This double album is dedicated to the Six Sonatas for violin and harpsichord obligate BWV 1014—1019 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Composed between 1718 and 1722, probably during the years Bach spent at the court of Köthen, these works occupy a central place in his chamber music catalog. They are distinguished by a writing in three voices divided between the violin and the keyboard, the harpsichord holding both the upper two voices and the bass, according to a fully developed contrapuntal principle.

The recording brings together the Le Stagioni ensemble with Liv Heym on violin, Paolo Zanzu on harpsichord and fortepiano, and Christophe Coin on viola da gamba. The six sonatas are presented in their various known versions, including alternative versions of Sonata No. 6 in G major BWV 1019. The viola da gamba is added in some sonatas according to indications from 18th century handwritten sources, in order to double the keyboard bass.

The interpretation is based on the use of several historical instruments or faithful copies of 18th century German instruments, chosen according to the character of each sonata. The keyboards include harpsichords inspired by Michael Mietke, the Silbermann family, and Hamburg builders, and a fortepiano after Gottfried Silbermann. The recording was made between Berlin and Auxerre in 2021 and 2022. The texts of the booklet are signed by Paolo Zanzu.

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Heavenly Songs is a program dedicated to the Missa Sabato by Nicholas Ludford (c. 1490—1557), an English composer active mainly in Westminster in the early 16th century. This mass is part of the Lady Masses cycle dedicated to the Virgin Mary, preserved in a unique manuscript in the British Library (Royal Appendix 45—48). These works are based on cantus firmi called squares and are built according to the principle of alternatim, alternating measured monodic sections and three-voice polyphonies.

La Missa Sabato is distinguished by the use of a single square serving as a common thread throughout the score, whose melodies have not been identified in any other musical source. The rhythmic treatment varies according to the parts of the mass, especially in Kyrie, where three different measurement systems are used. The Creed, the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei take up and paraphrase these melodic materials according to a rhetorical logic linked to liturgical texts, in particular around the Trinity and Marian theology.

The interpretation selected in this recording is based on improvisation practices documented in the Renaissance, in particular singing on the book and the use of organetto. The monodic sections are enriched by counterpoints made using historical techniques such as two-voice discants, three-voice Faburden, and concerted counterpoint. The program is completed by English carols and paraliturgical pieces from the 13th to the 15th centuries, testifying to musical continuity between the end of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in England. The album is performed by the La Quintina ensemble, under the direction of Jérémie Couleau, and was recorded in April 2019 at Loc-Dieu Abbey.

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L'Ivre is a musical project built around texts from three major corpora of spiritual and poetic literature: the Song of Songs, the Rubâi'yat by Djalâl ad-Din Rûmî and the Kamasutra attributed to Vâtsyayana. The program is based on religious, mystical, and dogmatic texts, exploring the links between carnal love, poetic intoxication, and spiritual quest. The sources cover a variety of periods and cultural areas, ranging from the ancient Near East to medieval Sufi Persia and ancient India.

The project takes the form of an oratorio for the living, in which the texts are set to music through vocal and instrumental intertwining. The pieces address nature, earthly pleasures, the relationship between the human and the divine, as well as the tension between ecstasy, desire, and finitude. The French translations used in the program are those by Patrick Calame for the Song of Songs, by Eva de Vitray-Meyerovitch and Djamchid Mortazavi for the Rubâi'yat, and by Frédéric Boyer and Alain Daniélou for the Kâmasûtra, and by Frédéric Boyer and Alain Daniélou for the Kâmasûtra, as indicated in the booklet.

The recording is performed by a trio composed of Julie Azoulay singing and composing, Jérémie Schacre on classical, electric and flamenco guitars, and Thomas Bourgeois on zarb and percussion. The album was recorded in July 2020 at La Citerne and at the Saint-Vincent Church in Les Baux-de-Provence. Production is provided by Paraty, with sound recording and mastering by Christian Gaszczuk.

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O Sidera is an a cappella vocal program performed by the Irini Ensemble, founded in 2014 by Lila Hajosi, who is in charge of its direction and arrangements. The disc compares Roland de Lassus's Prophetiae Sibyllarum, composed around 1555, and liturgical songs from the tradition of Constantinople. The entire program is part of a reflection on Christian mysticism and the Mystery of the Incarnation.

