Christophe Rousset

During his youth in Aix-en-Provence, Christophe Rousset developed a passion for the Baroque aesthetic. At age 13 he decided to satisfy his keen interest in the discovery of the past through music, by taking up the harpsichord. At 21 he won the prestigious First Prize and Public Prize in the Seventh Bruges Harpsichord Competition (1983). At Aix he also developed his love for opera, which gave him his first strong emotions and still guide him in his work today.

Rousset’s performances as a harpsichordist soon attracted the attention of the international press as well as record companies. He became a member of Les Arts Florissants, then Il Seminario Musicale, before embarking on a career as a music director, He formed his own ensemble, Les Talens Lyriques, in 1991.

With engagements at the world’s Baroque festivals, numerous recordings and film soundtracks, Rousset established his reputation within a few season as a talented and industrious young director, a determined discoverer of original scores, a soloist and chamber musician always at his peak, and a patient and tireless teacher.

His various projects lead him to explore European music of the 17th and 18th centuries, including operas, cantatas, oratorios, sonatas, symphonies, concertos and suites. His many recordings include the complete harpsichord works of Couperin, Rameau, d’Anglebert and Forqueray, and his interpretation of a wide range of works by J. S. Bach is highly regarded.

Christophe Rousset is a Commandeur des Arts et Lettres, and Chevalier dans l’Ordre National du Mérite.