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| Ensemble Ars Nova | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ensemble Ars Nova |
| Origin | Paris, France |
| Genres | Early music, contemporary music |
| Years active | 1970s–present |
Ensemble Ars Nova is a vocal and instrumental ensemble based in Paris known for pioneering performances of medieval and contemporary repertoires and for collaborations across European and American musical institutions. The group has been associated with major festivals, conservatories, and recording labels while engaging composers, conductors, and musicologists from a wide range of cultural institutions. Its activity intersects with the histories of early music revival, contemporary composition, and international touring circuits.
Founded in the 1970s amid debates in Paris Conservatoire, the ensemble emerged during renewed interest in Gregorian chant, Guillaume de Machaut, Josquin des Prez, and historically informed performance promoted by figures in Early music revival movements. Early directors drew on research from Centre de Musique Médiévale de Paris, collaboration with scholars from École pratique des hautes études and contacts at Bibliothèque nationale de France to stage programs that connected Medieval music manuscripts with modern compositional practices. Throughout the 1980s the group engaged with ensembles such as Les Arts Florissants and conductors affiliated with Orchestre de Paris, while participating in festivals like Festival d'Avignon and Aix-en-Provence Festival. In the 1990s and 2000s, the ensemble expanded contacts with institutions including BBC Proms, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, and universities such as University of Oxford and Harvard University to develop research-informed performances and new commissions.
The ensemble's repertoire spans works by composers linked to Notre-Dame school, Perotin, Leonin, and later Renaissance figures such as Palestrina and Orlando di Lasso, as well as 20th- and 21st-century composers including Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Boulez, Iannis Xenakis, Luciano Berio, Henri Dutilleux, György Ligeti, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Arvo Pärt, John Tavener, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt, and Kaija Saariaho. Stylistically the group bridges modal polyphony, isorhythmic techniques popularized by Machaut, and spectral or minimal approaches associated with IRCAM and Spectral music. Performances often integrate period instruments related to Medieval lute, harpsichord traditions, and modern electronics influenced by research at Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique and collaborations with studios at Miller Theatre.
Ars Nova has presented concerts at major venues including Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Salle Pleyel, Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall, Teatro alla Scala, Opéra National de Paris, and on festival circuits such as Glyndebourne Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Salzburg Festival, Tanglewood Festival, and Lucerne Festival. Their tours have connected France with performances across United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and Australia, often in partnership with institutions like Alliance Française, British Council, and Goethe-Institut.
The ensemble's discography includes recordings on labels associated with historically informed performance and contemporary music such as Erato Records, Harmonia Mundi, EMI Classics, Deutsche Grammophon, Naxos Records, ECM Records, Decca Records, Virgin Classics, and independent presses tied to Les Disques du Crépuscule. Notable releases feature compilations of medieval motets linked to Codex Las Huelgas, settings of Machaut and Dufay, and contemporary cycles by Berio, Boulez, and Ligeti. Their recordings have been reviewed in publications like The New York Times, Le Monde, The Guardian, Gramophone (magazine), and BBC Music Magazine.
Leadership over the years has included directors and conductors trained at institutions such as Conservatoire de Paris, Royal College of Music, Juilliard School, and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Soloists and instrumentalists associated with the ensemble have come from backgrounds tied to Les Talens Lyriques, Academy of Ancient Music, Concerto Köln, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and contemporary ensembles including Ensemble InterContemporain, Kronos Quartet, and Ensemble Modern. Musicological advisors and resident composers have been affiliated with Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Collège de France, and departments at Sorbonne University.
Ars Nova has commissioned works from composers connected to institutions like IRCAM, Centre National de Création Musicale, Norton Concerts, and festivals such as Festival Présences and Donaueschingen Festival. Collaborative projects have involved directors from Robert Wilson, choreographers associated with Pina Bausch, visual artists who exhibited at Centre Pompidou, and filmmakers screened at Cannes Film Festival. Joint ventures with ensembles including Les Arts Florissants, Ensemble InterContemporain, Hilliard Ensemble, Fretwork, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, and orchestras like London Symphony Orchestra and Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra have produced staged oratorio, chamber opera, and multimedia productions.
The ensemble's work has earned awards and nominations from bodies such as Gramophone Awards, Victoire de la Musique, Diapason d'Or, BBC Music Magazine Awards, and honors from cultural ministries including Ministry of Culture (France), arts councils like Arts Council England, and municipal cultural prizes from City of Paris. Critical recognition has also come from institutions such as Académie Charles Cros and listings in year-end surveys by The New Yorker and Le Figaro.
Category:Early music ensembles Category:French musical groups