The Prophetiae Sibyllarum are based on texts attributed to ancient sibyls, figures integrated into medieval Christian thought as heralds of the coming of Christ. These works are associated with Byzantine pieces such as the Cheruvikon, the Agni Parthene by Saint Nektarios of Aegina, presented in arrangements by Lila Hajosi, excerpts from The Akathist to the Mother of God, and the Polyeleos from the Liturgy of Constantinople.

The recording is performed by the Irini Ensemble as a mixed vocal quintet, with Eulalia Fantova, mezzo-soprano, Julie Azoulay, contralto, Benoît-Joseph Meier, tenor, Guglielmo Buonsanti, bass, and Alessandro Ravasio, bass, and Alessandro Ravasio, bass. The program offers musical continuity between the Western Renaissance and the Byzantine tradition, in an approach centered on the voice and the liturgical dimension.

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The Lady of My Dreams takes as its starting point the figure of Dulcinea, as she appears in the Don Quixote songs by Alexandre Arnoux and Jacques Ibert (1932). The program explores how many French composers, from the 1830s to the 1930s, imagined Spain through a vision often associated with Andalusia, while integrating other regions such as Old Castile, Extremadura, and Murcia. The musical career is based on works by composers such as Henri Collet, Federico García Lorca, Emiliana de Zubeldía, Raoul Laparra and Jacques Ibert.

The tracks that open and close the program come from field recordings collected by the ethnomusicologist Manuel García Matos. The absence of scores highlights the importance of oral tradition, which is a central focus of the project. The compositions are inspired by popular songs and dances, implying a freedom of interpretation linked to the constant evolution of these musical forms.

The repertoire mobilizes dance rhythms such as habanera, bolero, bolero, seguidilla, seguidilla, and jaleo, as well as the so-called Andalusian scale and pace. Guitar figures play an important role, alongside the harpsichord, which adds a specific color while maintaining the harmonic richness of the piano. The voice explores a wide range of affects and ranges. The program is performed by Guilhem Worms and Camille Delaforge, accompanied by Ronald Martin Alonso.

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Of Grief and the Divine is a program devoted to 17th century English verse anthems by Matthew Locke (1621—1677) and John Blow (1649—1708). These works, written for solo voices, vocal ensemble and basso continuo, are part of the liturgy of the Anglican Church at the time of the Restoration. The verse anthem is based on the alternation of solo sections and choral passages, with instrumental accompaniment, allowing a direct link between musical writing and biblical text.

The program brings together anthems based on texts from the scriptures, addressing themes related to contrition, repentance, hope, and grace. The selected works bear witness to the political, religious and social context of mid-17th century England, marked by the Civil War, the Commonwealth, the Monarchical Restoration, the plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of London of 1666. The pieces by Locke and Blow illustrate the evolution of the verse anthem, integrating elements from the anthem consort, concerto music, and English liturgical traditions.

The recording is performed by Ensemble Cosmos. The vocal soloists are Morgane Collomb and Alice Kamenezky, sopranos, Sopranos, Damien Ferrante, countertenor, Paco Garcia and Richard Golian, tenors, and Maxime Saïu, bass baritone. The basso continuo is provided by Justin Glaie on viola da gamba and Loris Barrucand on the positive organ and the virginal. The recording was made in November 2020 at the Saint-Pierre de Montmartre church in Paris.

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The Assunzione della Beata Vergine is an oratorio by Alessandro Scarlatti composed on a libretto by Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni and created in Rome on 1 April 1703. The book features, without chorus, four symbolic characters — Sposo, Sposa, Amore and Eternità — who dialogue around the mystery of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, through a succession of recitatives, arias, duets and sinfonias divided into two parts.

The work is based on solo vocal writing for two sopranos and two violas, combined with an instrumental ensemble composed of strings and a developed basso continuo. The oratorio is characterized by the variety of its musical forms, alternating accompanied arias, bravery arias, expressive recitatives and duets, highlighting the diversity of Scarlatti's dramatic and spiritual language at the beginning of the 18th century.

This recording is performed by the Monaco Baroque Ensemble under the direction of Matthieu Pey, who also plays the role of Eternità. The roles of Sposo, Sposa and Amore are given to Béatrice Gobin, Aurora Peña and Mélodie Ruvio. The instrumental ensemble brings together violins, violas, cello, cello, viola da gamba, viola da gamba, double bass, lute, theorbo and harpsichord, in an approach based on handwritten sources and musical practices from the Baroque period.

