Sous l’Empire d’Amour’ features exquisite and rarely performed 17th century French songs for mezzo-soprano and lute. The first half of the seventeenth-century marked the heyday of the air de cour at the French court. This was a monophonic lute-accompanied song that was generally on the subject of love. Sentimental songs of this kind soon found their way to other parts of Europe, including England, Germany and the Netherlands. With their exceptional programme, mezzo-soprano Marie-Claude Chappuis and lutenist Luca Pianca breathe new life into this courtly musical culture in all of its elegance and beauty, performing works by Jean-Baptiste Lully, Étienne Moulinié, Michel Lambert, Gabriel Bataille and others. Recorded by famous Swiss/French sound engineer Jean-Daniel Noir in high resolution format (24/176,4).
