La Néréide

The early music ensemble La Néréide has an unusual specialty: music for three equal voices. The group has appeared in France and, with its debut recording in 2023, began to attract attention abroad. La Néréide was founded in 2019 by sopranos Camille Allérat, Julie Roset, and Ana Vieira Leite. All were students at the time at the Haute École de musique de Genève in Switzerland, and their aim was to showcase Baroque-period music for equal voices. The name La Néréide refers to the Nereids, sea nymphs of Greek mythology who are daughters of Nereus, possibly the Old Man of the Sea in Homer's Odyssey. The group uses the singular form of the name La Néréide to emphasize its unity as a group. La Néréide does not include instrumentalists but instead features appropriate players in its performances and concerts. The trio attracted critical praise for its performances in Avignon, France, and Namur, Belgium. La Néréide, as of late 2023, offered a pair of programs. One was devoted to the late 16th century composer Luzzasco Luzzaschi, who was active at the musically progressive court of Ferrara and wrote music for a secret trio of female singers maintained by the Duke of Ferrara. Concerts could be attended only by personal invitation of the Duke. Some of Luzzaschi's compositions for this venue were finally published in 1601, and La Néréide attempts to present them in a facsimile of the original conditions under which they would have been heard, accompanied by a harpsichord (which would originally have been played by Luzzaschi) as well as a viol, harp, and lute, played by the group members themselves. This program was recorded in 2023 for the Ricercar label under the title Il concerto segreto ("The Secret Concert"). As of late 2023, La Néréide had plans to perform at the Théâtre Grévin in Paris, the Opéra de Dijon, and the MA Festival in Bruges, Belgium. They also were serving as artists-in-residence at the Fondation Singer-Polignac in Paris. La Néréide's other program was entitled Les petites françaises; it focused on French Baroque composer Jean-Baptiste Lully and his largely forgotten pupil Jean-François Lalouette and was again accompanied by instruments typically used at the time: organ, viola da gamba, and archlute. That program was slated to be recorded by the group in 2024.
© James Manheim /TiVo