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Founded in 2000 by Hendrik Vanden Abeele, Ensemble Psallentes has established itself as a singular formation in the early music landscape, bringing together professional singers around an in-depth work on Gregorian chant, plainsong and repertoires from the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. From the beginning, the ensemble has been distinguished by an approach based on research, the study of sources and a rare attention to ancient liturgical traditions.

Over the years, Psallentes has built a very recognizable artistic identity, at the crossroads of historical reproduction, vocal intensity and a particularly embodied spirituality of sound. His discographic career testifies to this requirement, with recordings devoted in particular to Johannes Brassart, Arnold de Lantins and Pierre de la Rue, as well as several remarkable collaborations with Capilla Flamenca and Millenarium. The ensemble has also been invited to numerous festivals in Flanders and Europe.

In the Paraty universe, Ensemble Psallentes is particularly present with Deleuze: Tota pulchra es, amica mea, album associated with the composer Jean-Pierre Deleuze and the ensemble. This discographic presence consistently extends an artistic project entirely focused on the living rediscovery of ancient repertoires, under the impetus of Hendrik Vanden Abeele.

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Le Chansonnier de Bayeux is a program devoted to French songs from the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century, mainly from the manuscript Paris, National Library of France, French funds 9346. This collection mainly brings together anonymous monodies dealing with various themes such as love, satire, daily life, war and drink, with some melodies also attested in contemporary polyphonic sources.

The program highlights the circulation of melodies between monody and polyphony during the Renaissance, as well as the transformation processes linked to cantus firmus, imitation and melodic variants. Some songs from the manuscript also appear in polyphonic works by composers such as Guillaume Dufay, Heinrich Isaac, Antoine Févin, Jean Mouton, Alexander Agricola or Mathieu Gascongne, attesting to the diffusion and adaptation of this repertoire in different musical contexts.

The album is performed by Brigitte Lesne (singing, gothic harp, gothic harp, chifonie, percussion) and Pierre Boragno (recorders, one-handed flutes, bagpipes, bombard), with the participation of Pierre Hamon and Benoît Toïgo. The instrumentarium combines instruments adapted to monody and polyphony, in an approach based on the critical study of sources and manuscript variants. The recording was made in October 2019 at the Antonin Artaud Auditorium in Ivry-sur-Seine.

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Variations ambrings together 13th century songs, conduits, motets and rondeaux from the 13th century from secular and Marian traditions, in the Oïl language and Latin. The program connects works based on processes of variation and contrafactum, where the same melody circulates between monody and polyphony, between secular and sacred repertoires, according to medieval manuscript sources preserved in France, Italy, Germany and England.

The Alla Francesca ensemble, directed by Brigitte Lesne, interprets this repertoire based on a work on manuscripts and on oral transmission traditions. The program combines courtly love songs, unmarried songs and Marian repertoires, with works attributed in particular to Thibaut de Blaison, Gautier de Coinci, Blondel de Nesles, Adam de la Halle, Adam de la Halle, Richart de Fournival and Philippe le Chancellor.

This record is the eighteenth recording by Alla Francesca and the first released on the Paraty label. It combines voices and medieval instruments, including violas, harp, harp, burp, burp, percussion and bells, in versions based on the various variants attested by the sources, highlighting the processes of writing, transformation and musical transmission in the Middle Ages.

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Mosaïc is a program for two guitars devoted to a French repertoire ranging from the 18th to the 20th century. The album brings together works by Antoine de Lhoyer, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Gabriel Fauré, Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy and Pierre Petit, presented in arrangements for guitar duo made by Duo Palissandre or by Tristan Manoukian. The program combines Baroque, classical, romantic and modern music in a succession of contrasting forms.

Rameau's pieces, taken from the New Suites of Harpsichord Pieces of 1728, sit alongside Antoine de Lhoyer's Duo Concertant No. 3 Op.31, representative of the classical guitar repertoire. Gabriel Fauré's Dolly Suite, originally written for piano four hands, as well as Debussy's Clair de Lune and Pierre Petit's Toccata, bear witness to the evolution of the French musical language and its adaptation to writing for two guitars.

