Les Ambassadeurs

Les Ambassadeurs just opened the 2012 edition of the prestigious Bruges MA Festival and were greated with immense success !

The 36th Symphony “Linz” reveals “an orchestra (…) colored by exceptionally precised and flexible winds… Alexis Kossenko’s refined and natural direction brought a maximum of colours and dynamism to the piece, as well as an ideal sense of elegance” (La Libre Belgique)

Discover our videos and our photo gallery !

The programme was dedicated to Mozart, with a choice of arias written for his beloved Aloysia Weber: they are a challenge both from emotional and from technical point of view (from low b to high G, one tone higher than the Queen of the Night !).

The young soprano Sabine Devieilhe, who was already the revelation of the 2010 festival in a Rameau programme conducted by Alexis Kossenko, has brought the audience to tears in the delicate Vorrei spiegarti, oh Dio, in duet with the inspired oboe of Gilles Vanssons ; she impressed not less in the coloraturas, either delicate or powerful, of Popoli di Tessaglia or No, che non sei capace…

In between the arias, Les Ambassadeurs performed the grand and lively “Linz Symphony”, and Alexis Kossenko left the conducting podium to take up the flute for the D major concerto, “performing with a phrasing at once organic and erudite, with and smooth and luminous sound. A successful ambassy !” (La Libre Belgique).

“Per l’Orchestra di Dresda”, vol.1

Les Ambassadeurs undertake a collaboration with the CD label Alpha by undertaking an ambitious series of recording dedicated to the legendary “Dresden Orchestra”.

Release date : April 2013

Until then, discover our videos and our photo gallery !

With this first volume dedicated to Antonio Vivaldi, Les Ambassadeurs bring back to life five grand concertos “con molti stromenti” from the Dresden archives ; if the solo violin has highly virtuoso solo responsabilities (no doubt that Vivaldi wrote them “sur mesure” for his friend Pisendel, the concertmaster of the Dresden Hofkapelle), it is often challenged by other soloists such as the horns, the oboes, the bassoons or a cello.

Les Ambassadeurs have gathered together an impressive band in order to rediscover the opulent sound of the Dresden orchestra, known in its time as the “best in Europe”. A rich string wind (flutes, oboes, horns, bassoon and contre-bassoon) joins a generous string body and a not less luxuous continuo group.

For the first time on recording, the Dresden sources have been followded faithfully : they include not only re-orchestrations by Pisendel for his orchestra, but also harmonizations of some accompaniments, re-writing of the solo sections with even more impressive passaggi, and most of all some extraordinary ornamentations that bring the expressive potential of the slow movements several steps further.