Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien

Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien is a French early-music ensemble founded and directed by the flutist and researcher François Lazarevitch. The group takes its name from Saint Julian of Le Mans, the patron saint of the medieval and early-modern guild of minstrels (ménétriers), a reference that signals its ambition to make music that is direct, simple and rooted in oral traditions. Rather than treating the Baroque as a purely archival exercise, the ensemble combines written and oral sources, seeking the spirit of dance, natural phrasing and vivid instrumental colour. The ensemble's repertoire centres on French early and traditional music, with regular forays into the older repertoires of the British Isles and beyond. Its programmes have ranged from French Baroque flute and musette works to English, Scottish and Irish folk traditions, and to Vivaldi, Purcell, Telemann and J. S. Bach. Lazarevitch's research into historical instruments — notably the musette and the flutes of the French Baroque — underpins much of the group's distinctive sound. Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien have performed across Europe and the Americas, appearing at venues and festivals including the Festival de Saint-Chartier, the Salle Cortot, the Sénat, La Chabotterie, the Maison Française in Washington and the Ciclo de Música Antigua de Mexico, as well as the Académie Bach at Arques-la-Bataille and the Festival Baroque de Pontoise. From 2010 to 2012 the ensemble was in residence at the Académie Bach and the Festival Baroque de Pontoise. The group records for the Alpha label, distributed by Harmonia Mundi, and its discography includes a series titled "1000 ans de cornemuse en France" (1000 years of bagpipes in France). Releases include Danses des bergers, danses des loups (2005), À l'ombre d'un ormeau (2007), Le Berger poète (2009), La Veillée imaginaire and Et la fleur vole (2010), For ever Fortune (2012), Je voy le bon tens venir (2013), J. S. Bach: Sonates & solo pour la flûte traversière (2014), The High Road to Kilkenny and Noël baroque (2016), Vivaldi: Concerto Works (2017), Purcell: Songs and Dances (2018) and Beauté barbare (2023). A new album, Songs from the North Country, produced with vocalist Rosemary Standley of the band Moriarty, explores English, Scottish and Irish musical traditions and was announced for pre-order on CD and vinyl. The ensemble remains active, touring programmes such as "Voix humaines" with previously unrecorded flute pieces by Marin Marais, and maintaining a YouTube channel that documents its work and interpretations.

Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien is a French early-music ensemble founded and directed by the flutist and musette player François Lazarevitch. The ensemble takes its name from Saint Julian of Le Mans, the patron saint of the guild of minstrels (ménétriers) from the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century. That choice of patron expresses the group's aim: to give life to a direct and simple music connected to oral traditions, in search of the spirit of dance, natural phrasing and instrumental colour. The group's repertoire is devoted to early and traditional French music, and it has increasingly made incursions into the older repertoires of the British Isles. Its programmes have ranged across French Baroque flute and musette works, traditional music from the heart of France, and the music of Telemann, Vivaldi, Purcell and J. S. Bach, often placing written and oral sources in dialogue. Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien have given concerts in Europe and the Americas, appearing at the Festival de Saint-Chartier, the Salle Cortot, the Sénat, La Chabotterie, the Maison Française in Washington and the Ciclo de Música Antigua de Mexico, as well as the Académie Bach at Arques-la-Bataille and the Festival Baroque de Pontoise. From 2010 to 2012 the ensemble was in residence at the Académie Bach at Arques-la-Bataille and at the Festival Baroque de Pontoise. Its recordings are produced by Alpha Productions. The ensemble has recorded seven CDs for the Alpha label, forming part of a series titled "1000 ans de cornemuse en France" (1000 years of bagpipes in France). Its discography includes Danses des bergers, danses des loups (2005), À l'ombre d'un ormeau (2007), Le Berger poète (2009), La Veillée imaginaire and Et la fleur vole (2010), For ever Fortune (2012), Je voy le bon tens venir (2013), J. S. Bach: Sonates & solo pour la flûte traversière (2014), The High Road to Kilkenny and Noël baroque (2016), Le Berger poète: suites et sonates pour flûte et musette (2017), Vivaldi: Concerto Works (2017), Purcell: Songs and Dances (2018) and Beauté barbare (2023). More recently the ensemble announced Songs from the North Country, an album produced with Rosemary Standley, the vocalist of the band Moriarty, exploring English, Scottish and Irish musical traditions through tales of murder, betrayal and revenge carried by folk melodies and early music. The group continues to tour, with programmes such as "Voix humaines" featuring previously unrecorded flute pieces by Marin Marais, and maintains an active YouTube channel documenting its interpretations.

• 2023

  Release of Beauté barbare

• 2018

  Release of Purcell: Songs and Dances

• 2017

  Release of Le Berger poète: suites et sonates pour flûte et musette and Vivaldi: Concerto Works

• 2016

  Release of The High Road to Kilkenny and Noël baroque

• 2014

  Release of J. S. Bach: Sonates & solo pour la flûte traversière

• 2013

  Release of Je voy le bon tens venir

• 2012

  Release of For ever Fortune; residency ends

• 2010

  Release of La Veillée imaginaire and Et la fleur vole; begins residency at Académie Bach and Festival Baroque de Pontoise

• 2009

  Release of Le Berger poète

• 2007

  Release of À l'ombre d'un ormeau

• 2005

  Release of Danses des bergers, danses des loups on Alpha

An early-music ensemble that bridges Baroque written sources and oral/traditional music, led by a flutist-researcher and known for historically informed, dance-driven interpretations.

• 2005

  Danses des bergers, danses des loups

• 2007

  À l'ombre d'un ormeau

• 2009

  Le Berger poète

• 2010

  La Veillée imaginaire

• 2010

  Et la fleur vole

• 2012

  For ever Fortune

• 2013

  Je voy le bon tens venir

• 2014

  J. S. Bach: Sonates & solo pour la flûte traversière

• 2016

  The High Road to Kilkenny

• 2016

  Noël baroque

• 2017

  Le Berger poète: suites et sonates pour flûte et musette

• 2017

  Vivaldi: Concerto Works

• 2018

  Purcell: Songs and Dances

• 2023

  Beauté barbare

• Songs from the North Country (with Rosemary Standley)

1. 1Home — Les Musiciens de Saint-Julienlesmusiciensdesaintjulien.fr
2. 2Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien — Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org
3. 3Musiciens de Saint-Julien — Wikidatawikidata.org