The album is performed by the Palissandre Duo, formed by Vanessa Dartier and Yann Dufresne on guitars. It was recorded in July 2017 at Studio Babel in Montreuil. Production is provided by Paraty, with sound recording, editing and mastering done by Vincent Joinville.

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On the edge of the dream is a program for cello and piano bringing together twenty-three short pieces from the vocal and instrumental repertoire of the 19th and 20th centuries, centered around the themes of lullaby, nocturnal, nocturnal, daydream and evening singing. The program combines works by Franz Liszt, Manuel de Falla, Robert Schumann, Robert Schumann, Robert Schumann, Claude Debussy, Claude Debussy, Franz Schubert, Gabriel Fauré, Edvard Grieg, Richard Wagner, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Igor Stravinsky, Richard Strauss, as well as less frequently recorded composers such as Louis Aubert, Lucien Durosoir, Alexandre Gretchaninov, Tchaikovsky, Igor Stravinsky, Richard Strauss, as well as less frequently recorded composers such as Louis Aubert, Lucien Durosoir, Alexandre Gretchaninov, Fernand de La Tombelle, Armas Järnefelt, Franz Xaver Neruda and Jacob Fabricius.

The majority of the works are presented in transcriptions or arrangements for cello and piano, made by Aurélienne Brauner and Lorène de Ratuld, based on pieces originally written for voice and piano, solo piano or other instrumental formations. The program alternates lullabies, nocturnal ones, daydreams and character pieces, with a few more animated pages, constituting a continuous journey of musical miniatures organized like a succession of paintings.

The album is performed by Aurélienne Brauner on cello and Lorène de Ratuld on piano. It was recorded from December 5 to 8, 2021 at the Saint-Marcel Collegiate Church in Prémery, with several pieces captured in concert during the Prémery Festival in 2021. Production is provided by Paraty, with sound recording by Robert Verguet and editing, mixing and mastering by Aurélien Marotte.

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This recording brings together works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Paul Hindemith, through transcriptions and chamber music pieces intended for modern instruments. The program combines two Bach sonatas for flute and harpsichord, BWV 1031 and BWV 1032, with works by Hindemith including the Sonata for Oboe and Piano, the Sonata for Horn or Saxophone and Piano, and the Trio for Viola, Heckelphone, and Piano op. 47.

The project is part of a reflection on the continuity of forms and contrapuntal writing between Baroque and neoclassicism. Hindemith's works, directly nourished by Bach's heritage, use structures similar to the Sonata da Chiesa, to imitation and counterpoint, while integrating a harmonic and rhythmic language of the 20th century. Bach's sonatas are presented in versions adapted to the expressive possibilities of the saxophone and piano, without denying the original formal principles.

The album is performed by the Azar Duo, bringing together Carl-Emmanuel Fisbach on saxophones and Wenjiao Wang on piano, with the participation of Pierre Lenert on viola in the Hindemith Trio. It was recorded in April 2018 at the Salle Colonne in Paris. Production is provided by Paraty, with sound recording, editing and mastering done by Étienne Graindorge.

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Iguaçu is the first recording by Duo Aurore, devoted to Brazilian and Argentine repertoire from the 20th and 21st centuries for two pianos and piano four hands. The program brings together works by Mozart Camargo Guarnieri, Aloysio by Alencar Pinto, Carlos Guastavino, Radamés Gnattali, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Astor Piazzolla, and Hércules Gomes, combining iconic pieces and more recent creations.

The title of the album refers to the Iguaçu Falls, located on the border of Brazil and Argentina, and reflects the dialogue between the musical cultures of the two countries. The program highlights various forms and styles, such as dances, romances, dances, romances, choro, waltz, tango and samba, often nourished by popular music and characterized by a marked rhythmic and harmonic richness.

The album is performed by Duo Aurore, formed by Renata Bittencourt and Diego Munhoz on pianos, with the participation of percussionist Florentin Morel on O Trenzinho do Caipira. It was recorded in October 2018 at the CRR Auditorium in Paris. Production is provided by Paraty, with sound recording and mastering by Frédéric Briant.

