaine ''Figure humaine'' (''Human Figure''), FP 120, by Francis Poulenc is a cantata for double mixed choir of 12 voices composed in 1943 on texts by Paul Éluard including " 'Liberté". Written during the Nazi occupation of France, it was premiered in ...

'' * 2002 : Suomi * 2003 : Transcriptions * 2004 :

- Ein Deutsches Requiem * 2005 :

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

- Mass * 2005 :

Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

* 2006 :

- A Capella choruses * 2006 :

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

- Seven Last Words * 2006 : Transcriptions 2 * 2006 : Un soir de neige * 2007 :

Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

Via crucis The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The stations grew out of imitati ...

* 2008 : Dvorak - Stabat Mater * 2008 :

Faure Faure is an Occitan family name meaning blacksmith, from Latin ''faber''. It is pronounced differently from the accented surname Fauré, as in Gabriel Fauré, French composer and organist. People Politicians * Dominique Faure (born 1959), Frenc ...

- Requiem * 2009 :

Strauss Strauss, Strauß or Straus is a common Germanic surname. Outside Germany and Austria ''Strauß'' is always spelled ''Strauss'' (the letter " ß" is not used in the German-speaking part of Switzerland). In classical music, "Strauss" usually ref ...

- A cappella * 2010 : Nuit sacrée: 1. Canon in D major – Johann Pachelbel; 2. Choral ‘Jesus bleibet meine Freude’ - J. S. Bach; 3. Jauchzet, frohlocket! – J. S. Bach; 4. Ave Maria – Charles Gounod / J. S. Bach; 5. Alleluia – Dietrich Buxtehude; 6. For unto us a child is born (Messiah) – G. F. Handel; 7. Alleluia (Messiah) – G. F. Handel; 8. Benedictus (Oratorio de Noël) – Camille Saint-Saëns; 9. Panis Angelicus, César Franck; 10. Alleluia (Exsultate, jubilate) – W. A. Mozart; 11. Farandole (L’Arlésienne) – Georges Bizet; 12. Minuit, chrétiens! – Adolphe Adam; 13. Trois anges sont venus ce soir – Agusta Holmès; 14. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! – F. X Gruber. * 2010 :

Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

- Liturgie de saint Jean Chryostome - Vêpres * 2011 :

- Christus * 2011 :

Philippe Manoury Philippe Manoury (born 19 June 1952) is a French composer. Biography Manoury was born in Tulle and began composition studies at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris with Gérard Condé and Max Deutsch. He continued his studies from 1974 to 197 ...

- Inharmonies * 2013 :

- Ein Deutsches Requiem (Réédition) * 2013 : Janacek - Brumes d'enfance * 2014 :

- Requiem * 2015 :

Félicien David Félicien-César David (13 April 1810 – 29 August 1876) was a French composer. Biography Félicien David was born in Cadenet, and began to study music at the age of five under his father, whose death when the boy was six left him an impoverish ...

- Le Désert

Musicians

The group has worked with musicians such as vocalist

Sandrine Piau Sandrine Piau (born 5 June 1965) is a French soprano. She is particularly renowned in Baroque music although also excels in Romantic and modernist art songs. She has the versatility to perform works from Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart to Schumann, Debus ...

, Bertrand Bontoux, and vocalist Kaoli Isshiki. It has also collaborated with conductors

Georgia Spiropoulos Georgia Spiropoulos ( el, Γεωργία Σπυροπούλου) (born in Greece, 1965) is a composer, who studied piano, harmony, counterpoint and fugue in Athens. At the same time, she studied jazz piano and worked as an instrumentalist and ar ...

and Denis Comtet.

Awards and nominations

Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance The Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance has been awarded since 1961. There have been several minor changes to the name of the award over this time: *In 1961 the award was known as Best Classical Performance - Choral (including oratorio) *Fro ...

(nominated 2004, 2006)

References

External links

homepage
{{Authority control Choir, Chamber choir Musical groups from Normandy