Oh, ma belle brunette Reinoud Van Mechelen & A Nocte Temporis

• Christophe Ballard (1641 - 1715): Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome II:
• 1Ballard: Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome II: Où êtes-vous allé, mes belles amourettes01:49
• Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome I:
• 2Ballard: Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome I: Le beau berger Tircis08:34
• Jacques Cochereau (1680 - 1734): Airs sérieux et à boire:
• 3Cochereau: Airs sérieux et à boire: Plaignez-vous ma Muzette03:07
• Christophe Ballard: Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome II:
• 4Ballard: Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome II: Taisez vous ma musette02:23
• Marin Marais (1656 - 1728): Pièces de viole, Livre 3, Suite No. 8 in C Major:
• 5Marais: Pièces de viole, Livre 3, Suite No. 8 in C Major: I. Prélude01:43
• Christophe Ballard: Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome I:
• 6Ballard: Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome I: L'autre jour ma Cloris08:34
• Marin Marais: Pièces de viole, Livre 3, Suite No. 8 in C Major:
• 7Marais: Pièces de viole, Livre 3, Suite No. 8 in C Major: V. Sarabande02:22
• 8Marais: Pièces de viole, Livre 3, Suite No. 8 in C Major: X. Gavotte en rondeau01:45
• Christophe Ballard: Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome I:
• 9Ballard: Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome I: Je ne veux plus aimer rien01:04
• Jacques Hotteterre le Romain (1673 - 1763): L'art de préluder, Op. 7:
• 10Romain: L'art de préluder, Op. 7: Prélude in G Minor03:44
• Christophe Ballard: Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome II:
• 11Ballard: Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome II: Sur le bord de la Seine04:06
• Robert de Visée (1650 - 1725): Pièces de théorbe et de luth, Suite in A Minro:
• 12Visée: Pièces de théorbe et de luth, Suite in A Minro: Chaconne03:07
• Joseph Valette de Montigny (1665 - 1738): Recueil d'airs sérieux et à boire:
• 13Montigny: Recueil d'airs sérieux et à boire: Calme mes déplaisirs04:16
• Christophe Ballard: Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome I:
• 14Ballard: Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome I: Tu ne dois pas jeune Lisette02:53
• Francois Couperin (1668 - 1733): Second livre de pièces de clavecin; Sixième ordre:
• 15Couperin: Second livre de pièces de clavecin; Sixième ordre: VI. Les bergeries05:37
• Christophe Ballard: Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome III:
• 16Ballard: Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome III: Il était un Espagnol02:21
• Jean-François Dandrieu (1682 - 1738): Pièces de clavecin, Livre 1, Seconde suite:
• 17Dandrieu: Pièces de clavecin, Livre 1, Seconde suite: VII. Le Concert des Oiseaux - Le Ramage02:11
• Christophe Ballard: Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome II:
• 18Ballard: Brunetes ou petits airs tendres, tome II: Les Rossignols par leur tendre ramage01:38
• Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (1667 - 1737): Concerts pour la flûte traversière:
• 19Montéclair: Concerts pour la flûte traversière: Les tourterelles02:38
• Monsieur de la Feronnerie: Airs sérieux et à boire:
• 20Feronnerie: Airs sérieux et à boire: Suspendez quelques tems07:06
• Total Runtime01:10:58

Info for Oh, ma belle brunette

The term ‘brunette’ refers not only to a young woman with brown hair, but also to a musical form that was highly fashionable from the late seventeenth century to the early eighteenth. The genre evolved from the air de cour, extremely popular in France since the beginning of the seventeenth century. The compositional process, however, remained very similar: to write a short, tender song, dealing with themes of love or nature, which could be sung alone or accompanied by a harmonic instrument. The late seventeenth century also saw the appearance of an instrument that soon became a favourite of composers and amateur musicians: the German flute, now called the traverso or Baroque flute.

In this new programme, tenor Reinoud van Mechelen, flautist Anna Besson and A nocte temporis present an anthology of airs and brunettes ranging from the most touching song to the heartiest drinking song (air à boire).

Reinoud van Mechelen, tenor
A Nocte Temporis
Anna Besson, baroque flute

A nocte temporis
Latin translation of the French expression “depuis la nuit des temps”, which means “from time immemorial”. A nod towards the past, towards what is changing, and especially also towards what remains unchanged.

After several years of activity as a soloist with conductors such as William Christie, Philippe Herreweghe, Hervé Niquet, Christophe Rousset, and many others, Reinoud Van Mechelen founds his own ensemble in 2016. His goal is to present historically informed music as well as to emotionally touch an as large audience as possible. For this purpose he surrounds himself with musicians who share this passion with him and who are ready to take up this challenge.

In 2016 he records with a nocte temporis a program dedicated to Bach arias for tenor and flute for the label Alpha Classics (Outhere). In the 16/17 season, they will present this program during concerts in many cities, including Warsaw, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Pavia.

Reinoud Van Mechelen
Since he completed his master studies in 2012 at the Conservatoire Royal in Brussels (class of Dina Grossberger), Reinoud Van Mechelen has established himself on the international stage.

In 2007 he caught attention at the Académie Baroque Européenne in Ambronay under the baton of Hervé Niquet. In 2011 he was a member of the "Jardin des Voix" of William Christie and Paul Agnew and became soon a regular soloist of Les Arts florissants. With Les Arts florissants he has performed at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, the Edinburgh Festival, the Château de Versailles, the Bolchoï Theatre in Moscow, the Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican Centre in London, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, the Philharmonie in Paris, the Opéra Comique and the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.

At the same time he is a guest with international ensembles such as Collegium Vocale, Le Concert Spirituel, La Petite Bande, Les Talens Lyriques, Pygmalion, Le Poème Harmonique, Il Gardellino, Insula Orchestra, L’Arpeggiata, Ludus Modalis, B’Rock, Ricercar Consort, Capriccio Stravagante, Scherzi Musicali, European Union Baroque Orchestra.

In 2014 Reinoud Van Mechelen performed his first Evangelist in J.S. Bach's Johannespassionwith the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. The season after he made his debut in a title role in an opera by Rameau, Dardanus, at the Opéra national de Bordeaux.

In 2016/17 he will be debuting at the Zürich Opera in Charpentier's Médée(Jason) under the baton of William Christie. He will go a significant way ahead in extending his repertoire performing in concert Belmonte (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) with the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and Gérald (Lakmé) with the Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio.

Reinoud Van Mechelen has tooken part in several CD and DVD produktions. In 2016 he is recording his first solo CD for Alpha Classics (J. S. Bach Program, release scheduled in fall 2016).

Booklet for Oh, ma belle brunette