Airs des Cours from the 17th Century

Marc Mauillon, baritone (France)

Gabriel Rignol, luth (France)

We invite you to enter the refined and intimate world of the French air de cour, a genre that flourished in the courts of the 17th century. Born of poetry and music in perfect harmony, these elegant songs express the subtle emotions, wit, and sensuality that defined the spirit of the French Baroque.

The program features works by four of the most emblematic composers of this repertoire: Pierre Guédron, a pioneer of the air de cour under Henri IV and Louis XIII; Étienne Moulinié, music director to the powerful Gaston d’Orléans and known for his lyrical sensitivity; Sébastien Le Camus, admired for his expressive depth; and Michel Lambert, whose poignant melodies represent the height of French lyrical art.

Prepare for an evening of intimate musical storytelling, where every phrase breathes the elegance, melancholy, and charm of a bygone age.

Pierre Guédron
Si le parler et le silence

Anonyme
Prélude ré mineur

Pierre Guédron
Belle qui m’avez blessé d’un trait si doux

Etienne Moulinié
Celle qui tient ma douce liberté

Anonyme
Chaconne

Etienne Moulinié
Dans le lit de la mort

Dufaut
Tombeau de Mr Blanrocher

Etienne Moulinié
Concert de différents oyseaux
Enfin la beauté que j’adore
Ondes qui soulevez vos voutes vagabondes

Vieux Gallot
Les Noces de Village

Etienne Moulinié
Peut-on trouver un médecin
Tout se peint de verdure

Pierre Guédron
Je puis donc revoir encore

Vieux Gaultier
Canarie

Pierre Guédron
Amour est un plaisir si doux
Aux plaisirs, aux délices bergères

Michel Lambert
Je goutais cent mille douceurs

Sébastien Le Camus
Pleurez, mes yeux 
Ah que vous êtes heureux 

Michel Lambert
Sombres déserts 
Superbes ennemis

Robert de Visée
Suite en la mineur
Prélude
Allemande - Le Tombeau du Vieux Gallot
Gigue
La Vénitienne de Mr Fourcroy mise par Mr De Visée 
Rondeau - La Montfermeil
Chaconne 

Sébastien Le Camus
Laissez durer la nuit 
Vous serez les témoins de mes vives douleurs 

Michel Lambert
Laisse-moy soupirer 
Goûtons un doux repos 

MARC MAUILLON, baritone (France)

With his very personal and recognisable voice, French baritenor Marc Mauillon has been exploring 10 centuries of vocal music with insatiable curiosity.

Aged 22 he met W. Christie and developed an acknowledged expertise in the baroque repertoire, with, among others, les Arts Florissants, Le Poème Harmonique (V. Dumestre), le Concert d’Astrée (E. Haïm), Le Concert Spirituel (H. Niquet), Les Talens lyriques (C. Rousset), singing operas and concert pieces by Lully, Rameau, Charpentier, Campra, Monteverdi, Cavalli, Purcell, Lambert or Mondonville in places such as Paris Opéra Comique, Opéra de Paris, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Philharmonie de Paris, Berliner Philhamonie, Theater an der Wien, Wiener Festwochen, De National Opera Amsterdam, Bozar Bruxelles, Barbican London, BAM and Lincoln Center in New-York, Edinburgh Festival, Salzburger Festival, Utrecht Festival…

Since 2005 he also started to work on Machaut’s secular music, shedding a new light on his pieces. It led him to meet J. Savall and M. Figueras and join Hesperion XXI for many concerts and recordings.

Besides Baroque operas, he also sang operas by Mozart, Poulenc, Britten, Bernstein, and many others, including contemporary composers. His also records and performs with pianists French melodies and Lieder.

Many times he was invited to teach master-classes about medieval, baroque or French music, in France and abroad (Basel, Santander, Moscow, Minsk, etc…) From 2014 to 2018 he was a teacher in Pôle Supérieur 93 (Aubervilliers) and from 2018 to 2024 he taught medieval secular music interpretation in La Sorbonne (Paris).

GABRIEL RIGNOL, luth (France)

Born in 2001, Gabriel Rignol began playing the guitar at the age of 8 at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional in Perpignan. At the age of 15, he decided to devote himself to the lute under the guidance of Béatrice Pornon and a year later, he was admitted to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon, where he obtained his diploma in 2021 after finishing the studies in Rolf Lislevand’s class.

He has recorded for various labels as a continuo player (Alpha Classics, Ricercar, Harmonia Mundi, Aparté, among others) and as a soloist (Deutsche Grammophon, L’encelade, Ricercar). In August 2021, he won the 10th Maurizio Pratola International Early Music Competition. In 2021, he founded the ensemble La Nébuleuse. The ensemble la Nébuleuse brings together singers and instrumentalists from Europe's leading conservatoires. Together, they explore the French and Italian repertoires of the 17th century and the musical bridges linking the two nations. In a spirit of rediscovery, La Nébuleuse is also keen to bring back life works that have been forgotten or are little-known today, and places at the heart of its activity the search for new and unheard-of repertoires.