The Palais royal
Choir and period instruments orchestra
After conducting various orchestras in France and abroad for more than 10 years, Jean-Philippe Sarcos created in 2001 a new kind of ensemble associating a period instruments orchestra and a choir of young singers specialized in the interpretation of ancient music. The name of the ensemble conjures up musical life in the European courts of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
The orchestra
It is dedicated to the interpretation of baroque, classical and romantic repertoire. For each period, the musicians use different instruments. One essential characteristic of the orchestra is the co-option of the musicians. Coming from the best European orchestras, they are also selected for the pleasure they take and give in playing in the orchestra. They are brought together by their desire to work together, long-term, with passion and friendliness. These conditions are essential for Jean-Philippe Sarcos. The choir It is dedicated to young talent. It gives young professional singers the opportunity to perform baroque, classical and romantic repertoires, while paying careful attention to the different styles. The pieces are sung by heart, and with mingled choir sections in order to enhance expressiveness and the commitment of everyone to the meaning of the text and the music. The freshness of its voices confers to the Palais royal a unique colour, perfectly adapted to the ancient repertoires which were originally mainly performed by children.
The interpretations of the Palais royal
They are defined by a strong will to convey meaning. To achieve this, the Palais royal endeavors to give its public novel means of understanding the works performed. The concerts are often commented, staged, and complemented with detailed programmes. These different means of presentation facilitate the comprehension of the performed pieces, and, by thus replacing them in their historical context, help in the rediscovering of their initial style. Like the period instruments, the red cassocks worn by the Palais royal choir singers to perform sacred pieces remind us of their predecessors of the royal chapels. These same outfits are still worn today by renowned ensembles around the world, such as the choir of the Sistine Chapel, and the prestigious ensembles of English, Austrian, and German cathedrals. Recently, the Palais royal recorded the Vêpres du Saint-Esprit by Padre Soler which was broadcast on European TV channel Mezzo. In February 2010 in Paris, the ensemble performed a Buxtehude, Bach and Telemann programme dedicated to the expression of joy in baroque musique. It performs in international festivals (Sevilla, Lourdes, Auvers-sur-Oise, Sylvanès, Abbaye de Saint-Victor in Marseille…). The Palais royal is supported by the City of Paris, the Safran foundation for Music, Telecom ParisTech, and a group of sponsoring businesses.
