Ensemble Leviathan

Ensemble Leviathan presents both traditional concerts and multidisciplinary projects focused on specific aspects of Baroque music. The group records for the Harmonia Mundi label. Ensemble Leviathan was created in 2015 by recorder player and Baroque oboist Lucile Tessier, who remains the group's artistic director. The ensemble is made up of young professional musicians who state their goal as the exploration of the expressiveness of Baroque music and the effort to share it with a wide audience. The other members as of 2022 were viola da gamba player Julie Dessaint, mezzo-soprano Claire Bournez, soprano Eugénie Lefebvre, harpsichordists Loris Barrucand and Mathieu Valfré, baritone David Witczak, Baroque violinist Anaëlle Blanc-Verdin, and theorbist and guitarist Pierre Rinderknecht. Since its inception, the group has offered thematic programs; the first of these was devoted to 17th century English stage music and grew from Tessier's research. All of Ensemble Leviathan's activities are undergirded by detailed musicological investigations, yet they are highly attuned to the emotions and the tenor of the music presented. Soon, Ensemble Leviathan was attracting bookings in such prestigious Paris venues as the early 18th century Hôtel de Soubise and the Petit Palais art museum. The ensemble has been highly visible at Festivals around France, including the Festival de Pontoise, Festival Baroque de Tarentaise, the Musicales de Normandie, and Voce Humana. The group has also appeared at the Ars Ramovš festival in Slovenia. In addition to its English theater program, Ensemble Leviathan has also developed presentations centered on Italian Baroque repertory, Handel, and French music of the 18th century, collaborating on multimedia productions as well as presenting the music in concert. The ensemble served as resident artists at the Immediat Embaroquement festival in Valenciennes, France, in 2020. Signed to the Harmonia Mundi label, Ensemble Leviathan released its debut album, Music for Lady Louise, in 2022. The album included music by John Blow, Purcell, Lully, and Matthew Locke and focused on the cultural milieu surrounding Louise de Penancoët de Kéroualle, or Lady Louise, a spy employed by Louis XIV who became the mistress of King Charles II of England.
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