Les Surprises

The ensemble Les Surprises is a baroque and multifaceted ensemble, founded in 2010 on the initiative of Juliette Guignard, viola da gamba player, and Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas, organist and harpsichordist.
In borrowing its name from the opera ballet Les Surprises de l’Amour by Jean-Philippe Rameau, the group has placed its destiny under the lucky star of this composer, with the aim of exploring operatic music in all its shapes and forms!

By taking the ensembles artistic direction, Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas wishes to participate in the rediscovery of the baroque repertoire and its improvement with new interpretations but also to explore the richness of sounds offered by a baroque instrumentarium.
The work of the ensemble is anchored in a process of musicological and historical research. Indeed Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas endeavours to highlight scores that have never been released since the 18th century, thanks to music libraries such as Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF) or Bibliothèque de l’Opéra de Paris. Recent CDs Passion with Véronique Gens and Rameau chez la Pompadour are good examples of this intention.

Les Surprises recorded six discs for the Ambronay Editions label (Outhere distribution). All have received warm praises from the international and national press. The ensemble has begun a partnership with the Alpha Classics label in 2020: five discs will be released between 2020 and 2024. The ensemble also works with Harmonia Mundi; one disc has been released in 2022 and another in 2024 entitled The Experts: the Bach & Silbermann Dynasties.

Since the beginning of its activities, the ensemble performed on multiple stages and festivals all over Europe and worldwide: Opéra royal de Versailles, Opéra de Massy, Auditorium de Radio France, Opéra de Montpellier, Festival d’Ambronay, festival Sinfonia en Périgord, Festival de Saintes, Rencontres Musicales de Vézelay, Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci (Germany), Bozar Brussels (Belgium), Saint John’s Smith Square London (UK), Salle Bourgie (Montréal) and Beirut Chants Festival (Lebanon), Singapour.

The ensemble Les Surprises is ensemble in residency at the Cité-Musicale – Arsenal de Metz.

Les Surprises

Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas