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Jonathan Cohen embarks on his tenure as Music Director of the Quebec City chamber orchestra Les Violins du Roy.

As part of their swing through some of America’s top concert halls, Isabelle Faust joined Les Violons du Roy to bring Bach and Handel to Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The Canadian chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy, using baroque bows on metal strings at modern pitch, came to Walt Disney Concert Hall, backing Alexandre Tharaud on a big beautiful Steinway.

Handel's Solomon is given a revelatory performance by an all-star cast of principles, La Chapelle de Québec and the Violons du Roy under the direction of Bernard Labadie.

In Montreal Richard Turp discovers a modern-day Pied Piper of Hamelin, Maurice Steger in music of 18th century Naples accompanied by Les Violons du Roy 

A concert of music by Rameau and Gluck featuring Bernard Labadie and his Violons du Roy provided respite from a cold winter’s night in Montreal.

Stephanie Blythe appeared in recital with Les Violons du Roy Saturday evening at the Maison Symphonique de Montréal, the second stop in a seven-city tour that the renowned mezzo-soprano is taking with the ensemble this fall. Blythe performed Haydn’s infrequently heard cantata Arianna a Naxos and favorite arias from Handel’s Giulio Cesare.

Saturday night’s performance of Handel’s oratorio Theodora at La Maison Symphonique in Montréal was magnificent, probably the best concert I’ve seen this season. Les Violons du Roy, La Chapelle de Québec, as well as a handful of soloists from Québec and England, all under the masterful direction of Bernard Labadie, brought this somewhat obscure work vividly to life.

The second in the Proms Saturday Matinee series featured French Baroque music from the period of Louis XIV, performed by Les 24 Violons du Roy and conducted by Roger Norrington. Interestingly, there was some common ground with the Concert Spirituel concert I reviewed earlier in the Proms season in that they were both projects attempting to recreate 18th-century orchestras.

An outstanding lineup of soloists joined Bernard Labadie at Carnegie Hall Sunday for a performance of J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion. Hearing Labadie conduct his own ensemble Les Violons du Roy and the chamber choir La Chapelle de Québec with such a superb group of soloists was truly a treat indeed.