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The Namur Chamber Choir has a well-established reputation in the field of early music. In 1995, the Centre de Chant Choral of the French-speaking Community of Belgium created the "Les Agrémens" ensemble (Namur baroque orchestra) to provide them with the support of a reliable, competent partner for their own baroque music productions.
The "Les Agrémens" ensemble comes together for specific concerts in Belgium and other countries, alone or with the Namur chamber choir or other ensembles, under the baton of invited conductors of international renown. Les Agrémens aim at quality in their membership and work, with the participation of top-class instrumentalists from the main European baroque orchestras. By bringing in young Belgian musicians, they also seek to develop the careers of a new generation of artists, by encouraging them to practise early music on period instruments and giving them new opportunities in this field.
Les Agrémens came together with Pierre Cao for the first time in Händel concerts in December 1995 to immediate critical acclaim. One concert was recorded for television by the French-speaking channel RTB. The next seasons the orchestra plaid with Pierre Cao (Johannes Passion (BWV 245)), with Frieder Bernius (masses and sacred works by J.S. Bach and Jan Dismas Zelenka), with Françoise Lasserre (Antonio Vivaldi), with Wieland Kuijken (works by Johann Christian Bach, Antonio Caldara, Georg Philipp Telemann) and with Guy Van Waas.
In 2001, Guy Van Waas was appointed principal conductor of Les Agrémens.
Les Agrémens recordings with Ricercar include works by Johann Christian Bach (Gloria in excelsis Deo, under Wieland Kuijken) and the Walloon composers who were leading lights in late 18th century Paris: François-Joseph Gossec (Symphonies, under Guy Van Waas) and André-Modeste Grétry (Airs et Ballets, under Guy Van Waas).
The ensemble is preparing other recordings for the next few seasons and their first opera production. |
