Auteurs

With this third part of the "Airs sérieux et à boire", the Arts Florissants return to the subtle genre that shaped the French musical landscape for more than a century.

English indie rock group Black Box Recorder formed in London in 1997 and featured Sarah Nixey, Luke Haines (of The Auteurs), and John Moore (of The Jesus and Mary Chain). Their debut album, England Made Me, was released on Chrysalis Records in 1998. The album was named after the eponymous Graham Greene novel and fuses indie rock and easy-listening pop stylings with lyrics that explore life and the experience of growing up in England.

Christophe Rousset, Les Talens Lyriques and Stéphane Degout - F. Couperin: Ariane consolée par Bacchus, Apothéoses de Lully & de Corelli: The genius of François Couperin (1668-1733) whispers precious secrets in Christophe Rousset's ear, which he reveals to us in this new recording. Here, the cantata Ariane consolée par Bacchusis unveiled in preview, served by a dream cast.

Les Kapsber’girls, an ensemble of four singers and instrumentalists directed by the lutenist Albane Imbs, has already released its debut album (Che fai tù?, released on Muso) which received several awards. The group now joins Alpha for several recordings, starting with Vous avez dit Brunettes? – ‘brunettes’ being the name of the chansons that lovers crooned in each others’ ears by the Bassin d’Apollon or among the groves of the Petit Trianon at Versailles Palace, undeniably light in character yet powerfully authentic.

Couperin is too easily seen as the tender, graceful and somewhat melancholy composer, whose soft-toned palette was the same as that which served the brush of Watteau. There was another Couperin who was a master of humour and whose claws were sharp. And yet another who was a musician involved in the aesthetic battles of this time and in the avant-garde.

If music be the food of love…With this second volume of airs sérieux and airs à boire, William Christie continues his exploration of this vast repertory of song settings of lyric and pastoral poetry, here focussing on such masters of the genre as Boesset, Moulinié, Lambert, and Le Camus. Presented by his expert team of singers and instrumentalists, these exquisite miniatures – amongst which is ingeniously interspersed Charpentier’s charming Pastoraletta – reveal all the nuances of the being in love. A delightful compendium enhanced by the superb artistry of the performers.

With "Cranekiss", Tamaryn emerges from her past efforts in a way that’s inviting, warm-blooded, and shockingly direct. She’s made a big record, loaded with samples, synth triggers and processing that was missing from her previous efforts, pressed into service of a post-adolescent love letter to all the music that she and her collaborators (Jorge Elbrecht of Violens and Lansing-Dreiden, Shaun Durkan of Weekend) hold dear. Her most personal collection of songs to date, Cranekiss represents a long journey, and a new phase in Tamaryn’s music unfolding before you, a blood-red kaleidoscope of desire and late night abandon.

The first part of the Douze Toccates by Hans Georg Nageli was published in Zurich in 1808; there was no second part.

Il y a des enregistrements qui s'imposent avec une telle évidence que toute critique parait inutile pour ne pas dire futile. Que dire encore de neuf à propos de cette rencontre entre un compositeur et son interprète ? Que le piano de Benedetti-Michelangeli est cristallin, pyrotechnique, que son clavier semble paré de toutes les nuances de couleurs les plus infimes ? Point de maniérismes déplacés, points de langueurs "début de siècle", mais une simplicité d'expression qui fait de Debussy un frère occidental des auteurs de haïkus japonais.

Trois ans après " Partout la musique vient ", son dernier album de chansons originales, Julien Clerc est de retour avec " A nos amours ", marqué par une collaboration inédite avec Calogero, qui a réalisé et arrangé entièrement ce nouvel album. Julien Clerc a toujours su s'entourer d'auteurs de talent pour l'écriture des textes qu'il met en musique. " A nos amours " n'échappe pas à la règle. On y retrouve notamment des textes de Brigitte Fontaine, Carla Bruni, Marc Lavoine, Maxime Le Forestier, et Vianney.