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Spring in the soul is a program for clarinet and piano built around works from the 20th and 21st centuries, combining French, American and British repertoires. The disc brings together pieces by Joseph Horovitz, Jean Françaix, Claude Debussy, Claude Debussy, Leonard Bernstein, Olivier Dartevelle and Darius Milhaud, in an alternation of short forms and structured cycles, ranging from sonatine to rhapsody and sonata.

The program highlights the influence of jazz and popular music in the writing of several works, both rhythmically and harmonically. Horovitz's Sonatine, Bernstein's Sonata and Dartevelle's play dialogue with Debussy's Première Rhapsody and Milhaud's Scaramouche, whose duet reduction evokes Brazil and samba. The works also address worlds related to childhood, travel and musical narration.

The album is performed by Duo Anthemis, formed by Juliette Boubel on piano and Florent Charpentier on clarinet. It was recorded in May 2022 at the Salle de l'Esplanade of the Arsenal in Metz. Production is provided by Paraty, with sound recording, editing, mixing and mastering done by Frédéric Briant.

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This album brings together four orchestral works by David Lampel composed between 2004 and 2019: Symphonic Studies for Orchestra, Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Mandala Symphony for Orchestra and Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. Each piece explores a distinct form, ranging from a suite of orchestral studies to a five-movement symphony, to two solo concertos.

The Symphonic Studies for Orchestra is based on a unique motif derived from the musical letters of the city of Sofia, developed through a series of contrasting studies that highlight instrumental groups, orchestral writing techniques, and the overall form of the work. The Concerto for Cello and Orchestra is part of the classical and romantic concerto tradition, establishing a continuous dialogue between the soloist and the orchestra, structured around successive patterns and a formal reversal between the two parties.

The Mandala Symphony for Orchestra, inspired by the Buddhist symbol of the mandala, unfolds in five movements corresponding to notions of wisdom, will, patience, energy and serenity. The Concerto for Piano and Orchestra adopts a cyclic form built around the note D, with rhythmic and thematic alternations evoking contrapuntal and figurative forms. The album brings together the Mulhouse Symphony Orchestra and the Victor Hugo Franche-Comté Orchestra, under the direction of Jacques Lacombe, Jean-François Verdier and Joseph Bastian, with Emmanuelle Bertrand on cello and Marie-Josèphe Jude on piano.

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This recording is devoted to harpsichord pieces by Jean-Philippe Rameau, mainly from collections of 1724 and 1728 as well as from La Dauphine (1747), performed on the modern harp. The program brings together iconic works such as Les Cyclopes, L'Entretien des Muses, Les Soupirs, Les Tendres Plains, La Poule, Les Sauvages and L'Enharmonique, organized in suites corresponding to the original keys.

The project is part of an approach of reading harpsichord scores directly, without systematic rewriting, by questioning the transition of the tone and the instrumental gesture from the harpsichord to the harp. It addresses issues of temperament, French ornamentation, broken style, and harmonic density, taking into account the mechanical and sonic constraints specific to the modern pedal harp.

The album is performed by Constance Luzzati on the Camac Atlantide Prestige harp. It was recorded in December 2021 at Royaumont Abbey. Production is provided by Paraty, with sound recording and mastering by Marie-Ange Carrez. The texts of the booklet are signed Constance Luzzati.

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This album brings together works for French harpsichord from the 18th century transcribed for harp, by François Couperin, Jacques Duphly, Pancrace Royer, Antoine and Jean-Baptiste Forqueray, as well as Michel Corrette. The program includes Les Barricades euses, La Marche des Scythes, Médée, Jupiter, Les Regrets and several pieces from the Viola Pieces set in harpsichord pieces by Forquerays, exploring a repertoire originally designed for harpsichord or viola da gamba.

The project is part of a reflection on transcription in the 18th century and on the transition of works between viola da gamba, harpsichord and harp. The pieces selected question the technical and expressive limits of the instrument, in particular in the low registers, chromatism, broken style and sound density effects. Some works are performed as a duo, offering an intermediate approach between the viola score with basso continuo and the transcription for solo harpsichord.

The album is performed by Constance Luzzati on the harp, accompanied by Caroline Delume at the theorbo on several pieces. It was recorded in December 2023 at Royaumont Abbey, on a Camac Atlantide Prestige harp. Production is provided by Paraty, with sound recording, editing, mixing and mastering done by Marie-Ange Carrez.

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