The ensemble Les Accents, founded and directed by the French violinist Thibault Noally at the Festival de Beaune in July 2014, is dedicated to championing the vocal and instrumental repertoires of the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly Italian sacred music.
Since its creation, the ensemble has performed at the Festival de Beaune, Festival de Froville, Festival de La Chaise-Dieu, Festival de Saint-Michel-en-Thiérache, Festival d’Auvers-sur-Oise, the Klangvokal Festival, the Paris Festival, the Chapelle Royale de Versailles and the Salle Gaveau.
For the 2017 edition of the Paris Festival, Les Accents successfully performed Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater and Nisi Dominus with the countertenor Tim Mead at the Sainte-Chapelle. The same year, they were the period-instrument ensemble featured at the Victoires de la Musique Classique on France 3 and France Musique, accompanying Philippe Jaroussky, Sonya Yoncheva and Lea Desandre.
Among the highlights of past seasons are a programme devoted to Pergolesi and Alessandro Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater with Véronique Gens and Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Arsenal de Metz, Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne), as well as the revival of Handel’s Rodrigo at the Theater an der Wien with a prestigious cast including Vivica Genaux, Emőke Baráth, Julia Lezhneva, Anthéa Pichanick and Emiliano Gonzalez Toro. In February 2020 they received unanimous critical acclaim for Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno at the Opéra de Montpellier.
Recent seasons have once again seen the ensemble surrounded by vocal stars: concerts with Julia Lezhneva at the Musikfest Bremenand with Carlo Vistoli at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées; performances of Rinaldo at the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, the Palau de la Música in Barcelona, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and the Beaune Festival; and Scarlatti’s Mitridate Eupatore at the Auditorium du Louvre and the Concertgebouw.
Most recently Les Accents has performed in Budapest, both at the Haydneum with a Bohemian programme dedicated to Muffat, Ziani, Buxtehude, Biber and Vivaldi, and at the Müpa Budapest with Tamerlano. They also performed Tamerlano at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid.
For the Aparté label, Les Accents have recorded three CDs that have been highly praised by critics and audiences alike: Venezia 1700, released in 2016; Oratorio, with mezzo-soprano Blandine Staskiewicz, released in 2018; and Bach and Co, released in 2019. Il Martirio di Santa Teodosia was released in 2020 to great acclaim.
Two albums were released in 2025: Hasse – Serpentes ignei in deserto, released by Erato / Warner Classics with five leading countertenors – Philippe Jaroussky, Jakub Józef Orliński, Bruno de Sá, Carlo Vistoli and David Hansen – alongside the soprano Julia Lezhneva; and the new recording of Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater with Emmanuelle de Negri and Paul Figuier, released by Alpha Classics.
