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A lively overture from Die Fledermaus kicks off a program full of relief, thanks to the commitment of the performers but also to the naturalness and humor they bring to its presentation. Lively pieces, such as the famous Dance of the Hours from Ponchielli's Gioconda, a real delight, or, more rarely, the Entr'acte Sévillana from Massenet's Don César de Bazan, roundly conducted, are mixed with more peaceful but no less seductive pieces. With what art and what complicit breath the timbres of the four performers merge in the "Prayer to the Moon" from Rusalka, the Intermezzo from Suor Angelica or an excerpt from Goldmark's Queen of Sheba, during which Nicolas Châtelain's lyricism unfolds in the setting provided by his three partners: a moment of rare poetry in front of an audience that was ecstatic.
Alain Cochard, Concertclassic
"After chamber music, [...] the Quatuor Anches Hantées tackles the symphonic pages of the operatic repertoire. No arias, therefore, in this disc which aims to remind the importance of the orchestra in operas. [...] The challenge is risky, but it is partly won. One remains admiring in front of the flexibility and the balance of the whole, where none of the various clarinets (from the small to the bass) comes to take the top. Some arrangements bring a seductive light, like the Prelude of Act III of La Traviata, of a tender sensuality, or this sparkling extract of the too underestimated operetta Moscow, District of Cherries, by Shostakovich. [...] "
Augustin Javel, Classica
"A very original formation, four clarinetists who had the idea of putting their strengths together to create a very special repertoire."
Jean-François Zygel, Zygel Academy - France 2
"The elegance of the Anches Hantées Quartet is marvelous in Mozart's Quartet No. 15, unfolding fluid and homogeneous ribbons. In this work inaugurating the inner exploration of the Viennese master, the interpreters choose flexibility, mirroring the mobility of feelings. [...]
Bouncing syncopations, purity of sound and variety of articulations guide the interpretation of Beethoven's Quartet op 18 n°6 [...].
Les Anches Hantées sing and dance the Huit Esquisses by Philippe Hersant, the best part of this program. Organic and radiant, the four clarinets here expand their palette of timbres, summoning the listener into an evocative and poetic imaginary folklore."
Fabienne Bouvet, Classica
"The Anches Hantées Quartet demonstrates an extraordinary flexibility and bends to the most astonishing technical requirements, in transcriptions remarkably realized by Bertrand Hainaut, of string quartets by Mozart and Beethoven. [...] The Quartet KV 421 in D minor does not seem to be out of place in its new setting. Its character, often elegiac rather than tragic, where dark tones predominate, preserves intact the climate of interior solitude that is so characteristic of the score. [...]
Les Esquisses is one of Philippe Hersant's most welcome scores and undoubtedly the jewel of the album. [...]"
Patrick Szersnovicz, Diapason
"The name of the group says a lot about the four clarinetists' sense of humor, but they also have a knack for delighting audiences at each of their concerts with programs that are as entertaining as they are lively."
Rolando Villazon, Stars von Morgen - Arte
"[...] With their sensitivity and their homogeneous and warm tones [...] similar to those of the string quartet, the four comparses prove that this classical repertoire (Mozart and Beethoven quartets, editor's note) suits them perfectly. [...] Philippe Hersant composed Huit Esquisses for them, which they premiered in 2018 under the composer's watchful ear. These miniatures invite us into a universe that is sometimes disturbing, sometimes enigmatic, sometimes sunny, exploiting their timbres and virtuosity. [...]
Nathalie Niervèze, ClassiqueMaisPasHasBeen.fr
"A certain French Wagnerism is also heard, notably in the Romance for clarinet quartet, an original formation where the Quatuor Anches Hantées shines. [...]"
Wanderer
"The two transcriptions by Bertrand Hainaut are masterful: it seems that Mozart and Beethoven conceived their works for clarinets; we fully enjoy the different sounds and possibilities of these instruments, both known and unknown. Our four clarinetists, all virtuosos, transmit the joy and the desire to play, surprise us with unexpected expressions, seduce us with their permanent mutual dialogue. Such a beautiful CD will do honor to one's record library."
Victoria Tomoko Okada , TouteLaCulture.com
"[...] the Festival (Besançon International Music Festival, editor's note) did not forget the opera lovers, who found their happiness at the Granvelle courtyard with Les Anches Hantées, a unique quartet of clarinettists, who interpreted a resplendent program around great opera arias from Mozart to Offenbach and Puccini, but without diva. [...]"
Jean-François Schiby, L'Est Républicain
"...] the four clarinets of Les Anches Hantées draw from the operatic repertoire. La Traviata blends emotion and depth of mood, and the Intermezzo from Puccini's Suor Angelica, with its suspended arpeggios, is just as captivating. If the famous Bacchanal from Samson et Dalila by Saint-Saëns allows us to savor the virtuosity of the sopranos, the dialogues with the bass and the astonishing basset horn, we also discover with pleasure The Queen of Sheba by Goldmark. Khatchaturian's rousing Galop concludes with humor and glee."
Michèle Fizaine, Midi-Libre
Biography
In its third decade, the Quatuor Anches Hantées combines youth, experience and artistic maturity.
The QAH has made and found its place, positioning itself as a true bridge between requirement, tradition and movement, meetings and modernity.
Fanny M, created and recorded in the fall of 2022, will easily cohabit with Strauss&Co, which will also be created this season (with classical and hip hop dancers); and it is the success of the QAH to find the balance between a dense program (often thought of as intended for music lovers) and a more open and eclectic form (for the general public) and to make them permeable. The QAH reaches out to all audiences, blending them together to create the audience of tomorrow.
No more scruples about borrowing repertoire, the QAH has turned this page. The repertoire of the QAH belongs to it, it is a lever, a tool to express itself.
22/23 will continue to be open to all audiences and will be ever more inclusive. This season will nevertheless mark the beginning of a new era with these two nascent programs that will blossom over the next few seasons and will see the emergence of the foundations of an exciting creation to come, based on The Little Prince.