Ensemble Esquisses, Guillemette Daboval – Par un matin (Caplet, Kaspar, Chausson, Marçot, Poulenc) (2023) [FLAC 24 bit, 48 kHz]

Ensemble Esquisses, Guillemette Daboval – Par un matin (Caplet, Kaspar, Chausson, Marçot, Poulenc) (2023) [FLAC 24 bit, 48 kHz]

The Ensemble Esquisses is the result of a shared desire to explore the repertoire for equal voices, with the aim of discovering (or rediscovering) composers (men and women) and little-known works of the modern and contemporary periods.

This all-female vocal group is among the most singular of its generation, conspicuous in its commitment to the creation of new works and known for its clean, sculptural sound, carefully honed by its conductor, Guillemette Daboval.

Aya Hamada – Bach: Goldberg Variations (2023) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

Aya Hamada – Bach: Goldberg Variations (2023) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

After recording the second of Bach’s four Clavier-Übung volumes, the harpsichordist Aya Hamada turns now to the last one: the legendary Goldberg Variations. The discography of the work is vast, but here Aya Hamada has chosen to perform it on an exceptional instrument: the 1624 Ruckers belonging to the Musée Unterlinden in Colmar. Recently restored, this harpsichord boasts a palette of rich, authentic tones: dark in the bass, like crystal in the high register. With it’s unique timbre, this instrument enables the harpsichordist to give full expression to the successive metamorphoses of the poignant initial Aria, on which Bach built his greatest keyboard masterpiece.