Poulenc: Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël Ensemble Aedes & Mathieu Romano

• Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963): Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël, FP 152:
• 1 Poulenc: Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël, FP 152: I. O magnum mysterium 02:49
• 2 Poulenc: Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël, FP 152: II. Quem vidistis pastores dicite 02:12
• 3 Poulenc: Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël, FP 152: III. Videntes stellam 02:53
• 4 Poulenc: Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël, FP 152: IV. Hodie Christus natus est 02:05
• Total Runtime 09:59

Info for Poulenc: Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël

These exquisite miniatures paint four colourful scenes from the nativity in Bethlehem. “O magnum mysterium” is the most profound: slow and harmoniously austere. It grows in intensity towards the final repetition of the main text, over an intimate verse praising the Virgin Mary.

‘Quem vidistis’ is a cantilena accompanied by a searching eighth-note movement; in contrast, the imperative ‘Speak and proclaim the birth of Christ’ is a trumpet blast worthy of the angels of the Annunciation themselves.

The crystalline refrain of ‘Videntes stellam’ is reminiscent of a quiet, starry night through which the kings travel with burgeoning excitement: this reaches its climax when they enter the stable and present their gifts.

In the final motet, ‘Hodie Christus natus est’, the faithful respond with exuberance to the news: ‘Gloria in excelsis Deo’.

Ensemble Aedes
Mathieu Romano, conductor

Ensemble Aedes
Considered “one of the best choirs in France” (Le Figaro), capable of “doing everything, singing and playing to perfection” (Le Monde), Aedes ranks among the great European ensembles, acclaimed for the precision and intensity of its performances.

Founded in 2005 by Mathieu Romano, the seventeen-voice ensemble has forged, under his direction, a unique sound—precise, visceral, and powerful—with a vibrant energy that goes straight to the heart.

From Renaissance music to contemporary creation, and including forays into other musical worlds, Aedes loves to surprise, invent, and blur boundaries: dance, theater, and visual arts blend with singing, constantly opening new horizons.

A regular guest on the most prestigious French and European stages, Aedes also partners with renowned orchestras in the performance of masterpieces of the choral repertoire. Its extensive discography, primarily dedicated to 20th and 21st-century music, has garnered numerous awards.

Based in the Hauts-de-France region, recognized as a "cultural resource center" in the Somme department, and in residence at the Atelier Lyrique de Tourcoing, Aedes places the transmission of knowledge at the heart of its mission. The ensemble trains the choral conductors of tomorrow, performs for diverse audiences, and raises awareness of vocal performance among students and teachers.

During the 2025/2026 season, Aedes celebrates its 20th anniversary with two flagship projects: the release of the complete a cappella works of Francis Poulenc (Aparté) and a major tour of its "Résonances" program, which retraces twenty years of an extraordinary choral adventure.

Aedes receives support from the Ministry of Culture – Hauts-de-France Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs as part of its grant program for subsidized companies. It is supported by the Hauts-de-France Region and the Somme Departmental Council as part of the "Pôle culturel ressource" (Cultural Resource Center) program. It is also in residence at the Atelier Lyrique de Tourcoing.

The Société Générale Corporate Foundation is the ensemble's principal sponsor. Aedes receives support from the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation and grants from the Centre National de la Musique (National Music Center).

Aedes is in residence at the Singer-Polignac Foundation as an associate artist. It is the 2009 recipient of the Bettencourt Prize for Choral Singing, a member of FEVIS, Scène Ensemble, and Tenso (the European network of professional chamber choirs).

Mathieu Romano
places expressiveness and shared experience at the heart of his conducting: uniting the musicians in a common emotion to better convey it to the audience.

Nourished by historical research but geared towards a vibrant and intense interpretation, his approach always illuminates the meaning and emotional power of the musical texts.

He works equally well with voices and orchestras; this versatility, his intimate knowledge of the voice, as well as the clarity of his gestures and his attentive listening, allow him to be as at home on stage as in the opera pit.

A personality in perpetual search of new experiences, his repertoire thus extends from Baroque music to contemporary works. He also regularly undertakes transdisciplinary projects: real-time electronic music, film concerts, musical theatre, site-specific performances…

In recent seasons, he has collaborated with orchestras and ensembles such as Les Siècles, the Paris Chamber Orchestra, L’Itinéraire, the Lille National Orchestra, the Yellow Socks Orchestra, the Pays de la Loire National Orchestra, the Genoa Opera Orchestra, the French Republican Guard Symphony Orchestra, Les Frivolités Parisiennes, the Radio France Choir, the RIAS Chamber Choir, and the Netherlands Chamber Choir.

In the field of opera, he has conducted, among other works, Breaking the Waves (Mazzoli) at the Opéra-Comique, Don Giovanni (Mozart) at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and this season he is conducting Orpheus in the Underworld (Offenbach) at the Paris Conservatory (CNSMD) and Noah's Ark (Britten) at the Atelier Lyrique de Tourcoing with Les Siècles.

With Aedes, which he founded and directs, he performs in major concert seasons. This ensemble and its extensive discography are acclaimed by both audiences and critics.

For his achievements as an artist, he was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2020.

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