Ha! compagnons
Canadian soprano Elodie Bouchard and American lutenist Anthony Harvey offer vivid and colourful interpretations of air de cour, ayres and monodies by 17th-century composers Giulio Caccini, Thomas Campion, Sigismondo d’India, Claudio Monteverdi and Etienne Moulinié.
Giulio Caccini (1551-1618)
1. Torna, deh torna pargoletto mio
Thomas Campion (1567-1620)
2. Oft Have I Sigh’d
3. Her Rosie Cheekes
4. Shall I Come Sweet Love to Thee
Sigismondo d’India (c.1582-1629)
5. Tu parti, ahi lasso
6. Intenerite voi, lagrime mie
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
7. Lamento d’Arianna SV22*
Etienne Moulinié (c.1599-1676)
8. Quoy faut-il donc vous dire adieu
9. Quittez, quittez cette fière rigueur
10. Enfin la beauté que j’adore
11. Ha! compagnons nous voyla bien
*With Christophe Gauthier, harpsichord
This project introduces the listener to the pivotal period between Renaissance and Baroque when composers united in the desire for clarity of sung lyrics. Voice and lute then became an essential duo whose intimate character perfectly matched the needs at the different courts throughout Europe. This symbiosis can be heard in the air de cour and ayres of France and England, whereas in Italy it is rather the genre of accompanied monody which prevailed over the national soundscape and later lead to the development of the first operas.
The pieces on the album share the timeless theme of love in all of its different shades, rounded up by the ultimate drinking song that lends its title to the project: "For us, Ha! compagnons illustrates not only the historical camaraderie of voice and lute, but also the collaborative aspect of many companions making this release possible" explains Elodie Bouchard.
Singing with Anthony Harvey
Elodie Bouchard and Anthony Harvey met in 2018 when they were studying early music at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University. When they discovered they shared a desire to explore the repertoire of lute songs, airs de cour and Italian monody, their common interest led to many collaborations of chamber music and recitals throughout Montréal. The talented young performers were prominently featured in the 2019 Opera McGill production of Francesca Caccini’s opera La liberazione de Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina. In this production, Elodie sang the lead role of Alcina, accompanied exclusively by Anthony, which gave them an opportunity to further refine their interpretation of early 17th-century Italian music.
Elodie and Anthony are intent on bringing repertoire for lute and voice to the forefront of classical music. In every performance, the duo creates an immersive soundscape from the Renaissance and Baroque eras. They strive to offer outstanding performances by combining their knowledge of historical performance practice with their evocative musical intuition.
Immersion through sound
Immersive sound technologies bring a strongly enhanced emotional experience to the listener. When attending live music performances in concert halls, acoustic reflections from floor, walls and ceiling form what we refer to as the unique personality of a certain venue and feed the human hearing with important cues contributing to our perception of timbres and even musical structures. The immersive recording approach of Ha! compagnons brings this natural character of sound in all spatial dimensions to the listener, allowing for an even more intimate engagement with the artists.
The album was recorded in 2019 in Montreal and mastered at the renowned msm studios in Munich. The result can be heard on Pure Audio Blu-ray in Auro-3D or Dolby Atmos as well as on headphones through the discrete immersive binaural mix. The Pure Audio Blu-ray also is equipped with mShuttle technology providing the customer with binaural and stereo files of all songs for portable playback devices. Customers who are not yet equipped with a Blu-ray player also find a regular CD with standard resolution stereo as well as binaural tracks in the package.
The companions
Sound and mastering team
Recording Producer : Ephraim Hahn
Recording assistant : William Sylvain
Stereo and immersive mix : Ephraim Hahn & Kseniya Kawko
Binaural mixing : Kseniya Kawko
Pure Audio Blu-ray Authoring : Michael T. Hoffmann
Blu-ray production : Stefan bock, msm studio group ltd. Munich
Visual team
Paintings : Chantal Quidoz
Artwork : Justin Luchinski
Photography : Majorie Blanchette, Ephraim Hahn
Illustrations : Hyunyoung Yang
Booklet team
Program notes : Elodie Bouchard & Anthony Harvey
Translations : Amy Grainger, Elodie Bouchard
Layout & immersive sound section : Ephraim Hahn
Editing : Jérémie de Pierre, Agnès Ménard, Vanessa Bouchard, Cynthia Gates, Frédérick Gélinas, Josée Fortin, Brett Vachon, William Sylvain.