Justin Taylor
Théotime Langlois de Swarte

Justin Taylor and Théotime Langlois de Swarte, both virtuosos among the most promising of the new generation and founding members of the ensemble Le Consort, join forces here for a duo album paying tribute to a great dynasty of musicians, the Francoeurs, violinist-composers of the 18th century.

The sonatas by Louis Francœur (ca. 1692-1745), known as Francœur the Elder, and those by his brother François (1698-1787) are a collection of dance suites, polyphonic effects achieved through the use of double stops, and diverse treasures that Justin and Théotime resurrect with the ardor and grace for which they are known.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Justin Taylor, born on June 16, 1992, in Angers, is a French-American harpsichordist.
In 2015, he won the First Prize at the Bruges Harpsichord Competition, along with the Audience Prize, the Alpha Classics Prize, and the "EUBO Development Trust" Prize, marking the beginning of a dazzling career in concerts and recordings. In his interpretations, Justin Taylor stands out for his "virtuosic, sensitive, and enthusiastic playing" (Sophie Bourdais, Télérama, 2021).
In 2017, he was nominated for the Victoires de la Musique Classique in the category of "Instrumental Soloist Revelation" and won the Music Revelation Prize awarded by the Professional Association of Critics.
Since then, Justin Taylor has been invited to perform in Europe, including at the Philharmonie de Paris, Auditori de Barcelona, LSO St Luke's in London, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, DeSingel in Antwerp, Auditorium du Louvre, Festival de la Roque d'Anthéron, and Auditorium de Radio France. He has also made notable debuts in Japan, particularly at the Oji Hall in Tokyo, and in the United States, in New York and Washington (Library of Congress, Opéra Lafayette). Justin has also performed with orchestras such as the Orchestre National d'Île-de-France, the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, the Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, the Orchestre de Picardie, the Mannheimer Philharmoniker, the Duisburger Philharmoniker, the Concert de la Loge, and the Concerto Köln.
Justin Taylor has already made more than a dozen recordings, exclusively for the Alpha Classics label. His latest album, "La Famille Rameau," has been highly acclaimed for its "triumphant virtuosity, tender poetry, and simply miraculous touch" (Classica, May 2021) and has received multiple awards: FFFF Télérama, CHOC Classica, 5 Diapason, France Musique's Choice, Le Monde, Le Figaro, L'Obs, etc. His discography includes "La Famille Forqueray" (2016, CHOC of the Year Classica, Gramophone Editor's Choice, Grand Prix de l'Académie Charles Cros, Qobuzissime), "Continuum," dedicated to Scarlatti and Ligeti (Top 5 in Le Monde newspaper in 2018), a pianoforte recording of Mozart's Concerto No. 17 with Le Concert de La Loge (2017, CHOC Classica), and a contribution to Deutsche Grammophon's complete "Bach333" with a triple album of lesser-known Bach works.
His ensemble, Le Consort, formed with his violinist friends Sophie de Bardonnèche and Théotime Langlois de Swarte, won the First Prize and Audience Prize at the Val de Loire Early Music Competition in 2017, chaired by William Christie. Their instrumental ("Opus 1," "Specchio Veneziano") and vocal recordings ("Venez chère ombre," "Royal Handel") were quickly noticed, and Opus 1, featuring the sonatas of Jean-François Dandrieu for the first time, was awarded a Diapason d'Or in 2019. Le Consort is in residence at the Fondation Singer-Polignac, the Banque de France, and the Fondation Royaumont.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Théotime Langlois de Swarte, born on November 11, 1995, in Céret, is a French violinist whose repertoire spans from the 17th century to contemporary creations.
He became the first Baroque violinist to be nominated for the Victoires de la Musique Classique 2020 in the category of "Instrumental Soloist Revelation," a recognition for his work with multiple Baroque ensembles, particularly in France: Ensemble Jupiter (Thomas Dunford, Jean Rondeau, Bruno Philippe, and Léa Desandre), Les Ombres (Margaux Blanchard, Sylvain Sartre), Pulcinella (Ophélie Gaillard), Marguerite Louise (Gaëtan Jarry), and Les Arts Florissants, with whom William Christie regularly invites him to perform in violin and harpsichord recitals and as a soloist with the ensemble.

After studying at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP) under Michaël Hentz, Théotime co-founded Le Consort with harpsichordist Justin Taylor in 2015. The ensemble quickly gained recognition as one of the most important of its generation, collaborating with vocal artists such as Eva Zaicik, Véronique Gens, and Mathias Vidal. Their recordings for Alpha Classics/Outhere have received critical acclaim: Choc Classica (Venez Chère Ombre) and Diapason d'Or of the Year 2019 (Opus 1).

His concerts have taken him around the world to prestigious venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Shanghai National Art Center, the Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles, and most recently, the Philharmonie de Paris, where he gave a recital on the "Davidoff" Stradivarius violin, preserved in the Musée de la Musique.

His performances are regularly recorded by Culturebox (Leclair Concerti at the Sablé-sur-Sarthe Festival, Sept Particules at the Deauville Festival, Affects Baroques with Eva Zaicik at Salle Cortot, Vivaldi Concertos with Ensemble Jupiter). In 2020, he began his collaboration as a soloist with the harmonia mundi label, recording his first CD, 'Mad Lover,' dedicated to English music with lutenist Thomas Dunford, followed by Gabriel Fauré's Sonata No. 1 in a duo with pianist Tanguy de Williencourt on the "Davidoff" violin.

Théotime Langlois de Swarte is a laureate of the Banque Populaire Foundation and the Jumpstart Foundation. He plays a violin by Jacob Stainer from 1665. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.