…. Les Récréations demonstrate their generosity and expressiveness, raising them to an even higher level of intensity. The rich, full sound retains exemplary clarity… Diapason, June 2021, Jean-Christophe Pucek
Their motto is indeed vocality, harmonic colors, and sound density! This quest for expressiveness is combined with a taste for exploration, whether it involves the rediscovery of forgotten works (Graun’s trios, Francesco Scarlatti’s quartets) or a new interpretation of masterpieces – The Art of Fugue. This approach involves transcription, improvisation, and always a personal and contemporary appropriation of the repertoire – a true “re-creation.”
Les Récréations, in the form of a string quartet, have dedicated themselves since their inception to four-part writing, spanning from the consort tradition to the dawn of classicism – 200 years of music and innovation from Palestrina to Mozart- as evidenced by their unanimously acclaimed discography: their previous album, Scarlatti, Sonate a Quattro, as well as their new album, The Art of Fuge (Bach) on Ricercar, were awarded two Diapason d’Or awards in a row.
They have performed at numerous festivals, including for example La Chaise-Dieu, Utrecht, Lanvellec, Bach en Combrailles, Lausanne Bach Festival, Montreal Bach Festival, as well as in concert halls such as the Galleria Borghese (Rome), the Warsaw Philharmonic, the Casino Basel, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Eindhoven Muziekgebow and regularly perform live for the radio – France Musique, WDR3 (Cologne), SWR2…
Matthieu Camilleri studied baroque violin with Chiara Banchini at the Schola Cantorum in Basel and with François Fernandez at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris (CNSMDP).
He specialised in historical improvisation with organist Rudolf Lutz (Master’s degree at the Schola in 2008): he has given improvised recitals in several concert series such as the Festival des Musiques Improvisées de Lausanne, the Improvisationsfestival Leipzig, the Festival de Lanvellec, Forum Alte Musik Zürich, Bach en Combrailles.
In May 2018 he released a solo violin disc for the EnPhase label, (Outhere), combining sonatas by Tartini and mirror improvisations.
He teaches during Masterclasses in various institutions: Conservatoires Nationaux Supérieurs de Lyon et Paris, Schola Cantorum in Basel, Royal Academy of Music London, Festival des Musiques Improvisées de Lausanne.
He performs with Le Concert Spirituel (H. Niquet), in chamber music with La Fenice (J. Tubéry), Amarillis (H. Gaillard), and as first violin with Les Muffatti and Akademia (F. Lasserre).
Clara Mühlethaler was born in Switzerland and learned to play the violin and the Swiss accordion (Schwyzerörgeli) from an early age. She studied modern violin at the Musikhochschule in Zurich, graduating with honours. She then specialized in baroque violin and viola with Rachel Podger and Katherine McGillivray at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London.
In 2008 Clara Mühletaler moved to Paris and has been performing with Le Concert d’Astrée (E. Haïm), Le Concert Spirituel (H. Niquet), and in chamber music ensembles with Les Paladins (J. Correas), Le Parlement de Musique (M. Gester), La Fenice (J. Tubéry) and Akâdemia (F. Lasserre).
She has also appeared on stage since 2015 in two theatrical adaptations of J. S. Bach’s passions with Cie Manque pas d’Airs (A. Lacroix).
Sandrine Dupé studied modern violin at the CNR in Bordeaux. Since 1996, she has specialised in early music with Sigiswald Kuijken, Luis Otavio Santos, Herman Stinders, Alain Gervreau and Enrico Gatti, both at conservatoires and during courses. In 1998 she was awarded first prize for baroque violin by the City of Paris, and in 2003 the Diplôme d’Études Supérieures from the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles.
She has taken part in numerous concerts and recordings with the orchestras : La Petite Bande (Sigiswald Kuijken), Le Ricercar Consort (Philippe Pierlot), Les Muffatti , Le Concert Spirituel (Hervé Niquet), Pygmalion (Raphaël Pichon), la Compagnie Outre-Mesure, Correspondances (Sébastien Daucé), Le Poème Harmonique (Vincent Dumestre); but also with chamber music ensembles: La Guilde des Mercenaires, The Theater of Music, Les Plaisirs du Parnasse.
Tormod Dalen is a cellist specialised in historical performance practices, with a repertoire spanning from the 16th to the early 19th centuries. Based in Paris, he performs as soloist, chamber musician and continuo player throughout Europe, the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East.
He is principal cellist of the French baroque ensembles Le Concert Spirituel and Les Ambassadeurs – La Grande Ecurie, and performs with numerous other specialist ensembles throughout Europe including Le Poème Harmonique and Arte dei Suonatori… He is also artistic director of the ensemble Ritratto dell’Amore.
Professor of Baroque Cello at the Conservatoire National Régional de Versailles, Tormod Dalen has given lectures and master classes in European institutions such as Scola Cantorum Basilensis, Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles and the Norwegian Academy of Music.
In 2014, Tormod Dalen earned his PhD with a doctorate fellowship at the Norwegian Academy of Music. His project explored the relation between Baroque Dance and the Cello Suites of J.S. Bach, and he has recorded the complete Suites for the French label Exordium.
