Les frères Francœur

The violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte is rapidly emerging as a much sought-after soloist (on both Baroque and modern instruments), chamber musician, recitalist and conductor. Recognition has come in the form of major awards, including the 2022 Diapason D’Or award for his recording of Vivaldi, Locatelli and Leclair concertos (Harmonia Mundi), and the 2022 Ambassador of the Year award from the European Early Music Network.
 
In solo appearances on both Baroque and modern violins, de Swarte regularly offers concertos by all of the Baroque masters, along with those of Haydn and Mozart. He has performed with Les Arts Florissants, Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal, Holland Baroque, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Les Ombres, Orchestre National de Lorraine, etc. His engagements have brought him to many prestigious venues around the world.
 
Théotime Langlois de Swarte studied at the Paris Conservatory under Michael Hentz and became a regular member of Les Arts Florissants at William Christie’s invitation in 2014, while still a student. He has since toured as a soloist with the ensemble and will perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with them on North American tours in spring and fall, 2025. He has also appeared in recitals with William Christie, including a 2021 recording of sonatas by Leclair and Senaille (“Generations”, Harmonia Mundi).
 
As co-founder of the ensemble Le Consort – with harpsichordist Justin Taylor – de Swarte can be heard on numerous highly-acclaimed recordings, all on Alpha Classics label. Le Consort has performed widely throughout Europe and North America.
 
Besides William Christie, frequent recital collaborators include harpsichordist Justin Taylor and lute player Thomas Dunford, with whom he recorded a much-praised album titled “The Mad Lover”. Another notable recording, “Proust, Le Concert Retrouvé”, was made on a newly-restored Davidoff Stradivarius at the Philharmonie de Paris Museum. His most recent recording – “Antonio Vivaldi Concerti per una vita” (Harmonia Mundi) – has garnered wide acclaim, and early 2025 marked the release of Vivaldi’s “Les Quatre Saisons”.
 
Alongside his instrumental work, de Swarte is emerging as a conductor. In 2023 he led performances at the Opéra-Comique of Lully’s Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (with Les Musiciens du Louvre) and Grétry’s Zemire et Azor. He returns to the Opéra-Comique to conduct Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride in November 2025.
 
Théotime Langlois de Swarte is a laureate of the Banque Populaire Foundation. He plays a violin of Carlo Bergonzi (1733) on generous loan from an anonymous patron.

Franco-American harpsichordist Justin Taylor was revealed to the international scene at the age of 23 by winning First Prize at the prestigious and much-coveted International Musica Antiqua Competition in Bruges in 2015. He also received the Audience Prize, the Alpha Prize and the EUBO “Developing Trust Prize” for the most promising young European musician. That same year, he founded Le Consort with violinists Sophie de Bardonnèche and Théotime Langlois de Swarte. In 2017 Justin was awarded the “Musical Revelation of the Year” Prize by the Professional Critics Association.
 
Justin has been invited to perform in venues and festivals such as the Philharmonie de Paris, BOZAR in Brussels, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Kölner Philharmonie, LSO St Luke’s London for the BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert, Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre (KKL), Muziekcentrum De Bijloke in Ghent, L’Auditori Barcelona, Auditorio Nacional de Música Madrid, Auditorium du Louvre Paris, Washington DC’s Library of Congress, Oji Hall Tokyo, Seoul Arts Center, Festival International de Piano de La Roque d’Anthéron, Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik, Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier, etc. He has also appeared as a soloist with Concerto Köln, The Orchestre National de Lille, Orchestre National d’Île-de-France, Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, Orchestre de Picardie, Mannheimer Philharmoniker and the Duisburger Philharmoniker.
 
Upcoming appearances include a tour in North America, concerts with Le Consort, a performance with William Christie and Jordi Savall at the Philharmonie de Paris, a Vivaldi week-end at Radio France and a solo recital at the Valetta Baroque Festival in Malta, to name but a few.
 
Justin Taylor already has a comprehensive discography on Alpha Classics: “La Famille Rameau” (Choc de l’année from Classica magazine, and Exceptional by Scherzo Magazine), “La Famille Forqueray: Portrait(s)” (Gramophone Editor’s Choice and a Choc de l’année from Classica magazine), “Continuum” (devoted to Scarlatti and Ligeti). As gifted on fortepiano as harpsichord, Justin has released Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17. In 2018 he recorded a double album for Deutsche Grammophon’s “Bach 333: Harpsichord Works”. With Le Consort, Justin has released four albums on Alpha Classics: “Venez chère ombre” and “Royal Handel”, both with mezzo soprano Eva Zaïcik, “Opus 1” (Diapason d’Or award) and “Specchio Veneziano” with works by Reali and Vivaldi.
 
Ever since his childhood Justin Taylor has played both the piano and the harpsichord with passion, and he studied in Angers and Paris, at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris with Roger Muraro, Olivier Baumont and Blandine Rannou.