Amours Amours Amours Lautenduos

The Schola Cantorum in Basel has long championed the imaginative exploration of early music, creating expertly-researched programmes and encouraging superbly-performed interpretations with a close attention also to the most appropriate recording conditions. Such was the case with Amours amours amours, a disc of lute duos starting from music composed in the fifteenth century, recorded in 2001 by Karl-Ernst Schröder and Crawford Young.

Madame d'amours is an enchanting and pleasingly varied collection of pieces performed for flute consort by The Attaignant Consort. The Consort was founded in 1998 by four graduates (from Australia, France, the Netherlands and Italy) of the Royal Conservatorium in The Hague. Having studied historical flute performance practice under Barthold Kuijken and/or Wilbert Hazelzet, these experts (they also work with such renowned groups as Les Musiciens du Louvre, Freiburger Barockorchester and Musica Antiqua Köln – amongst others) also pursue their passion for the sound world of the Renaissance flute in collaboration with Italian flute maker, Giovanni Tardino. The premise of all concerned is that such consort music aspired to a closeness to the patterns and intonations of the human voice. This was (and is, here) achieved by careful attention to instrumental articulation, expressiveness and dynamic shading. The Attaignant Consort likes to play with facsimiles of the original parts in preference to scores; and from memory whenever possible. For this recording the Consort is joined by harpist Marta Graziolino, lutanist Nigel North and flautist Mathieu Langlois.

Dix ans après la parution du « Guide des amours plurielles » (Pocket) le polyamour est devenu un sujet de prédilection dans les medias, les livres et les films.
Désormais, aimer plusieurs personnes ne semble plus impossible, mais cela reste difficile tant ce mode de vie exige de s’affranchir du mythe de l’Amour unique et pour la vie, du couple comme seul horizon affectif, de la peur du regard des autres et de bien d’autres habitudes. …

Jean Japart remains one of the great unknowns of the Franco-Flemish school of the late 15th century, despite the fact that his music contains unexpected turns, daring harmony and bold movement structures. All that we know about Japart´s life is that he was employed for a certain period (1447-1480?) at the court in Ferrara. He must have been well-known during his lifetime as the great Josquin de Prez honours him in a personal motet lamenting his death.

A composer admired by his contemporaries, Josquin Desprez (ca 1450-1521) was a solitary artist who sublimated in his chansons the melancholy character and the elegance emblematic of the Renaissance. For their first recording, Dulces Exuviae explore the intimacy of these chansons in a fresh light: the sweet melodies are embellished by ornaments and accompanied on the lute, leaving ample room for improvisation, and thus allowing music to come out all the more alive, delicate and filled with emotion. The ensemble Dulces Exuviae is baritone Romain Bockler and lutenist Bor Zuljan.

This release features a program of Cantatas by Clerambault and Rameau, two of the greatest of all French Baroque composers. American Tenor Zachary Wilder joins with Les Bostonades, a world-class period instrument ensemble based in Boston. American tenor Zachary Wilder is recognized for his work in repertoire from the 17th and 18th centuries and is sought after on both the concert and operatic stages on both sides of the Atlantic.

Un aspect important d’un grand compositeur de la Renaissance, servi par des interprètes parfaitement rodés à ce répertoire et à l’esprit de l’époque : une belle réussite.

Les amours de Ragonde (The Loves of Ragonde, original title: Le mariage de Ragonde et de Colin ou La Veillée de Village) is an opera in three acts by Jean-Joseph Mouret with a libretto by Philippe Néricault Destouches. It was first performed at the Château de Sceaux in December, 1714. It is one of the first French comic operas.

These Parisian café tunes bring out the best in this stellar jazz singer, particularly on the opening title track. Accompanied by accordion, which introduces the song, Dee Dee Bridgewater takes you from Paris down to the French Riviera with a warm, slightly island sound as she sings en français. And she has no problem creating her soothing jazz pipes regardless of language. It's as if she's been influenced by the greats but also by the late Henry Mancini in terms of some of the arrangements. A cover of "La Mer (Beyond the Sea)" is a faster, up-tempo approach far different than the swinging version by Bobby Darin.