Le Cercle de l’Harmonie

At the end of his life, le chevalier de Saint George conducted an orchestra named Le Cercle de l’Harmonie. At his head and in the former Palais Boubons-Orléans, today Palais Royal, he performed major works of his time.
Reviving this name in 2005 during the Deauville festival, Jérémie Rhorer, conductor and composer, and Julien Chauvin, violinist, decided to gather the ideal group of players to perform symphonic and lyrical repertoire from the end of the 18th century.
Their identity is strongly linked to Mozart’s and Haydn’s, masterpieces but they are also captivated by the French repertoire from the end of Ancien Régime to 1830.
A year after starting in Deauville Easter Festival, le Cercle de l’Harmonie has been invited by many festivals and institutions. Among them, Festival International de Musique Baroque de Beaune : Idomeneo, Les Nozze di Figaro, Orphée et Eurydice, Cosi fan tutte, Don Giovanni 2006-2010, followed by La Chaise-Dieu : symphonic concert, Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice 2007/08 Théâtre des Champs Elysées : Orphée et Eurydice, october 2008, Jeanine Roze Productions au TCE : Le Nozze di Figaro, concerts with P.Jaroussky and D. Damrau, Mozart,’s Requiem 2007-2009, le Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles : symphonic concert, Grétry’s L’Amant Jaloux - coproduction Opéra Comique, 2007-09, l’Opéra Comique in Paris : concert around Hérold’s Zampa, Auber’s Fra Diavolo, l’Amant Jaloux–coproduction Versailles 2008-10, le Festival International d’Aix en Provence : Joseph Haydn’s l’Infedeltà delusa, 2008, and for a tour in Bilbao, Valladolid, Monte-Carlo, Toulon, Sceaux, Besançon, Bremen, Luxembourg, Lille, L’Opéra de Lyon, Le Capitole de Toulouse, la MC2 Grenoble, Tonhalle Düsseldorf : tour with Diana Damrau 2008, Musikfesten in Bremen : Orphée et Eurydice 2008, le Festival de l’Abbaye de Lessay, l’Opéra de Besançon : Orphée et Eurydice, 2008. and the Auditorium in Valladolid, with Philippe Jaroussky
Le Cercle de l’Harmonie built a partnership with the choir Les Eléments for its lyrical productions.
They recorded for Virgin Classics, a recital of arias by Mozart, Salieri and Righini with soprano Diana Damrau, regular guest of Salzburg’s Festival and of the Metropolitan Opera,. Its release in 2008 was highly praised : Timbre de Platine (Opéra magazine), Diapason d’or Arte, Grand Prix Gramophone, 10 de Répertoire, selection of the 10 best records of the year by The New York Times, ffff de Télérama, Preis der deutschen Kritik. Two Mozart recordings have been released between in the end of 2008 and February 2009 : a new recital with Diana Damrau and a symphonic trilogy : symphonies n°25, 26 and 29. Another recording dedicated to concertos by Haydn and Hofmann and conducted by soloists from the orchestra came out in April 2009.
Le Cercle de l’Harmonie is in residence in Deauville and membre of Fevis, it is supported by Fondation Orange and Swiss Life group.