Jérémie Rhorer & Le Cercle de l’Harmonie

Female champions

The 19th century was the century of the symphony as well as the virtuoso solo concerto. Both genres were considered specifically 'masculine' due to their powerful structures, complex architecture and impressive force of sound, and any woman who tried her hand at them had to endure the patronising criticism of her colleagues. As a result, women themselves usually lacked the necessary confidence in their own artistic abilities:  "It is not so much the manner of writing that is lacking as a certain principle of life," Fanny Hensel, for example, believed she had realised. "[I] lack the strength to hold my thoughts properly, to give them the necessary consistency. That is why I succeed best in songs, which at best only involve a pretty idea without much power of realisation [...]." The concert presented by Jérémie Rhorer and his celebrated original sound orchestra Le Cercle de l'Harmonie together with David Kadouch is dedicated to the pioneers who nevertheless did not allow themselves to be dissuaded from testing their compositional skills on large forms. In addition to works by Louise Farrenc, Emilie Mayer and Marie Jaëll, the concert will also feature Camille Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 1 in D major, which he composed for Jaëll and made available to her.

Jonathan Stone | Violin

David Kadouch | Piano

Le Cercle de l'Harmonie