Biography
Inspired by the Priests—a Northern Irish classical trio of Catholic priests who achieved massive popularity across Western Europe in 2008—Les Prêtres, a French group, have issued multiple albums that reached the summit of the charts. The ensemble, formed in Gap, capital of southeastern France’s Hautes-Alpes department, brought together priests Le Père Jean Michel Bardet and Le Père Charles Troesch alongside seminarian Dinh Nguyen Nguyen. Working with the TF1 label, the trio issued its debut full-length album, Spiritus Dei, in 2010; proceeds from its sales supported charitable causes, and the project held the top position on the French charts for several consecutive weeks. Florent Bidoyen produced the record, which featured both sacred pieces such as “Ave Marie” and “Amazing Grace” and secular standards including Jacques Brel’s “Quand On N’a Que l’Amour” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Although Spiritus Dei enjoyed strong commercial performance, reviewers frequently criticized it for closely mirroring the Priests’ self-titled 2008 debut, a Top Ten success throughout much of Western Europe outside France. Even so, the 2011 follow-up Gloria nearly matched that achievement by spending five weeks at number one in France, while the group’s third album, Amen, arrived in mid-2014 and occupied the top spot for two weeks.
Albums
