Concert by the Hantaï Trio

Until recently, these instruments were not widely performed and only taught by a handful of specialists. The Hantaï brothers found inspiration by listening to the great masters of the Baroque music revival: Gustav Leonhardt, the Kuijken brothers and others. They travelled to study with these famous musicians, some in Holland, some in Belgium, and began performing in concerts at a very young age. As time went on, they were invited to take part in more and more new projects with musicians such as G. Leonhardt, the Kuijken brothers with La Petite Bande, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Philippe Herreweghe, Jordi Savall and René Jacobs, forging strong ties with musicians of their generation in the process. While each has followed his own path, focusing on his favourite field, the brothers enjoy coming together to play the works they have loved since childhood.

Marc Hantaï studied under Barthold Kuijken at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels. He has performed with the finest Baroque orchestras, Le Concert des Nations, La Petite Bande, Collegium Vocale, La Chapelle Royale, Les Arts Florissants, The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Anima Eterna, under the direction of Jordi Savall, Sigiswald Kuijken, Gustav Leonhardt, Philippe Herreweghe, William Christie, Ton Koopman and Jos van Immerseel. He has played as a soloist or chamber musician in most festivals held in Europe, the United States, Brazil, Japan and Korea and regularly gives concerts with his brothers Jérôme (viola da gamba) and Pierre (harpsichord). He has made many recordings, including Couperin’s Les Nations with the Kuijken brothers, the Suite in B minor and J.S. Bach’s Musical Offering with Jordi Savall. Recently released by Mirare, a new recording of sonatas for flute and harpsichord by J.S. Bach with Pierre Hantaï on the harpsichord has received critical acclaim (Diapason d’Or, ffff de Telerama, “best recording” from Gramophone). He is a professor at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in Barcelona and at the Schola Cantorum in Basel.

Born in 1961, Jérôme Hantaï studied the viola da gamba with Wieland Kuijken at the Brussels Conservatory of Music. He also has a keen interest in old keyboard instruments, and historical pianos in particular. As a student, he began giving many concerts on the viola da gamba as well as on the piano, and collaborated with pioneers of the revival of early music, including Sigiswald Kuijken, René Jacobs and Jean-Claude Malgoire. He is part of the internationally renowned ensemble, Trio Hantaï, along with his brothers Marc (flute) and Pierre (harpsichord). Since 2001, Jérôme Hantaï has also been leading his own ensemble, Spes Nostra, and has played in the Trio Almaviva. Frequently solicited as a soloist, he performs throughout Europe, and the USA and travels to Asia for tours (China, India, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, Cambodia, and so on). Finally, he also spends much of his time teaching, at the CRR conservatory of music in Cergy-Pontoise, and giving Masterclasses. His vast collection of CD recordings includes an anthology of popular works by Beethoven, Trios by J. Haydn (Naïve), three volumes of Pièces with one and several viols by Marin Marais (Virgin Veritas), Fantazia by John Jenkins (Naïve/Ambronay), and Consort Music au temps de Shakespeare (Musicales Actes-Sud). All these recordings have received critical acclaim.

Pierre Hantaï was born in 1964 into a family of art lovers. During his childhood, he was drawn to painting but when he came across the music of Bach he realised that was the direction he wanted to take. Harpsichord recordings by Gustav Leonhardt made a lasting impression on him. He took his first steps in music at around the age of 10 and while he was still very young, he played with the outstanding personalities in the small world of early music, the Kuijken brothers, Gustav Leonhardt, Philippe Herreweghe and Jordi Savall. Meanwhile, along with his brothers and faithful friends, Hugo Reyne, Sébastien Marq, Marc Minkowski, François Fernandez, Ageet Zweistra and Philippe Pierlot, he founded several ensemble groups: The “Lous Landes Consort”, which won first prize in the Bruges Chamber Music Competition, and “Le Concert Français”, which was the first phase in what went on to become a chamber orchestra a few years later. He became known to a wider audience in 1993 when he recorded the Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach and received a string of accolades, including a Gramophone Award. He then began receiving invitations to perform all over the world. He often played and recorded Elizabethan repertoire (Bull, Byrd, Farnaby and others), as well as compositions by Bach and Couperin and spent a long time focused on the work of D. Scarlatti, of which he is recognised today as one of the most important performers. He enjoys being on stage with his musician friends, Jordi Savall, flautist Hugo Reyne, violinist Amandine Beyer, his brothers and other harpsichordists with whom he frequently collaborates: Skip Sempé, Olivier Fortin, Maude Gratton and Aapo Hakkinen. Although he is invited to conduct various chamber orchestras and to teach masterclasses in many countries, he most often appears as a solo performer. The coming year will see him play in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Japan, China and Taiwan.