Les deux plateaux , Daniel Buren, sculpture in situ, 1985-86, cour d’honneur du Palais Royal, cliché Alvaro Yañez

At the end of his life, le chevalier de Saint George conducted an orchestra named Le Cercle de l’Harmonie. As its director in the former Palais Boubons-Orléans, today Palais Royal, he performed major works of his time.

Reviving this name in 2005 during the Deauville festival, Jérémie Rhorer, conductor and composer, and
Julien Chauvin, violinist, decided to gather their ideal group of players to perform symphonic and lyrical repertoire from the end of the 18th century.
Their identity is strongly linked to masterpieces by Mozart’s and Haydn, but they are also captivated by the French repertoire from the end of Ancien Régime (18th century) to 1830.

Among the first productions of the orchestra we can cite : Idomeneo, Le Nozze di Figaro, Cosi fan tutte, Mozart’s Requiem and symphonies, Joseph Haydn’s l’Infedeltà delusa and Extravaganza in Eszterháza, Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice, L’Amant Jaloux by Grétry, a programme around Hérold’s Zampa, Fra Diavolo by Auber… and several vocal recitals with Diana Damrau, Philippe Jaroussky, Mireille Delunsch, Maria Riccarda Wesseling and Sophie Karthäuser. In the coming months, Le Cercle de l’Harmonie will perform Mozart’s Thamos, c-minor Mass, Solemn vespers and Don Giovanni, sacred stories oratorios by Rigel and Le Froid de Méreaux : La Sortie d’Egypte & Samson, Lodoïska by Cherubini, the first Beethoven, le Dixit Dominus by Haendel and Bach’s Magnificat, Mozart’s Divertimenti et concerti. For three seasons beginning in 2011, le Cercle de l’Harmonie will be principal guest of the Theatre des Champs-Elysées’ Mozart festival and will perform three staged operas Idomeneo, Cosi fan tutte and Don Giovanni. The Aix-en-Provence Festival has invited Le Cercle de l’Harmonie to perform Le Nozze di Figaro in 2012 .

Several festivals and institutions played a major part in the development of the orchestra, starting with the Festival International de Musique Baroque de Beaune followed by La Chaise-Dieu, Jeanine Roze Productions, le Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, le Théâtre National de l’Opéra-Comique, le Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, le Festival International d’Aix-en-Provence, L’Opéra de Lyon, Le Capitole de Toulouse, la MC2 Grenoble, le Festival de l’Abbaye de Lessay, l’Opéra de Besançon, Düsseldorfer Tonhalle, Bremen Musikfesten in Oldenburg, Bremerhaven, Bilbao and Valladolid auditoriums, MA festival in Brugge and the Palazzetto Bru Zane Foundation in Venice.
Le Cercle de l’Harmonie built a partnership with Les éléments choir for their vocal and operatic productions.

Le Cercle de l’Harmonie has actively recorded both audio and video : with Virgin Classics, they have already recorded two recitals with Diana Damrau featuring opera arias by Mozart, Salieri and Righini. The first release in 2008 was highly praised : Timbre de Platine (Opéra magazine), Diapason d’or Arte, Grand Prix Gramophone, 10 de Répertoire, 10 best recordings of the year selected by The New York Times, ffff de Télérama, Preis der deutschen Kritik.. Another Mozart recording Salzburg 1773 was published in 2009, presenting three symphonies n°25, 26 and 29 ; a third one featured concerti by Joseph Haydn and Leopold Hofmann, led by three soloists of the orchestra, and was released by Eloquentia. At the end of 2009 a new recording of rare arias by J.C. Bach with Philippe Jaroussky was released by Virgin Classics. At the same time the programme « Extravaganza in Eszterháza », our tribute to Joseph Haydn, will be released on DVD, available for download and broadcast by Mezzo.

At the end of 2009, Arte channel shoots a 52 min documentary on the Grétry days organised by the Centre de musique baroque in Versailles which goes with the broadcasting by Mezzo of l’Amant Jaloux performance at the Versailles Royal Opera.

Le Cercle de l’Harmonie is in residence in Deauville and membre of Fevis, it is supported by Fondation Orange and Swiss Life group.